Solo in the Sierra and Inyo National Forest

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Every time I leave the I-15 and start heading north along the I-395 into the Sierra, my mind is filled with the prospect of overland and outdoor adventure. Sure the initial area through Adelanto is boring with way too much traffic for the size of the road, but as soon as the highway breaks through that section, thoughts of Trona Pinnacles, Death Valley and the Sierra ricochet around my mind. Eventually, sagebrush desert gives way to the soaring Eastern Sierra and for me, this humble little road is the adventure artery away from, dare I say, “the madness of southern California”.

Our trip was supposed to be a 10-day affair with TAP taking both rigs and doing some serious off the grid exploring. However, like all well thought out plans, things change, so, after some re-arrangements I found myself setting off solo in the Beast with BlueDog as my wingman. Our agenda is fairly loose with the plan of exploring some easy to moderate backcountry trails as we work our way north to Lake Tahoe. We’re also equipped with gear and provisions to keep us away from civilization as long as possible.

Movie Flats Trailhead Sierra — Movie Flats Trailhead Alabama Hills CA

Day 1: Eastern Sierra

The previous week the temperatures had been perfect with highs of mid 80’s and lows of mid 40’s, but unfortunately as I set off, the forecast was calling for a heat wave with day time temps in the low 100’s and night time in the 80’s. With that in mind I figured I’d best gain altitude and stay as high as possible over night. Initially my plan was to camp the first night at Chimney Rock on the trail to Monache Meadows, however a 2 week man hunt 50 miles south of this area for a murdering survivalist, made me think again. I trust BlueDog in a knife fight, but apparently the guy has a semi automatic, so why take the risk. So, we keep going and eventually hit Lone Pine. Definitely too low for comfort in this heat, but we’ll have to suck it up as daylight is waning. The Alabama Hills and Movie Flats seems to be a great area to find some solitude, so we head down the trail to see what we can discover. This is not really a 4×4 trail, but it’s certainly a spectacular location and it’s easy to see why Hollywood has used it as a backdrop for several very famous movies. Pretty soon we find an amazing primitive campsite just off the trail, with an incredible view of the Sierra. We’d love to explore the maze of rounded boulders and weather ravaged gullies, but not this time. It’s been a long day fighting traffic and BlueDog and I are ready for some zz’s. As my head hits the pillow, I make a mental note to come back here again when the temperatures are more acceptable.

Primitive camp spot Alabama Hills 2 — Primitive camp spot Alabama Hills

Day 2: Heading into the White Mountain’s

We both wake early after an uncomfortable night of tossing and turning and trying to keep cool; impossible. BlueDog looks at me with that “what were you thinking?” look on his face. Today, we head north and get up high. The chosen location is the Ancient Bristlecone Pine forests and White Mountains, east of the 395 at Big Pine. With an altitude of 8500-11,500ft things should calm down a little.

Grandview campground Sierra — Grandview campground

An hour after breaking camp we exit the I-395 at Big Pine and head east on the I-168 toward Death Valley. We’ve no interest in becoming desert rats today, so keep rising and exit on White Mountain Road. The geography and temperatures have changed and at 8,500 ft. we pull into Grand View Campground. It’s not like us to set up in an organized environment, but primitive camping is limited in this area so this is a good option. The campsite is “dry” and most sites are large and shaded giving a sense of separation and privacy. If you drive around the campsite loop and take the small trail leading away from the bigger sites, it’s easy to find some very secluded little spots. This is what we did and we didn’t have any neighbors for the two days we camped. Grand view is very popular with star-gazers due to its altitude and lack of ambient light. I saw some pretty amazing telescopes and field equipment and these guys slept quietly all day only to rise at 2am to start their day.

