I would disagree with the recommendation to do Hell's Revenge stock. I did it for the first time last weekend on my 80's (97 locked) maiden voyage. I put on Slee step bumpers first and BFG 285's and was very glad I did. The sliders saved me from major damage at least twice. They came back with some battle scars and I also dented my exhaust pipe a little. I also would not take little kids (or my wife) on it. There are some very hairy places which would really scare someone who is afraid of heights. If you scare someone enough they won't go with you again. I was very glad to have a spotter in a few places also. Fin's and Things is a great run- you get a similar feel of cruising on the rock fins without the extreme danger factor. I would move the spare from underneath to do nearly any trail down there. I scuffed my new spare on an easy rated (Bull Canyon) trail and took if off mid way through. Many of the Moab trails have a good "destination" payoff and the scenery is unbeleivable. We did Hidden Canyon on the way out and really enjoyed hiking around in the slickrock canyons at the end of the canyon. There is nothing like it- totally different than the alpine type trails and dirt roads in most areas. I have mountain biked a lot of the Moab trails many times but just started getting into wheeling on them. In my opinion Hell's Revenge in a cruiser is scarier in general than riding the Slickrock Trail on a bike- but definitely a lot easier physically!
What difficult trails have been done stock (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter MoGas
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Black Bear gets its rating more for the switch backs and danger factor than anything else. The switch backs are extreme, usually requiring even short wheel base vehicles to have to back up on the turns. IMO the views are spectacular but the danger factor is not. You miss a turn and that is it. There are only a handful of trails the Heep rental places up there won't allow people to drive and BBP is one of them.
Funny thing though is many of the Heep tours offer a BBP run...
Once you commit to going down BBP (one way after a certain point) there is no turning back. If I were to do that trail (and I probably never will), I would triple check my brakes and practice extreme tight turns (require sometimes multiple back ups) on hills.
As for Imogene, I did that in a stock Durango with 8 people on board
. Scaped the tow hitch plug once and got a scratch from a bush...Imogene did much less damage than the deer I hit later that evening did 
Ended up doing most of trails up to a 4 rating in Moab in a stock, unlocked 80 about a year and a half ago, including Hell's Revenge and all obstacles. The hardest IMO was Tipover Challenge on Hell's Revenge, the line had to be perfect to get up it without lockers. This may sound funny but it seemed like running the trails with the 80 in stock form was much funner. I scuffed underneath the front and rear bumper just a LITTLE. Moab really is TONS of fun, great little town.
I've done Black Bear and Imogene. I would think a stock 80 would do just fine. Mine wasn't stock when I was there but there was nothing really challenging about either trail. The drop offs and switchbacks are what make it sort of scary. The scenery is phenominal even if you go and it rains for a week it is pretty. It poured every single day we were there. They closed Black Bear due to mudslides when we were there. So when we did it we did it in an unconventional way. We drove in from the one side to the mud slides and then drove back out. Then we drove up the other side and back out. The bad thing was other folks were doing the same thing and this is supposed to be a one way trail and so we were meeting people. That added to the excitement. This is definitely a mid to late summer trip. There was still some snow when we were there in August. And personally I wouldn't want to drive a wide rig on it but the tourism industry is using wide modified Jeep pickups and they use them on that trail. They were one of the groups we met on Black Bear.
White Rim Trail in Moab has a destination. Lockhart Basin is another that has a destination. Fins and Things is a fun trail but you will scuff your rear bumpers if you take all of the obstacles. Or you will bang your factory hitch. Hell's Revenge has excellent traction and wouldn't be scared to drive an open near stock 80 on it except at the exit and that can be bypassed. However, I would never take my wife on that trail again. She screamed most of the time. My current favorite trails in Moab are Rusty Nail, Pritchett, and Hell's Revenge. And the first two you better be built unless you want damage.
