That time of year... EPIC Road Trip: CO, UT, AZ, CA - Mojave Road and more! 8/22-9/4

00_4runner · Aug 15, 2017

Hey all,

Wanted to post up our next planned trip to see if anyone had any suggestions or would like to tag along at any point.

Here is our breakdown:

Leaving in the evening on the 22nd of August to get to Boulder in the AM on the 23rd. First order of business is installing a new set of tires and an oil change. Then me and a friend plan on hitting a local trail.

Morning of the 24th we would like to head out from Boulder around 4 AM to reach Ouray by 1030/11 (2 vehicles). We are going to leave one car (Jeep Grand Cherokee, full time AWD but no low range gearing) and take Black Bear Pass into Telluride. Quick pit stop for lunch in Telluride and then back to Ouray via Imogene Pass. Planning on going to Orvis hot springs in the evening to finish off the day.

Morning of the 25th we are planning to leave around 4 AM again to pick a friend up at the airport in Flagstaff, AZ on our way to the Mojave Road (near Needles, CA if you are not familiar). We should arrive at the trailhead at around 2 PM after refueling and last minute stops. We will make camp around 6/7 PM and resume in the morning.

The Mojave is approximately 140 miles long and we plan on doing the majority of it on Saturday the 26th having started the afternoon the day prior. Same as before, we plan to make camp around 6 PM or so. We will wake up early on Sunday the 27th and finish off the rest of the trail.

At this point my friends will be heading home and we are going to be solo in Southern California for the rest of our trip. So the last week August 27th - September 2nd/3rd will be spent in the area.

I have all the Charles Wells guide books for trails and will definitely like to explore Sequoia, Yosemite and other National Parks while in the area.

We are keeping several trails/areas on the radar as far as trails go... Big Bear, Monache Meadows, Death Valley, Reward Mine, Inyo, Panamint and I am sure I forgot a few.

The first week is the only planned portion of the trip, we are up for anything and the second week will most likely be planned on the fly.

The rig: Built 2005 V6 with rear-lockers, 34s, skids, bumpers and a whole bunch of other off-road things haha.

I have a decent amount of experience but often do not go on 'hard' trails since me and my girlfriend are normally solo.

We would love to meet/wheel with locals so please feel free to reach out to me if you are interested. Any tips or suggestions will be very appreciated!

Thanks in advance and we hope to see some of you guys soon.

- Konrad

Oneluv13T4R · Aug 15, 2017

Well sounds like a great trip you have planned...

I could meet up with you at the end of your Mojave Road Trip (since Ive done that a couple times) on the 27th and take you across the highway over to the Calico's to do some "hard" wheeling (Moderate w/some tech sections) in some interesting terrain and unique landscape that you wont find anywhere else.

Ive gotta go out there and do some pre runs of a couple trails anyways before the end of sept for an event so i can get those done the day before on the 26th and meet you guys on the 27th. And I most likely will have a couple socal t4r guys with me as well ..
Also since Big Bear , joshua Tree, are in my back yard so if you would rather do those areas i could easily runs those with you instead or any questions for those areas or Death Valley for that matter ive been there a few times..haha

Just let me know and im sure I can make something happen or help in anyway.

Miah

Oh here...this is the event I was talking about but you can use it for reference to check out what Calicos has to offer to see if its omething you would like to check out..just go to the photo section and the video section of the site which are all pics and vids from our previous runs we have done there..enjoy

Link to event site
http://toyotatrailrehabdays.weebly.com/

00_4runner · Aug 15, 2017

Oneluv13T4R said:
Well sounds like a great trip you have planned...

I could meet up with you at the end of your Mojave Road Trip (since Ive done that a couple times) on the 27th and take you across the highway over to the Calico's to do some "hard" wheeling (Moderate w/some tech sections) in some interesting terrain and unique landscape that you wont find anywhere else.

Ive gotta go out there and do some pre runs of a couple trails anyways before the end of sept for an event so i can get those done the day before on the 26th and meet you guys on the 27th. And I most likely will have a couple socal t4r guys with me as well ..
Also since Big Bear , joshua Tree, are in my back yard so if you would rather do those areas i could easily runs those with you instead or any questions for those areas or Death Valley for that matter ive been there a few times..haha

Just let me know and im sure I can make something happen or help in anyway.

Miah

Oh here...this is the event I was talking about but you can use it for reference to check out what Calicos has to offer to see if its omething you would like to check out..just go to the photo section and the video section of the site which are all pics and vids from our previous runs we have done there..enjoy

Link to event site
Toyota Trail Rehab Days - Southern California TOYOTA Off-Road Fest Barstow, CA

Wow thanks! We would definitely be interested in meeting up. This is exactly the response I was looking for.

Some of the Calico stuff looks rough. It would be the hardest terrain I ever ran. Maybe its the angles of the shots. I'm sure I could make it with a spot thou... I have full RCI skids however due rusted bolts on the crossmember, I can't install the transmission and transfer case skid. The front skid has no issues. I don't think that should be an issue but let me know.

I'm assuming you have work on the 28th so meeting up/wheeling would have to be only on the 27th. Now I have to choose between big bear/joshua tree and calico... Tough call haha

I'll have to pick your brain about the surrounding area. Not too sure how to plan if we want to make it to Sequoia and Yosemite before we head home. I heard about some trails in that area, like Monache Meadow.

00_4runner · Aug 15, 2017

Some teaser shots of the 4Runner for good measure...

Near Cooke City, Montana. I believe this is Daisy/Lulu Pass. Breathtaking views, highly recommended!

Off of Onion Creek trail in Moab, heading deeper into desert.

Oldmanb777 · Aug 18, 2017

No low range on the Jeep Grand Cherokee? Did they make one of those over-glorified-mini vans out of it? My sister has a 2016 limited, it has low range. It has Independent suspension, so not what the older ones were. never had it out anywhere, but their driveway can be a challenge in most rigs. Our GX won't climb it with traction control on, no problem with it off. But the Cherokee goes right up with no problem. They drag a small box trailer up it all the time. My 3/4 ton pick up struggles in a few spots on their 1/4 mile drive. So do some of them not have low range?