- First Name
- Kobi
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2025
- Threads
- 4
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- 27
- Reaction score
- 81
- Location
- Sacramento
- Vehicle(s)
- 2024 Bronco Sport Outer Banks
- Thread starter
- #1
As promised, I am reporting on my Off-Rodeo Moab trip that I completed last Friday. I will spare the traveling to get there details because I don't think anyone really cares about that. All I will say is that I drove my 2024 OBX out to Moab from Sacramento, CA, and I drove straight out there in a little under 15 hours with stops for gas and one stop for lunch. It snowed hard in Donner Pass on the way home, so I was really glad I took my Bronco, and this was its first maiden road trip over 300 miles.
To start with, I've seen a lot of reports on Moab Off-Rodeo, but no one has really reported on just how amazing the location is. I was absolutely stunned with how beautiful the canyon is when you're driving the 30 minutes it takes to get from downtown Moab to Basecamp. Completely amazing, and that set the day up really well.
As soon as I got to basecamp, I immediately wanted to hit the trails, but of course we had to go through the check-in process, introductions and logistics inside Basecamp. Then, it was out the back to the trucks to select your vehicle. Taking the advice from the last report posted a few weeks, I decided to go with truck #2 (the green one, and yes they are all labeled) so I would be right behind the lead truck/trail guide. That ended up being a very smart move as we had a full group, and there were no lone drivers, so the guide had the lead Bronco all to himself.
We drove 30 minutes to the trailhead. I believe we took a different trail than the report from a few weeks ago based on the pictures. Our trail guide, Michael, was great about going over preparations you want to make before you hit the trail (airing down your tires, full tank of gas, having good radios if you're in a convoy...etc).
Once we got to the trailhead, we all got out of the trucks, and he demonstrated how you want to position your seat for off-roading. Essentially, you want to be upright and close to the steering wheel so you have full control. He also went over things like shuffle steering and moving your side mirrors down so you can see your tires. All excellent instructions.
Then, it was onto the trails, and they did not disappoint. Michael went over strategies to use when tackling technical aspects of a trail which is exactly what I was hoping for. He showed us how to approach specific sections of the trail before we tried it ourselves. Some of these sections were pretty challenging.
After a couple of hours of riding through various technical parts of the trail, we stopped for lunch. Now, the last report said that lunch was cold cuts and nothing worth reporting about. Yes, it's sandwiches, but it's not like the staff went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of cheap meat and bread and cheese. They're pretty good sandwiches, and I took pics of the setup to judge for yourself. I'm a huge foodie, and maybe I appreciate all varieties of food because of that. I can be picky, but I will say that this was a thoroughly satisfying meal for a lunch out in the middle of nowhere.
Michael showed us this cool uranium mine that was right underneath us after we ate, so we got to do a little bit of hiking to walk off our lunch. There's not much to see of the mine since it was all dark, so no pics of that.
After lunch, we got back in the Broncos and went through different parts of the trail where Michael demonstrated how to use all of the features of the BSBLSQ that we were driving. He went over 4WD, the differential locker, off-roading cruise control and the one-pedal gas and brake on different parts of the trail. He also made sure to mention that if you do not have a BSBLSQ or even a BSBL, you can still lock the differential with the GOAT modes (Sand mode locks the differential for OBX and BG). Personally, I did not like the one-pedal or cruise control features because it was harder to feel the gas and brake and adjust to the trail. He also went over all of the GOAT modes and we got to feel the difference in every GOAT mode, which was cool. This is where Michael took advantage of being in his own truck because when we were on a soft straight part of the trail, we put it into rally mode, and he took off. I was able to keep up with him but everyone else behind us seemed to be a little uncomfortable going above 15 mph on the trail. Not Michael though, and it was fun! It seemed like every corner we turned, there was some new beautiful scenery. It was breathtaking.
We stopped around 4:00 at the top of a crest to get out and look at this amazing panoramic view. It was so amazing and really made you feel how majestic the desert is out there. I only took videos of the view, so sorry no pics of that. Around 4:30, we got back in the trucks and headed back to Basecamp.
