Off Roading (aka offroading, off-roading) is a broad term that covers a variety of vehicle types and driving styles. Within our offroad community, there are different interests and different difficulty levels in how people enjoy their 4x4 vehicles. Explore the different categories of 4×4 offroading, from easy Scenic to challenging Rock Crawling.

The very first thing that you need to do before attempting any offroad driving is to upgrade your tires. Street tires are not designed to withstand the sharp stones, rocks, and other hazards that you will encounter once you leave the asphalt. Nor are street tires structured to be driven at deflated air pressure such as 15-20psi.

Your stock Jeep, Toyota, or other 4x4 SUV may have better than (street) average ground clearance, four-wheel drive, and some factory equipped goodies – but those OEM street rated tires might not be conducive to the rigors of a non-maintained back country trail.

Airing Down /Up is essential to offroading. When we are just driving around town, on paved streets, our normal tire pressure is approximately 36 psi, give or take a few pounds depending on our specific tires and vehicle weight.

But as soon as we leave the asphalt and begin our offroad adventure on less civilized surfaces -- such as dirt, gravel, sand, stones, rock – we deflate our AT/MT tires to approximately 15-20 psi.

The most common risk when driving offroad is puncturing a tire.

Although we air down to reduce the chances of a puncture from sharp stones and protruding rocks, it can happen.

What to Bring

Be Prepared. When you head out on a desolate road or dirt trail into unpopulated wilderness, it is important to be prepared for as many contingencies as possible.

When we offroad, we bring a variety of recovery equipment in case a vehicle gets stuck.

When you first go offroading with other people, you do not need to rush out and purchase recovery equipment. That is the advantage of traveling with a group; they will have plenty of gear amongst them to get you unstuck and back on the trail. See what other people in the club use and recommend.

Radio communications within the group is necessary when you are caravaning offroad. The Trail Leader must stay in contact with the Tail and Mid trail staff, as well as being to address the entire group of participants. Every participant needs to be able to speak with the Leader in order to ask questions, request assistance, or to signal that they need a “bio break” or “10-100”.

Rules, Driving Tips, Etiquette for when you are driving on the trail. Participating in an offroad trail run is essentially just “follow the leader”. Learn about the roles of the Trail Staff, and how to operate 4wd.

Advice on how to drive offroad. Steering, steep hills, ground clearance, rocks, v-notches, sand, ledges, bathrooms, trail etiquette.