BlueDog Sierra — Blue dog checking out the White Mountains

Blue and I spent two days exploring and hiking this area. The conditions were dry and dusty with daytime temperatures ranging from the mid 70’s to mid 80’s. Still hot, but certainly tolerable. I saw a few bow hunters and hikers, but all in all it was quiet and peaceful. White Mountain Road is easy and graded. I never used 4WD. However, the washboard surface will shake your teeth from your head, so I aired down to 20PSI to make it more comfortable. Due to the altitude of 8,500-11,500ft increasing the potential storm frequency, wet conditions could easily turn certain areas to mud. Also, snowstorms at this altitude could very easily catch you off guard, so always check the weather forecast and be prepared.

Bristlecone Sierra — Ancient Bristlecone Pines

Walking amongst the ancient Bristlecone Pines made me feel young and somewhat small. Not in height or stature, but in purpose. To know that these Ancient Bristlecone trees have graced this earth for 4,000 years is truly humbling. The iconic twisted trunks with their gruesome limbs are a photographers dream, so I recommend visiting them at the golden hours of sunrise or sunset.

White Mountain Road the adventure portal — White Mountain Road

Top of Silver Canyon Trail sierra — Top of Silver Canyon Trail

Day 5: Moving on

After two mellow days it was time to move on, so after breaking camp Blue and I headed down towards the northern end of Bishop via Silver Canyon Trail. The trailhead at 10,500ft is well marked and a couple miles past the visitor center off White Mountain Road. Although a fairly short trail of around 10 miles, it takes you on a descent with very steep and loose switchbacks. I would not like to drive this in wet or icy conditions and it is not for those who are hesitant on narrow, ledge-like trails with exposed drops. The trail is actually so steep that the OEM brakes on the Taco were smoking and lost traction. Our Taco is heavy due to armor and gear, so as I gingerly made my way down in 4low. I made a mental note to upgrade my rotors, pads and brake lines. I’d already lost my brakes this year while towing a trailer down from Cerro Gordo Ghost Town in Death Valley and when you hit that spongy point it’s not fun! After about 6 miles the switchbacks ease off and there are a couple of creek crossings. This time of year they are very easy and great for cooling off my rotors and a bored dog. It would be fun to tackle these crossings after seasonal spring run-off.

Stream crossing on the Buttermilk Trail sierra — Stream crossing on the Buttermilk Trail

Day 6: Getting high in the eastern Sierra

Back on the I-395, Blue and I head out to explore the Buttermilk Trail and finish the day camping primitively in the Coyote Flats area. The Buttermilk Trail starts in typical sagebrush and boulder covered desert terrain and quickly changes as it climbs towards the Sierra foothills. The aspen groves are beautiful here. It is serene with a couple of creek crossings providing a cool down and fun for BlueDog as he hunts for fish for supper. As we explore this trail, we discover pristine primitive camp areas amongst the boulders and trees. This, however is not our planned stopping area, so will have to wait for another time. The trail was 16 miles long and certainly an area I would visit again. I only saw two other vehicles making this a peaceful but hot setting in August. I would imagine that as the fall beauty sets in, the trail would see more traffic due to it’s proximity to Bishop.

Climbing out of McGee Creek area sierra — Climbing out of McGee Creek area

Next stop is the Coyote Flats Trailhead in the SW side of Bishop. It’s 3pm and the temperatures are once again in the low hundreds in the valley. Definitely time to get up to a higher altitude. I’ve heard there are plenty of primitive spots up to 10,000 ft. That’s our plan for tonight. The heat of the day is beginning to weigh on both of us intrepid adventurers.

Coyote Creek Trail Sierra — Coyote Creek Trail

Once again, the trailhead starts in desert sand and I rise up the switchbacks, gaining altitude quickly. The trail is loose and steep and I can hear a vehicle struggling ahead of us. Eventually, I come across a Tundra 4×4 with road tires that has become stuck in sand. Their friends in a 2 door Wrangler are snatch strapping them out and tell me they don’t need extra help. I continue on wishing them luck and fun explorations. The lesson here is that a good set of all terrain tires are just as important as 4×4 transmission when it comes to maintaining traction on steep and loose trails.