Once we got to Basecamp, we got ready for dinner. And again, the last report was that dinner was just meh. I felt like it was what I expected, which is more than just okay. It's important to mention that Basecamp shares space with the kitchen, eating area and reception desk for the Red Cliffs Lodge which is also on the property. There is a full menu for the Red Cliffs Lodge guests and the kitchen prepares both the meals for the Red Cliffs Lodge and the lunch and dinner for Off-Rodeo. This is not some scrub kitchen. This is a fully-staffed kitchen that serves meals around the clock. Our meal was beans, roasted corn, salad, potatoes, roast beef and chicken all served buffet style. I opted out of the chicken because it looked a little overcooked, but the roast beef was nice and tender and you could cut it with a fork if you needed to. They also had a small dessert which was brownies and strawberries. One the chefs kept telling people to have the brownies because he made them himself. They were good, but I failed to take a pic of them.
After dinner, the program director thanked all of us for attending and invited us to join him down the hill from Basecamp for a campfire and s'mores. Michael came around and thanked each of us for attending. Important note: I haven't read anyone saying that they tipped their trail guide, but my partner and I felt that Michael was exceptional, and so we tipped him $50. We were the first ones to tip him, but we weren't the only ones. They probably don't expect it, but our thinking was that he was with us all day from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, and he was great. He absolutely deserved a tip. But it's entirely up to you.
I'm a sucker for a good bonfire (even if it's artificial) and s'mores, so after we said goodbye to Michael, my partner and I walked down to the campfire and had some s'mores.
To wrap things up: this was an unbelievable experience in my opinion. Everything from beginning to end was well done, and they staff really made you feel like you were part of a unique group of truck/SUV owners, which we are! The views were stunning, the trails were challenging but a lot of fun also. I was the only one who had any off-roading experience, but everyone else had a blast being out there too.
I knew we'd be riding in 2025 BSBLSQ, but I was hoping our guide would show us/tell us how we could tackle these trails in the trim that we own, and he did exactly that. I feel way more confident that my 2024 OBX can handle more challenging trails that are around me. I'm going to fit some skid plates on my OBX from JCR first and then I will be hitting the trails, and I can't wait.
I highly highly recommend going to Off-Rodeo if you have the chance. It is truly a unique experience that you won't be able to find anywhere else. If you're planning to go to Moab, make a trip out of it and get some hiking and mountain biking in as well. It's well worth it.
Oh, and lastly here's a pic of the stickers you get and the "over-priced" Yeti water bottle. Personally, I think it's pretty cool, and I'm definitely using it!
With that, thanks for reading!
To start with, I've seen a lot of reports on Moab Off-Rodeo, but no one has really reported on just how amazing the location is. I was absolutely stunned with how beautiful the canyon is when you're driving the 30 minutes it takes to get from downtown Moab to Basecamp. Completely amazing, and that set the day up really well.
As soon as I got to basecamp, I immediately wanted to hit the trails, but of course we had to go through the check-in process, introductions and logistics inside Basecamp. Then, it was out the back to the trucks to select your vehicle. Taking the advice from the last report posted a few weeks, I decided to go with truck #2 (the green one, and yes they are all labeled) so I would be right behind the lead truck/trail guide. That ended up being a very smart move as we had a full group, and there were no lone drivers, so the guide had the lead Bronco all to himself.
We drove 30 minutes to the trailhead. I believe we took a different trail than the report from a few weeks ago based on the pictures. Our trail guide, Michael, was great about going over preparations you want to make before you hit the trail (airing down your tires, full tank of gas, having good radios if you're in a convoy...etc).
Once we got to the trailhead, we all got out of the trucks, and he demonstrated how you want to position your seat for off-roading. Essentially, you want to be upright and close to the steering wheel so you have full control. He also went over things like shuffle steering and moving your side mirrors down so you can see your tires. All excellent instructions.
Then, it was onto the trails, and they did not disappoint. Michael went over strategies to use when tackling technical aspects of a trail which is exactly what I was hoping for. He showed us how to approach specific sections of the trail before we tried it ourselves. Some of these sections were pretty challenging.
After a couple of hours of riding through various technical parts of the trail, we stopped for lunch. Now, the last report said that lunch was cold cuts and nothing worth reporting about. Yes, it's sandwiches, but it's not like the staff went to the grocery store and bought a bunch of cheap meat and bread and cheese. They're pretty good sandwiches, and I took pics of the setup to judge for yourself. I'm a huge foodie, and maybe I appreciate all varieties of food because of that. I can be picky, but I will say that this was a thoroughly satisfying meal for a lunch out in the middle of nowhere.
