Organizing Multi-day Trips
Desert Wranglers trip to Monument Valley AZ
One of our favorite Jeep club activities is to head out on a multi-day excursion to a distant national park or landmark, for sightseeing and some offroading.
For example, some of our recent jeep club trips (from Las Vegas) included: Death Valley National Park (Beatty NV), Goldfield NV, Monument Valley AZ, Capitol Reef National Park Utah, Esclante Utah, Sedona AZ, Great Basin National Park NV, Calico CA, Yellowstone National Park WY, and Sand Hollow UT.
It may take a day or two to reach our primary destination, where we’ll settle into a motel and meet up with everyone for dinner. Sometimes we drive to the destination as a group if it’s not too far, but depending on the scheduling – we usually just drive to the rendezvous on our own.
Multi-day trips are different than Overlanding – which involves multi-day offroading with overnight rough camping.
These trips are more like scenic road trips, but with some local dirt trails. We stay in motels, although sometimes there is an option to camp for those so inclined.
Our trips usually last 3 days to a week.
The biggest difficulty in planning out these runs is that, due to the distances involved, the Trail Leaders cannot pre-run the routes & trails ahead of time.
The key to organizing successful multi-day club runs is RESEARCH and PLANNING.
Step one, of course, is to pick an interesting destination. Ideally, it should be within a day’s driving distance – although, if people are game, it could be a longer drive.
Due to different work schedules and individual driving stamina, it may be difficult or impossible to arrange a synchronized caravan departure. Some attendees may have to juggle their work schedules, while others could be free to leave earlier in the day, or even the day prior.
Our ranks include retirees who often prefer taking our time even if it means staying an extra motel night on the road; while the younger generation may be fine with driving straight for 12 hours.
Once you have chosen the primary destination, it is time for serious research.
Use the search engines and YouTube to find out about the local points of interest. Sites such as TripAdvisor are rich with suggestions.
Visit the official park or government sites.
Personally, I have found some really good commercial itinerary sites, such as “We’re in the Rockies” https://wereintherockies.com/ that do an exemplary job of producing travel videos along with purchasable PDF itineraries of many national parks and scenic destinations. The videos are free, but they do sell the printable PDF’s that map out what to see, where to drive, where to eat, and where to stay. We have used a few of their guides, and they really inspired us. Unfortunately, the guides are not offroad specific, but they are full of useful tips and suggestions for the main destinations.
Navigation programs such as onX Offroad and Trails Offroad will show and describe local dirt trails. You should also see if there are any Jeep Badge of Honor trails nearby.
If you tentatively select a couple offroad trails to explore, you have to do diligent research. Try to find any recent trail reports or trail reviews; do not assume that older information is still valid.
Make phone calls to the local BLM office and Ranger stations. They can usually tell you the current status of popular trails and even make some recommendations.
Locate offroad recovery groups near your destinations at www.offroadportal.org and reach out to them. They know all the local trails and are a terrific source of advice. Make sure to store their contact info in your phone; just in case someone breaks down on a trail.
At this stage, we will assume that you have a primary destination in mind for the trip, as well as a few interesting offroad trails worth exploring.
Time to fill in the blanks.
What are the major sightseeing points of interest at your destination?
Plan out when you will take the group to visit them. Will it be a dedicated day, or something to fill out the remainder of a day after a morning trail run?
Factor in some fuel stops, bathroom breaks, souvenir shopping, and dining. Map out and mark these stops.
onX screenshot of planning out 3-day trip to Escalante Trident. Day one, Cottonwood Cyn trail from Kanab to Escalante; Day two, Hole in the Rock trail, out & back; Day three, Smoky Mtn trail back to Kanab.
Using your navigation software, such as onX or GAIA, begin to draw complete routes that include the offroad trails (start & finish), sightseeing, and public roads to connect these dots.
Color code these custom routes for each day, or to distinguish between outgoing/return routes that may overlap and become confusing if printed as monotone. Drop plenty of waypoint icons to identify trailheads, stopping points, fuel, bathrooms, restaurants.
Be creative with your navigation software.
I utilize my own color legends and repurpose the icon symbols so as to provide added levels of information. For example, outbound would be one color, and return leg would be another – to avoid confusion when part of the route overlaps or intersects with a spur. Long days might require even more than two colors, depending on side trips.
It would be really nice if onX allowed you to draw routes & tracks with directional characters instead of ambiguous lines. I keep asking them to add that feature.
The next step in planning is to map out the creature comforts. It is efficient and more fun socially if everyone in your expedition stays at the same motel or at least close by.
Find a motel with ample outdoor parking; some offroad vehicles ride too tall for many indoor parking structures. Is the motel pet friendly?
Are there microwaves and fridges in the rooms? Microwaves can be lifesavers when you return from a day’s outing only to find all of the local eateries close early.
Does the motel offer breakfast? If so, how early do they begin serving? The group needs to be ready to roll out early to beat the tourist crowds.
Is there a major gas station close by?
Go online and then create a list of local restaurants. Include addresses, phone numbers, and hours of operation. A lot of these small town eateries close early, and won’t be open if the group returns late evening. Or they may not open for early breakfast.
“Sometimes, small town cafes or pubs are willing to open special to accommodate a large group, and it is worth phoning them ahead of your trip. Feeding the local regulars barely pays the rent, so a large group with big appetites is tempting to owner/operators.”
Add to that resource list the locations and hours of grocery stores and markets. Your group will need to purchase water, snacks, and maybe sandwiches. If the restaurant scene is questionable, people may have to resort to microwavable frozen meals.
Provide all the members of your group printed copies of this resource list. Digital copies may be hard to access during these trips.
I provide printed information packets, along with PDF files, to everyone traveling with us. That packet includes contact info of fellow participants in our group; recommended motels (so we can stay together or at least close); and my directory of local resources (restaurants, groceries, pharmacy, gas stations, local offroad rescue organizations, nearest medical facility).
The trip packet will include our itinerary, including daily meetups, possible group meals (optional), weather predictions, and any important travel information.
The itinerary is broken down for each day, beginning with (optional) breakfast, drivers meetup (preferably at a gas station), followed by our schedule for that day. Include advice about predicted temperatures (clothing); and whether to pack a lunch or if we will be dining at a local cafe.
Trails, connecting routes, and points of interest are briefly described or listed.
I also suggest preparing some contingency plans in case an anticipated trail turns out to be temporarily closed without notice. We have attended club trips where that has happened, no fault of the trip organizers.
This sounds like a lot of work. And it is. But these multi-day trips are expensive, what with fuel costs, lodging, and meals. Not to mention missing a day or two of work. So it is important to do as much advance planning as possible.
Attention to the little details makes all the difference.