Primitive Camp area 10,500ft Coyote Creek Trail sierra — Primitive Camp area at 10,500ft: Coyote Creek Trail

After an hour or so, I climb up to a meadow at around 10,500 ft. We’ve taken a right turn trail away from the more popular Funnel Lake and Coyote Flat Trail and have stumbled across the perfect setting for a peaceful night in the solitude of the Sierra. First things first, I throw a ball for BlueDog for the next 30 minutes before he collapses in a heap beaten into submission by the lack of oxygen. He’s young and fit, but being a sea level athlete has its limitations.

10,800ft Coyote Creek Trail sierra — Elevation 10,800ft: Coyote Creek Trail

The next hour involves setting up camp and cooking up a typical and classic camp meal of sausages and beans. The temperature drops rapidly and even in August I need a light, puffy jacket to keep warm. A no fire ban is in effect, so again as daylights slips away, we hit the sack and pass quickly into dreams of the day. Chasing ground squirrels for BlueDog and lost brakes and stream crossings for me.

Day 7: Hanging out

We spend the next day and night in the Coyote Creek and Coyote Flats area. I truly recommend it as a fantastic region for light overlanding in this beautiful and peaceful Eastern Sierra terrain. Potential primitive camp spots are everywhere and the scenery is beautiful.

10,500ft Coyote Creek Trail sierra — Elevation: 10,500 ft Coyote Creek Trail

Over the next 2 days I had planned to camp and explore the June Lake and Mono Lake area, however once again plans changed. A forest fire had erupted causing smoke pollution and road closures, so we re-grouped and decided to cut out this portion of the trip and drive up I-395 to the Lake Tahoe region.

With any adventure it’s important to be flexible and go with the flow. Although my mid summer trip to the Sierra proved hotter than desired and my journey ended up not taking me to all the places I had wanted to go, it was still a great experience. Sure, I did less challenging trails due to being solo and I’m not going to deny that being in the middle of nowhere alone can be a little daunting at times. This said, the bottom line is that I got to experience the beauty and solitude of the Sierra and can’t wait to go back again in the Fall.

Overlanding: The rise of the machines.

By

Andy Palmer

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“Shackleton went on expeditions, we’re just car camping” – Call it what you like, an expedition, an overland adventure or vehicle assisted adventure, in all reality, the majority of us are basically just car camping. Here at TAP, we’ve noticed a trend as our little industry grows and gets more mainstream attention. We seem to be spending an increasingly amount of time explaining and sometimes justifying, what we do and why we have so much gear. We’re constantly explaining our snorkels, or should I say dorkels and our local Four Wheel Club (Jeepers) wink at each other as they introduce us as “overlanders”. Friends also joke about borrowing our $500 carbon fiber lightweight hammer (actually it cost $20, it’s a standard hammer and came from Home Depot). Hikers scowl at us as we slowly destroy the planet, passing them at 10mph on a designated trail. On social media, traditional rivalries continue unabated between Toyota and Jeep fans and Earth Roamer owners must be dicks, because they’re rich! Roof top tents and trailers are amazing or pointless, as what’s wrong with simply sleeping on the ground in a $100 tent? On and on it goes!

Despite all this, we couldn’t be happier! Yes, we probably have too much gear. Some of it essential, some of it unnecessary and some of it simply frivolous. All of it enjoyed to the full. It doesn’t make us better drivers and it doesn’t make us better campers or adventurers. However, I’m not going to lie, for us, gear is part of the fun of being an overland adventurer. Recently, we’ve also noticed that most four wheel drive magazines and traditional outdoor lifestyle magazines are jumping on the overland band wagon and apparently us adventure car campers are now “on trend”.

TAP will keep on doing our thing. We’ll keep having “adventurous car camping trips “, we’ll keep testing out gear and probably sometimes spend too much money on gear we may not need. So, our advice is this. Buy what you can afford and what makes sense to you and don’t worry about others. Learn how to drive on difficult trails, but also enjoy fire roads where you never engage your 4×4. Plan and dream your adventures and revel in your backcountry car camping. Finally, remember what we all have in common, an A##HOLE and an OPINION.