Michael showed us this cool uranium mine that was right underneath us after we ate, so we got to do a little bit of hiking to walk off our lunch. There's not much to see of the mine since it was all dark, so no pics of that.
After lunch, we got back in the Broncos and went through different parts of the trail where Michael demonstrated how to use all of the features of the BSBLSQ that we were driving. He went over 4WD, the differential locker, off-roading cruise control and the one-pedal gas and brake on different parts of the trail. He also made sure to mention that if you do not have a BSBLSQ or even a BSBL, you can still lock the differential with the GOAT modes (Sand mode locks the differential for OBX and BG). Personally, I did not like the one-pedal or cruise control features because it was harder to feel the gas and brake and adjust to the trail. He also went over all of the GOAT modes and we got to feel the difference in every GOAT mode, which was cool. This is where Michael took advantage of being in his own truck because when we were on a soft straight part of the trail, we put it into rally mode, and he took off. I was able to keep up with him but everyone else behind us seemed to be a little uncomfortable going above 15 mph on the trail. Not Michael though, and it was fun! It seemed like every corner we turned, there was some new beautiful scenery. It was breathtaking.
We stopped around 4:00 at the top of a crest to get out and look at this amazing panoramic view. It was so amazing and really made you feel how majestic the desert is out there. I only took videos of the view, so sorry no pics of that. Around 4:30, we got back in the trucks and headed back to Basecamp.
Once we got to Basecamp, we got ready for dinner. And again, the last report was that dinner was just meh. I felt like it was what I expected, which is more than just okay. It's important to mention that Basecamp shares space with the kitchen, eating area and reception desk for the Red Cliffs Lodge which is also on the property. There is a full menu for the Red Cliffs Lodge guests and the kitchen prepares both the meals for the Red Cliffs Lodge and the lunch and dinner for Off-Rodeo. This is not some scrub kitchen. This is a fully-staffed kitchen that serves meals around the clock. Our meal was beans, roasted corn, salad, potatoes, roast beef and chicken all served buffet style. I opted out of the chicken because it looked a little overcooked, but the roast beef was nice and tender and you could cut it with a fork if you needed to. They also had a small dessert which was brownies and strawberries. One the chefs kept telling people to have the brownies because he made them himself. They were good, but I failed to take a pic of them.
After dinner, the program director thanked all of us for attending and invited us to join him down the hill from Basecamp for a campfire and s'mores. Michael came around and thanked each of us for attending. Important note: I haven't read anyone saying that they tipped their trail guide, but my partner and I felt that Michael was exceptional, and so we tipped him $50. We were the first ones to tip him, but we weren't the only ones. They probably don't expect it, but our thinking was that he was with us all day from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, and he was great. He absolutely deserved a tip. But it's entirely up to you.
I'm a sucker for a good bonfire (even if it's artificial) and s'mores, so after we said goodbye to Michael, my partner and I walked down to the campfire and had some s'mores.
To wrap things up: this was an unbelievable experience in my opinion. Everything from beginning to end was well done, and they staff really made you feel like you were part of a unique group of truck/SUV owners, which we are! The views were stunning, the trails were challenging but a lot of fun also. I was the only one who had any off-roading experience, but everyone else had a blast being out there too.
I knew we'd be riding in 2025 BSBLSQ, but I was hoping our guide would show us/tell us how we could tackle these trails in the trim that we own, and he did exactly that. I feel way more confident that my 2024 OBX can handle more challenging trails that are around me. I'm going to fit some skid plates on my OBX from JCR first and then I will be hitting the trails, and I can't wait.
I highly highly recommend going to Off-Rodeo if you have the chance. It is truly a unique experience that you won't be able to find anywhere else. If you're planning to go to Moab, make a trip out of it and get some hiking and mountain biking in as well. It's well worth it.
Oh, and lastly here's a pic of the stickers you get and the "over-priced" Yeti water bottle. Personally, I think it's pretty cool, and I'm definitely using it!
With that, thanks for reading!
