Offroading/4wd to back country areas?

[Malamute]

Does anyone here do much offroading or 4wd into camp sites or areas? I used to go some fairly hairy places to get as far out as I could with a vehicle. I've toned that down in recent years (and haven't been seriously stuck in years!), but have seen some videos that have raised the desire for that sort of adventure again. This one in particular gets me fired up. Looks fun, though they have fancier gear than I can afford. The area looks awesome. I've been in that area before, but not on the trail they took.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAIUPl-L1ZY

Their Revelations Idaho trip was good also, and were some others. The Alaska/Yukon trip looks like they had a blast. I haven't watched all of it yet. I see some of the same type of gear, like to roof top tents and expedition trailers on the expedition portal site.

[Mike]

Re: Offroading/4wd to back country areas?

It seems that off-road opportunities are closing and opening both at the same time. I am not sure what the net gain/loss is. Where there is logging, there are off-road opportunities

I generally don't like the idea of vehicles ripping up the forest and all the noise, stink, and damage that is associated with it. when you are bckpacking, the last thing you want to see is a vehicle. HOWEVER, I also recognize that off-road vehicles can get you a lot farther into the wilderness - farther than is practical for even a week of backpacking

It will be interesting to hear some of the feedback from some of the folks here who have done off-road 4x4 exploration and camping

[Malamute]

Re: Offroading/4wd to back country areas?

True wilderness doesn't have any roads, by defintition, though I understand your meaning. In much of the National Forests, there are dirt roads of varying quality that give some access to back country areas. Many have been closed to preserve the non-vehicle qualities, and I'm all for that to a degree. Some of the available roads are pretty rough, most passenger vehicles and campers aren't suited for them, but a decent 4wd or quad does ok. I don't like going to extremes in getting into back country with my vehicle, it can be hard on them, but getting in a ways past the most used areas can allow you to camp in some truly spectacular places.

The places I camp have some developed campgrounds, and vast areas of National Forest that allow camping about anywhere, so long as basic common sense fire rules and camp cleanliness rules are adhered to. I use the easy places in the off season, but as there gets to be more folks out, I like to go in a bit farther, and maintain that sense of privacy and quiet. Looking at the videos though, has been making me think about getting a bit farther out, partly for the fun and adventure of the doing it.

The rules in National Forest are that vehicles, even quads, are supposed to stay on roadways, which includes faint two track pathways, not running rampant through the woods and hills. You can pull of roadways to set up camp or retrieve downed big game, but that doesn't allow running off through the woods at will. I don't want people tearing up the woods either, but driving on established roads gives access to some really cool places.

Our roads may have been logging roads in the past, I don't know, but theres little logging in any of the places I go. I've hiked into even more remote places, true wilderness, but with the back problems I have, I cant realistically backpack any more. I'd love to do some horse packing though.