Enjoy your Expedition and TAP into Adventure!

Rock Crawling in Johnson Valley

By

Lori Palmer

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I looked up behind me after I had gotten out of my jeep and thought, “There is no way in hell that I would drive down that thing.”, while at the same time loving the fact that I just had. I was in Johnson Valley, CA at Cougar Buttes on the Bullfrog Trail with I4WDTA Master Trainer Tom Severin and a group of enthusiasts who had signed up for this rock crawling class. Wimpy? I don’t think so. My rig is expensive and off-road, 4WD training classes have given me a good, solid foundation in smart and safe off-roading. I believe that practice is necessary in order to build skill and knowledge provides a safe foundation to go on.

I’m going to give you a brief recap of the class and encourage any of you who are considering taking your off-roading skills to a new level to find an I4WDTA trainer in your area and sign up for a day of fun.

After signing in and checking all the vehicles for safety items (fire extinguishers, recovery straps, etc.) we met a BLM Ranger who reviewed some outdoor safety rules: no shooting, no glass, stay (non-alcoholically) hydrated, pack your crap out with you, and, “Say hello to my little friend….”. We were educated on the nature of creatures in this rocky, desert environment. He warned us to check under our vehicles when re-entering, after being parked for any length of time, for snakes or scorpions, who may have taken refuge in the shade of a tire.

BLM_snake rock driving class — A Rosie Boa, one of the many creatures to be found out in Johnson Valley.

Gentlemen and lady, start your engines. — Gentlemen (and lady), start your engines.

After our discussion on how to safely co-exist with the spiders, snakes and scorpions in the area, we headed out to Cougar Buttes for some warm up exercises. Tom had three co-instructors who stationed themselves at different points on an obstacle course. One by one, they guided us over each obstacle. They spotted us when we asked for help or were headed for trouble, giving us feedback on the amount throttle to apply and our tire placement. We drove this course three times going one direction, then three times in the opposite direction, in order to get a feel for going up and down obstacles.

Rock_class_The_adventure_Portal_2 — One of our first warm ups

Rock_class_The_adventure_Portal_1 — Same obstacle, opposite direction.

After the first round, the instructors encouraged us to pick our own lines (most of us had required spotting the first time around). We came out of this exercise with feedback based on what the instructors had seen. We were told to always stop as soon as our wheels started to spin. This was contrary to my instinct, which was to pump up the throttle to “get over” whatever my wheels were spinning on. I got a loud, “Stop! you will break something! Back up and choose another line.” We were also told how to steady the amount of throttle by using left foot braking while slowly accelerating, which was counter-intuitive at first, but works well. Going slow, slow, slow reduces the amount of bounce and helps with traction control. We were in 4WD low, first gear most of the day. Oh, and no diff locks. According to Tom, using diff locks is cheating when you are trying to improve your rock crawling skills. Good point.

Some things that were heavily emphasized, were the importance of recon; getting out of your vehicle and scouting your line. Picking a safe line. Ideally, one that allows all your wheels to have traction, your carriage to have adequate clearance and a line that keeps you on camber as much as possible. Also emphasized was the importance of placing your tires on top of rocks when needed, in order to reduce the chance of undercarriage damage.

untitled-4 (2) — Place your tires on top of rocks in order to protect the undercarriage of your vehicle.

Some other words of wisdom: If a front wheel keeps climbing (you are angling at more than 30 degrees)…back up and pick another line. Use rock rails to pivot around a rock. Always scout ahead planning for the next portion of the trail. One thing that I found difficult (and still do) , is wheel cheat (here is a useful diagram/information on wheel cheat). When you pick a line and need to turn around an obstacle, it’s important to modify your turn to allow the back wheels to also go over the obstacle. Use wheel cheat to pull your back wheel up over a rock, rather than pitch the tire between a rock and your rim.

