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Great Off-Roading Guide Books

Bob_Mc

Bob_Mc

Full Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2002
Messages
27
Location
So. Calif.
Just received 2 guide books to off-road trails, "Colorado 4WD Adventures" and "Southern California Backcountry Adventures", from Swagman Publishing. ?These books are fantastic!!! ?(y) They contain maps, trail and scenery ratings, detailed driving instructions (including mileage and GPS locations), history, flora and fauna, color pictures along the trails, 4WD tips, and more!

The information is right-on with the trails I am familiar with. The authors put tens of thousands of miles on their ChevySububrban researching these guides, and only occasionally used another vehicle for super difficult trails. ?And they'll tell you when the 'Burb was too much to take on a trail!

These books are easily worth several times what they cost. ?And they are not just for 4WD's. ?Trails are rated from 1-10, and 2WD high-clearance trucks (such as an AVy) and SUV's can do the trails rated 2, and maybe 3 for experienced adventuresome drivers. ?Its great that the ratings are based on our sister SUV from the general ?:B: , not some insane full-locker that has to be trailered to the trail.

These guides are exactly what I've been looking for, so we can do more 4-wheeling with some knowledge of what we're getting ourselves into. ?Check them out at www.4WDbooks.com. ?They also have guides for Arizona and Utah, and smaller Trail Guides for sections of Colorado and Utah, which cover even more trails than the large Backcountry Adventure guides.

You will not be disappointed with these guides. ?I think you can tell how excited I am to have found them. ;D They are totally awesome for anyone who wants off-road with their AV.
 
I've been looking for something like this for the state of GA. Thanks for the info.
 
pdxkevin,

I checked out the Pass Patrol web site, and its a good one. They have the guides I talked about, plus a good selection by other authors. (y) Thanks for the tip!

SandmanAV,

The Pass Patrol site appears to have guides for every state. Follow the links from pdxkevin's post, and you will find them.
 
Bisonovich said:
hum...well if any one knows of any place i can check out the trails around sc...or even the mtn trails of nc...please let me know
Click to expand...


Let's see there are: Hope that will be helpful.

 
Avalanche Bob, you took your AV up Imogene Pass? I used to live in Ouray, CO (and am planning a move back there) and have been over the trail in a Jeep. Didn't think something as big as an AV could make it. Have you been over Black Bear as well? (For those not familiar with the San Juans, both roads lead to Telluride, where the first "change for a dollar" ad was filmed.) Anyway, thanks for the info. I'll definitely be getting those books. :0:
 
RockyMts,

Yes, did Imogene with my 9 & 12 year-old sons in the AV, and my brother leading the way in his Izusu Trooper. ?AV did a lot better than the Trooper due to auto. trans., more power, limited slip, and more compliant suspension. ?You can read more about my adventure in some earlier posts if you search for "Imogene".

The authors rated Imogene a 4. ?I would not hesitate to try any #4 with the AV, as long as the trail is dry. ?Rain could make it hairy, but the AV can really crawl along very controlled in 4WD low and first gear, and you'd probably be fine. ?My brother and I were surprised how few the corners were that the AV could not make without backing up. ?Only a few, and no problem with the auto. trans. ?That pass is one incredible ride! ?You can see more pictures if you follow the link in my signature. ?I need to get more pictures of the ride out of my camera and posted soon.

Bllack Bear pass is rated a 6, and is the only pass in the whole Colorado book the authors did not do in their Suburban. ?Read their description and you will understand.

My brother has lived in Durango for years, and I used to live in Summit County. ?I am going to ask him if he's done Black Bear and what they took to do it. ?The guide also says the jeep rental places will not let you do Black Bear in their rigs. ?Got to know someone with the right equipment. ?The pictures and description of this pass in the guide are abslolutely awesome!

Have fun 4-wheeling! ? (y)

Looks like I killed my link somehow. Try this: http://home.att.net/~avalanche.bob/wsb/html/view.cgi-about.html-.html
 
^^Thanks for the additional info, and the photos. I didn't have my AV when I lived in Ouray the first time, so I'm curious to see how it will do. I'm more than a little wary of tackling Black Bear; as you mentioned it's rated as very difficult and is off-limits at the Jeep rental shops. Some friends of mine did it in a Pathfinder, but the switchbacks are probably too narrow for a big SUV. Being one-way, there's no turning back once you begin the descent into Telluride. But with the proper preparation, it might be doable... Anyway, I'm eager to receive the guide books and am already looking forward to next summer. ?
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Thanks for the info Bob. Just ordered S.C. Backcountry Adventures.

Now to find some time on a weekend to do some exploring.
 
Tunahunter,

If we had this book at the So-Cal Yoshua Tree meet, we could have known the geology loop was only rated a 1. We went and did it, and found it to be totally uninteresting both for the kids and for 4-wheeling. The rangers at the park were totally clueless about describing the off-roads.

However, that Berdoo Canyon cutoff is rated a 4, and probably could have been a lot of fun. We skipped it because we could not find anyone with direct knowledge of it in the park. I hope to get back up there sometime and try it with friends. Either on an overnight, or maybe just a long day trip.

Got D I R T ?
 
That's too bad about Joshua Tree...ya, those rangers made it sound like we would be putting our lives in danger :rolleyes:

I'm hoping to head out to Death Valley sometime this winter and do some exploring. But I'm hoping there are closer to home trails in the book that I can check out.
 
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