White Rim Trail in Moab has a destination. Lockhart Basin is another that has a destination. Fins and Things is a fun trail but you will scuff your rear bumpers if you take all of the obstacles. Or you will bang your factory hitch. Hell's Revenge has excellent traction and wouldn't be scared to drive an open near stock 80 on it except at the exit and that can be bypassed. However, I would never take my wife on that trail again. She screamed most of the time. My current favorite trails in Moab are Rusty Nail, Pritchett, and Hell's Revenge. And the first two you better be built unless you want damage.
rgsiii
SILVER Star
Imogene would not be a problem. I have never tried black bear. There are many trails from Lake City to Ouray to Silverton that are great fun and suitable for a stock 80 under normal conditions. Something like Ophir pass would be a relatively easy trail that would take you from the Ouray side of the mountains to the Telluride side and give you an idea of what to expect.
Mentioned in some of the Colorado books, I would not attempt Poughkeepsie gulch in a stock 80. There is one spot that I think might be extremely difficult to get through. I had to winch and my sliders earned their keep. I was going up to lake Como and Hurricane pass.
The White Rim at Island in the Sky at Moab is a real nice long trip~100 miles. It has a little bit of everything on the trail. You could do it in one day, but 2 would be much better and you should put in for camping permits ASAP if you go. On Fins and things, you have options of bypasses in some areas and you might be advised to take some of them.
There are a bunch of books that will really give an idea of what to expect. I think they over rate the hardness of the trails somewhat.
Mentioned in some of the Colorado books, I would not attempt Poughkeepsie gulch in a stock 80. There is one spot that I think might be extremely difficult to get through. I had to winch and my sliders earned their keep. I was going up to lake Como and Hurricane pass.
The White Rim at Island in the Sky at Moab is a real nice long trip~100 miles. It has a little bit of everything on the trail. You could do it in one day, but 2 would be much better and you should put in for camping permits ASAP if you go. On Fins and things, you have options of bypasses in some areas and you might be advised to take some of them.
There are a bunch of books that will really give an idea of what to expect. I think they over rate the hardness of the trails somewhat.
The San Juans are all about pucker factor - Black Bear has it in gobs. Look at it this way: these are either just about 2wd pass roads or ledge roads. Ledge roads become more dangerous in larger vehicles due to the switchbacks and narrow spots. But they take snowplows on these trails to clear them for tourist season, so your 80 will be fine. A stock locked 80 could handle Poughkeepsie as well with no problem IMO.
If you want a desitnation, do Yankee Boy Basin and go to the waterfalls. Moab is as cool a destination place as you'll find on the planet.
Best advice: don't wheel alone even on scenic trails until you have a real sense of what your rig can and cannot do. If you don't know what your 80 can handle, I sure wouldn't take your family on Black Bear because your wife will be looking for cell coverage to find divorce attorneys on the way down .
Nay
If you want a desitnation, do Yankee Boy Basin and go to the waterfalls. Moab is as cool a destination place as you'll find on the planet.
Best advice: don't wheel alone even on scenic trails until you have a real sense of what your rig can and cannot do. If you don't know what your 80 can handle, I sure wouldn't take your family on Black Bear because your wife will be looking for cell coverage to find divorce attorneys on the way down
.Nay
The difficulty of a trail depends on the vehicle traversing it. Broken Arrow is a tourist trail, it will challenge stock vehicles but anything with a moderate lift will drive it like a paved road- no other equipment necessary. I would rate it a 2.5. Lower Payette Draw, which is more like a 3-3.5 depending on the day, will eat rockers and bumper covers on a stock 80 but is traversable. With sliders, aftermarket bumpers, and a 2" lift it's just a fun challenge, like Broken Arrow is in a stock vehicle. Upper Payette, which I'd give a 4 up to the last obstacle- which is a 4.5 and requires a winch, requires more mods, like better approach and departure angles, more lift, and lockers. That's what I consider a 'difficult' trail, along with many of the trails popular around Phoenix and Tucson. Because of the landscape- boulders, off-camber spots with rocky ledges at roof height, and generally tight trails- 80's are at a disadvantage no matter how modified they are on the 'difficult' trails around here.
List the mods you're likely to have, and the Arizona trails you're likely to run, and I'll give you my opinion. If you're looking for trails in Arizona to run, post in the Copper State Cruiser's club forum and I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions.
-Spike
List the mods you're likely to have, and the Arizona trails you're likely to run, and I'll give you my opinion. If you're looking for trails in Arizona to run, post in the Copper State Cruiser's club forum and I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions.
-Spike
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