Wheel cheat miscalculations had me back up a few time to get around this pile while navigating a ledge on driver side. — Wheel cheat miscalculations had me backing up a few time to get around this pile while navigating a ledge on driver side.

What a rush! TAP is a big proponent of Off-Road 4WD training courses and highly recommend them to those of you who are somewhat new to the sport as well as the salty old dogs…a bit of a refresher never hurts because as soon as you think you’ve got it wired, mother nature provides something to smack the undercarriage of your rig….just to keep you humble.

rock class The adventure portal — Trainer, Tom Severin, navigating a challenging obstacle at Bull Frog in Johnson Valley.

So, get out there, be safe, stay on designated trails and TAP into adventure! The wheel cheat sheet (ha!) comes from www. rubicon-trail.com a good source of info if the Rubicon is on your bucket list….it’s on mine.

Author, Editor, Photos: Lori Palmer

OME BP-51 Bypass Shock Absorbers for the Toyota Tacoma

By

Lori Palmer

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The following new product roll out comes from ARB: OME BP-51 High Performance Bypass Shock Absorbers for the Toyota Tacoma. TAP has successfully used standard OME suspension on our Tacoma, but does not have experience with this new system, so is not in a position to personally comment. This article has been provided via ARB and we are presenting it here for informational purposes only.

BP-51_Taco_FJ_Front_rack_the_adventure_portal — OME BP-51 Front Rack

BP-51_Taco_shock absorbers_the_adventure_portal — TACO OME BP-51 High Performance Bypass Shock Absorbers 2005-2016+

With more and more vehicles moving to an independent front suspension set up, ARB’s Old Man Emu engineers were given a challenge to design a high performance shock absorber that actually fit within a coilover strut set up. Old Man Emu BP-51 (Bypass 51mm diameter bore) shock absorbers were developed and have been extensively tested under the harshest conditions in Australia. They are designed to bolt onto your vehicle without any modifications. Old Man Emu BP-51 have been tuned in both length and fell specifically to the Tacoma and are capable of accommodating setups with and without accessories (winch,bumpers etc). Specific reservoir brackets have been designed for application specific reservoir placement and also relocation of the sway bar allows clearance at the spring seat. While the front coilovers are adjustable in height, the system has been designed for a 2 inch ride increase and a minimum of 2 inch down travel.

ARB_OME_BP-51_Reservoir components_the_adventure_portal — Body/reservoir components made with anondized aluminum to resist corrosion

OME_BP-51_coilovers_the_adventrure_portal_arb — OME BP-51 coilovers come preloaded with OME coil springs

The rear shock absorbers have been tuned in length and valving specific to the Tacoma. To accommodate the large body size of BP-51, a specific lower mount bracket has been developed to provide clearance to the axle. Specific reservoir brackets have also been developed and are included in the rear fit kit. The rear dampers are tuned to match the existing range of rear Old Man Emu springs.

Recommended compression and rebound settings can be found in the supplied fitting instructions for the various spring options available. The fitting instructions include detailed information for correct installation of the shock absorber and reservoir placement. Please note there is a left hand and right hand application due to the different reservoir mounting method and locations.

ARB OME_BP51_the_adventure_portal — Vehicle fit kit: no modifications required.

With traditional velocity sensitive shock absorbers, achieving exceptional ride quality and balance between comfort and control tuning requires a great deal of time and effort, with many valving changes required to get the balance correct. You still end up with a compromise with either a slightly firmer controlled set up or softer comfort orientated result.

ARBOME_BP51_adjustable_spring_preload_the_adventure_portal_OME BP-51 — Adjustable spring preload

Bypass technology exists to overcome some of these ride quality challenges but presents a new challenge as traditional multiple bypass tube products simply won’t fit inside a coilover IFS (independent front suspension) or many rear shock absorber applications.

