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Took my Badlands to the Maze District in Canyonlands National Park
The 2 door definitely rides like a body on frame truck compared to the more car like ride of the Sport. Wind noise is higher on the full size but I have the mod hard top so it’s not as bad as the soft top. It gets worse once you hit 70-80. The Sport isn’t terribly noisy but I have the optional Falkens and not a much more aggressive tire. Gas milage is relatively close to my Sport. I’m normally getting around 23 -24 with the Sport and 18-20 with the 2 door. The Sport handles probably better than the full size but they are both SUV’s and not like my old Lightning!
As I’ve said before in othe threads, they are two completely different vehicles. If I had to pick just one to use all the time everywhere, I’d probably pick the Sport. I bought the 2 door as a replacement for my Lightning as having a vehicle that was built for speed and handling just wasn’t a need for me anymore. I got the Sport to replace an aging Escape while I waited ( nearly 3 years) for my 2 door. The plan was to trade the Sport in when the 2 door finally arrived but I liked it so well, I kept both.
The Sport is great in the winter and for use on the forest roads in Wisconsin. We have had it out in Colorado and Utah but it was a bit nerve wracking for me. The trails are getting beat up due to the SXS’s and everyone going to 37’s and larger tires. We go out there only a few times a year and the 2 door just handles them much better in my opinion. The fact I can remove the top is a bonus for me as a secondary vehicle.
edit: I should add that for most driving around the area, I still prefer the 2 door, it’s just more fun to drive with being able to go topless and having a manual transmission.
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Definitely adventures! Looks amazing there. Many adventures with the Bronco SportLast month I took my BSBL to the Maze Overlook campsite in Canyonlands National Park. It is without a doubt the roughest, most remote road I've ever been on. I had a heard a lot about descending the Flint Trail to get there, but it wasn't any worse than what I experienced on the White Rim Rd the year before.
The road to the campsite, however, was much more technical and challenging. It took me 2.5 hours just to cover the 14 mile distance from a junction to the Maze Overlook campsite. The road was peppered with steep drop offs that I kept having to get out and find a line in which to descend. A couple of times I needed to stack some rocks to avoid bottoming out, which I still did anyway. Fortunately, I've had my undercarriage completely covered with skid plates and they did their job by taking a beating. On one descent my right wheel slipped and I banged the lower right door section into a rock. From the sound of it I knew I had scratched and dented the passenger door. Luckily It hit the plastic molding instead of the metal so I am replacing it and having a small dent in the door's inside fixed and painted.
I backpacked into the Maze for two days and one night, and it was spectacular, but also very sketchy with steep drops where I had to lower my pack by rope and find hand and foot holds by feel. It was anxiety inducing for certain and there was one drop off where I considered just turning around and climbing back out, especially since there was no one else around. I eventually made it down into the twisty canyons, which was a relief but even that was all sand walking which made it more tiring. I hiked to the Harvest Scene, a large pictograph panel and then hiked the rest of the day to a rock formation called the Plug. It was 10 miles with more risky climbs out of the canyon.
Of course, I knew I had to do the hike and drive all again in reverse on the return so that idea stayed with me constantly. I awoke to a beautiful sunrise and proceeded to return on a different trail, which was mostly on slickrock and easier than on the canyons. The climb back up was even more challenging than the one down the previous day since I had to push my pack up through cracks where I simply lowered it before. I found the using paracord was too small a diameter as it would cut into my hands pulling up the heavy pack. After climbing for 3 hours I finally made it to my Badlands. The road back was more challenging because instead of drops, I had to contend with steep climbs. One climb took me four tries in rock crawl before I got up and over it, with significant banging. From the trailhead back to Moab took me about 6.5 hours. It's not an easy place to get to or explore unless you take the jetboat from Moab and come into the Maze from the other side.
There were several times I was questioning my decision to do this drive and hike. I'm 64 and didn't really need to be in such a hazardous place on my own doing the moves I had to make to hike in and out of the canyons. Still, am I glad I did it? Yes. It's the only part of Canyonlands I hadn't explored. Would I do it again? Nope. Too dangerous and remote. Having someone with me would have helped a lot but I couldn't find a sucker to tag along.
I also think it was a bit much for the Bronco Sport. I've had a 1.5 inch lift on the front done and used oversized Toyo tires but honestly it still wasn't enough. Obviously I made it with minimal damage but it could easily have gone the other way. If anyone else has made it out there I'd love to hear about it. For the hiking inclined: I took the Plug Trail out to Standing Rocks and came back the next day on the Pete's Mesa trail. About 10 miles each day carrying all needed water.
