I Live In America's Off-Road MECCA!

[Mocopo]

I like the high mountains, but you really only have access to them for 4-5 months per year. The rest of the time they are covered in snow and you have to go to lower elevations.

That was always a concern I had with Colorado. That I'd be limited with local wheeling during the winter months. I guess the way around that is to plan all your out of state trips during that window though. But I do really like being able to just wake up on a Saturday and decide last second that I feel like going for a trail ride....

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[Cyber_Jeeper]

That was always a concern I had with Colorado. That I'd be limited with local wheeling during the winter months. I guess the way around that is to plan all your out of state trips during that window though. But I do really like being able to just wake up on a Saturday and decide last second that I feel like going for a trail ride....

Here in Utah I can be up the canyon and on dirt in 25 minutes which makes it easy to do last minute rides up the mountains. We have some stuff in the lower elevation that won’t close, but I’ve been purposely avoiding those since I will have all winter and spring to explore those. With Moab 3 hours away too I should still be able to get out all year. Some months just require a bit more driving.

 

[Rubi SoHo]

Salt Lake City Utah.

Moab is 3.5hrs away
Sand Hollow is 4hrs away
American Fork Canyon is 40min away
Little Moab is 1hr if you need a sandstone fix
West Desert has some gnar under an hour away.
Central Utah has days of overlanding available. Uintah’s have tons of it too. Boulder mountain is full of trails. Grand staircase, Capitol Reef, San Rafael Swell all have off-roading of various types.

Then for our out of state options, not that we ever feel the need to leave Utah for this type of thing:

Ouray CO, is 6hrs away.

Rubicon Trailhead is 10hrs from where I sit.

Sedona is 9hrs from here.

LA metro is 9-10hrs depending on where you’re going. Trails are generally on the Utah facing side of that mess.

 

[Rubi SoHo]

Moab sucks; Tell your friends

my 16yo son has that on the bumper of his YJ.

 

[Wheelin Matt]

I live in Colorado at 8500 feet elevation half the year and in the Mojave desert the colder half of the year. I can wheel 5 minutes from my Colorado cabin and 30 minutes from my desert house and in between is southern Utah. I also have Starlink RV setup and can work from anywhere.
BEAT THAT

 

[Bohica]

I live in Colorado at 8500 feet elevation half the year and in the Mojave desert the colder half of the year. I can wheel 5 minutes from my Colorado cabin and 30 minutes from my desert house and in between is southern Utah. I also have Starlink RV setup and can work from anywhere.
BEAT THAT

Matt wins.

 

[BigFeet]

I live in Colorado at 8500 feet elevation half the year and in the Mojave desert the colder half of the year. I can wheel 5 minutes from my Colorado cabin and 30 minutes from my desert house and in between is southern Utah. I also have Starlink RV setup and can work from anywhere.
BEAT THAT

Can us underprivileged wheelers come visit?

I have a tent... can bring brisket.

If it helps, I like your color choice.

 

[calemasters]

ARIZONA is the best state in the US for off-roaders.

From Phx you have:
Table Mesa and Florence trails (< 1 hour)
Catalina Trails (2 hours)
Sedona (2 hours)
Hurricane (6 hours)
Moab (8 hours)
Ouray, CO (8 hours)
Rubicon Trail and the rest of SoCal trails (within 12 hours)
....

Who thinks they can beat that? (Actually I'm curious, I have a job I can work remotely and am wondering where I want to live to get the most out of my favorite hobby lol!)

I have to drive about 1,000 miles to those locations. I have been to all of them.

 

[Pig-Pen]

Whenever your hear/read/watch about offroading its typically Colorado or Utah by a long shot. I think i hear about Colorado the most.

i like to do short planned off roading. Like, lets go this weekend. It would suck having to make a trip out of it; especially if its every time. As in if you live in a place with no hills or rocks. I can see a big trip to rubicon or moab or colorado once a year or something.

 

[GRAK]

Someone needs to shut this guy up about Arizona, he’s ruining it

AZ is the absolute worst don’t move here

 

[Mocopo]

Someone needs to shut this guy up about Arizona, he’s ruining it

AZ is the absolute worst don’t move here

I guess I never actually thought anyone else would WANT to move to the desert lol. AZ to me always seemed like a place you "end up," not a place you "choose," if you get my meaning...

 

[entropy]

In Milwaukee and Chicago, we have all the water we need, and our skin doesn't melt off we go outside. And plenty of farmland to drive through. (I agree, the western 3rd of this country is gorgeous... I wish we could get rid of the flyover stated so Colorado was closer)

True. Your skin doesnt melt. It insta freezes and shatters into a million crystals.

 

[entropy]

I think here in SoCal we are very spoiled with public land for wheeling. And you can still hit some spots during "winter".

Utah, AZ, CO are probably all just as good on their own way. With Utah perhaps taking the lead for most people.

I lived 10 years in the cold and boring northeast, Vermont, (sorry easteners). And anywhere near the west coast we are spoiled with plenty of open land to mess with our jeeps.

 

[ObiMatt87]

I guess I never actually thought anyone else would WANT to move to the desert lol. AZ to me always seemed like a place you "end up," not a place you "choose," if you get my meaning...

My first assignment with the Air Force in the late 80s was out at Williams Air Force Base on the east side of Phoenix when it was still open. We were there for about a year and really loved our time in Arizona, traveling literally all over the state. The only reason it isn't even more overrun with folks is the heat of the summer, but the state truly has a tremendous amount to offer, from the old mining towns like Jerome and Bisbee to Sedona, Tombstone, Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest NP, Prescott, Four Corners, Flagstaff, Mt Lemmon, Lake Havasu, and so many other unique locales to see. I've always loved the massive scale of the states in the western half of our nation, with the huge vistas and amazing scenery on every drive. Arizona is part of that draw, and I look forward to the next time we visit.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Flagstaff/Williams area puts nearly all of those trails closer to home (aside from table Mesa which is unimpressive anyway). It also drops the high temps by a good 30⁰. I say that's a win on all fronts.

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