ARBOME_TAP_OME BP-51 — External compression and rebound compression

Other areas that our engineers had to consider were corrosion, heat dissipation, durability and how to cater for individual ride preferences or vehicle loading scenarios. The product also needed to easily bolt into a large range of vehicle applications without modifications to the actual vehicle. The vehicle’s damping performance is easily adjustable across a wide range of rebound and compression, resulting in significant changes to the ride performance of your vehicle, and enabling a custom tune to suit the conditions and set up of your vehicle. The body, reservoir and components are all made from 6061 T6 aluminum, Type 3 40 micron hard anodized ensuring exceptional heat dissipation, corrosion resistance and resistance to stone damage.

Although there are subtle weight differences between the last generation Tacoma and the new generation, with the adjustable nature of the BP-51 the OME engineers have been able to tune and design the BP-51 package to suit both applications. For more information and to see other ARB products, go to arbusa.com
Source: ARB
Editor: Lori Palmer

ARBOME BP5190001 01 Edit copy e1466722565211

ARBOME BP5190001 12 Edit copy e1466722614785

ARBOME BP5190001L 13 Edit copy e1466722646717

The Bradshaw Trail

By

Lori Palmer

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GPS	N33 29.67′ W114 42.60′
Elevation gain	0-2,600 ft.
Season	Year Round: best Oct.-June
Terrain	Graded dirt, sand
Difficulty	Easy
Required Vehicle	4WD with high clearance.
Time	4 hours
Length	77.8 miles

Directions:

Five miles north of Palo Verde on CA 78 and .3 miles north of mile marker 5. Turn west on the paved road marked The Bradshaw Trail and cross over the irrigation channel.

Bradshaw Trail info map, overland, over land, overlanding, offroad, off-road, off-roading, overland adventure, off-road adventure, vehicle supported adventure, — Bradshaw Trail info map

Site Location and Description:

This overland trail runs from Palo Verde on the Colorado River to the Salton Sea. The majority of the road is graded dirt and sand. The trail travels west from the CA 78 and crosses over Palo Verde Mesa on it’s way through the Mule Mountains. Here you will find a long term visitor area popular with the “Snowbirds” in winter. The Wiley Well Campground is open Sept. 15-April 15 for long and short term camping. West of Wiley Well, this off-road trail is looser and rougher, crossing many shallow washes as it winds along the south side of the Chuckwalla Mountains. These mountains are popular with rock hounds, who have been known to find chalcedony, agate and jasper. A long section of the over land trail follows the northern section of the Chocolate Mountains. There’s a Military Gunnery Range here and the “keep out” zone is well marked. The trail goes on to cross the Chuckwalla and Orocopia Mountains to the north and the Chocolate mountains to the south. This is the most scenic area of the vehicle supported adventure trail. It goes on to drop into sandy Salt Creek Wash close to the Eagle Mountain Rail Road which served the mines north of the I-10.

Interection of Red Canyon Trail and Bradshaw Trail, overland, over land, overlanding, offroad, off-road, off-roading, overland adventure, off-road adventure, vehicle supported adventure, — Intersection of Red Canyon Trail and Bradshaw Trail

History of the Bradshaw Trail:

The Bradshaw Trail came into being after explorer and prospector Pauline Weaver, found gold at La Paz Arizona, close to the Colorado River (now called Ehrenburg). News of gold at La Paz reached the west coast quickly and numerous miners began to scout routes to La Paz to begin prospecting. Getting to the mines in AZ proved cumbersome. One route via ship had the prospectors sailing south around Baja California to the mouth of the Colorado River. From there they boarded a paddlewheeler and steamed upriver to La Paz. The only known overland trails at the time were challenging and took too long for most of the anxious prospectors and merchants.

Heading into dust storm on Bradshaw Trail, overland, over land, overlanding, offroad, off-road, off-roading, overland adventure, off-road adventure, vehicle supported adventure, — Heading into a sandstorm on The Bradshaw Trail

William Bradshaw, an explorer from Los Angeles, had served under John C. Fremont and was familiar with the new territories. He set about finding a more direct route to the gold mines of La Paz. One thing that Bradshaw had learned when crossing the California deserts was that success came only when water could be reached. Bradshaw knew how to find water in the region. He went to the the local Cahuilla Indian tribe and they guided him across the desert to the Colorado River in a direct eastbound route that had many water holes along the way. Bradshaw returned to Los Angeles and started pushing a wagon road through to connect the Pueblo de Los Angeles to the mines in La Paz. His route followed an existing trail through the San Georgio Portal, then headed southeast toward the rim of the Salton Sea depression. From that point, he turned east, climbing up the stony bajada, going up the wide, sandy wash of Salt Creek that runs close to the Chuckwalla Mountains, and arrived at the Colorado River in Palo Verde Valley. Here the trail swung north for the last short section alongside the Colorado River (then known as the Grand River) to La Paz. This new wagon trail, although cumbersome and costly to create, cut several days off of the lengthy journey to La Paz. By late 1862, the Colorado Stage and Express Line was running stages on the remote trail. The journey from Los Angeles to La Paz took five days and cost $40.00. The U.S. mail used the trail en route to Prescott, AZ and Santa Fe, NM.

Dust storm on the Bradshaw Trail, overland, over land, overlanding, offroad, off-road, off-roading, overland adventure, off-road adventure, vehicle supported adventure, — Dust storm on the Bradshaw Trail.

The Bradshaw trail carried thousands of people to La Paz, which was booming in the 1860’s. The Bradshaw trail crossed by several strikes that wouldn’t be discovered for decades. Bradshaw’s Ferry, which could carry small wagons and a few animals, ran on the south side of La Paz, in the region of today’s 1-10, to transport travelers over the Colorado River. During the 1860’s, La Paz was home to over 5,000 prospectors, but as the ore ran out, people left and La Paz became a ghost town. The Southern Pacific Railroad began running west to Yuma in the late 1870’s. This, along with the bust of La Paz, took away much of the need to travel the Bradshaw Trail. Although travel along the trail diminished greatly, some prospectors heading toward the Chuckwalla and Orocopia Mountains continued to use it. William Bradshaw did not live to see his trail fall into disuse.

Track crossing western end of Bradshaw Trail, overland, over land, overlanding, offroad, off-road, off-roading, overland adventure, off-road adventure, vehicle supported adventure, — Track crossing western end of Bradshaw Trail

Click here for more CA off-road, Overlanding trails…..and TAP into Adventure!

2015 Subaru Outback – Off-Road Conversion

By

Lori Palmer

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subaru, outback, off-road, off-roading, oof road, overland, overlanding, over land, vehicle supported adventure,

A while back we ran a photo contest called “TAP my Rig” and spotted this converted 2015 Subaru Outback. We reached out to the owner, Grant Wilson, who is passionate about his Subaru and the process involved in converting it into a capable off-road vehicle. He’s so passionate about it that he has a website/business geared around Subaru conversions called offroadsubaru.com. We asked him what drew him to a Subaru and what he did to get it ready to handle rough terrain and this is what he told us. (note: These photos show the Subaru at various stages of conversion and are not necessarily in order)

After spending the better part of a decade overseas, and a number of years in Saudi Arabia, doing essentially what overlanding is (I came to find out), I came back to America needing a vehicle. After previously owning a 2007 JK Unlimited in Japan and wheeling around Mt. Fuji and the Kanto Plain, I knew that realistically I wouldn’t use it here to its full potential (like most capable off-road vehicle owners….let’s be truthful). Like everyone else, I started looking at 4 Runners, Tacomas, Jeeps, and the list goes on. After building a late 2000’s Subaru Outback for a friend in Saudi Arabia, I knew how well they performed out on the trails, so decided to check them out here. A few hours at the dealership and I was sold. I threw the cash down on a brand new 2015 Subaru Outback Premium with the Eyesight Adaptive Cruise Control package and my Subaru off-road conversion began.

I didn’t go into this blind and stupid. I knew a few things for sure:
It is not a rock crawler.
It is not a river forder.
It is not a mud bogger.
It won’t win a Vermont Overland Challenge.

However, it is:
Very capable on technical trails.
Able to ford (actually tested) at least 32 inches of water.
Pretty damn good in trail mud.
Super duper comfy.
Did I mention the Adaptive Cruise Control?

So, I went in knowing that I would be able to do 98% of what I wanted off-road, and the other 2% I’d have no problem going around. I had to bypass one trail during VOR and meet the rest of the guys and I’m ok with that. However, we still managed to go down all the Red trails and technical fun without any issue… impressing even a few non-believers (you can see videos on my youtube).

In the end, we all have to make the same modifications. I started with an Anderson Design and Fabrication 2” lift kit, the first produced for the 5th generation Outback, along with the OffroadSubaru.com Front Lift Springs that we developed. The front springs were coupled with the PRERacing Rallitek rear springs, which help lift and deal with the TCTeardrops trailer being pulled behind it.

The wheels are 2015 Subaru WRX wheels with Atturo Trail Blade XT 235/65-17. To round out the exterior of the vehicle, Costa Fabrications came on board to help me build the one-off custom roof rack that houses a lightbar in the front and 4 small LED squares around to light up camp, fourtreks awning brackets to mount the ARB 2500 awning, as well as the front winch bumper that houses a SuperWinch Terra 45 with synthetic line.

The rear tire swing out was made by me to house the spare tire and the CBI Off-road dual can carrier with a pair of Traction Jacks mounted to the spare tire. A Torklift Ecohitch was installed with a lock and roll hitch for the trailer. Underside is protected by a trio of Primitive Racing skid plates to keep the oil pan, trans and diff safe. Rounding out the rear is a pair of ISR lower control arms that are stronger, with some adjustment to get alignment dialed in.

On the inside, it is rather spartan. The spare tire well is loaded with Air horn compressor, Blue Ridge overland recovery bag, strap bag and tool bag along with some other recovery gear. There are 5 LED’s installed in the back hatch, along with a 12v outlet and USB ports and volt meter in the cargo area. A Blue Sea fuse panel is mounted under the floor to provide power distribution to all the lights and devices in the vehicle. Up front it is equally as bland. There is a smart phone/i-pad mini mount via the seat rail, to hold navigation aids, a Midland CB radio and not much else out of the norm.

Overall, I have about the same I would have put into a Jeep, 3x the comfort, a nice smooth and quiet ride, with the Adaptive Cruise Control. If I had to do it all over again, I would do it in a heartbeat. It has reliably taken me all over PA, VT, NH, SC, ME and soon to be FL and GA.
Hope to see some of y’all at the beach in St Augustine!

Modification list:
Suspension/tires
Anderson Design and Fabrication 2” spacer lift
Off road Subaru front 1” Lift Springs
Rallitek 1” Rear lift springs
ISR Lower Control Arms
Reinforced Trailing arms
2015 WRX wheels
Atturo Trailblade XT 235/65-17 tires
2” Wheel Spacers

Exterior:
Costafabrications/Offroadsubaru Front Bumper
Costafabrications/Offroadsubaru Roof Rack
Off road Subaru Rear Tire Carrier
2 LED cubes on bumper
4 LED Cubes on Rack
2 Lightbars
Superwinch Terra 45
Recovery point
Firestick 4’ antenna
CBI Off road Fab Dual Can carrier
Primitive Racing Skid Plates
AtoZ Fabrication swingout builders kit

Interior:
Tablet Holder
Midland mini CB radio
Blue Ridge Overland gear map holder, tool bag, recovery bag, strap bag
Off road Subaru recovery gear:
2 rope shackles
30’ winch extension
20’ kinetic recovery rope
2 bow shackles
ARB Tree Strap
20’ recovery strap
BFH
Train Horns