Our Featured Epic Overlanding Trips
Gaia Maps routes are included in YouTube video descriptions.
Overlanding trips often have multiple YouTube videos. For example, our 2025 Southwest Traverse has 7 legs of videos. The purpose of this page to present complete trips. While we haven’t been including much of the pavement portion of trips we have recently started to include some of that and connect the trip legs.
Kokopelli Trail For Vans This was our first epic overlanding route for our new YouTube channel. Koko is well known as a mountain biking epic 140 mile ride and somewhat known among off-roaders. We were curious if an AWD van could do at least most of the official route, and we succeeded! There are sections that are single track for mountain bikers and nothing motorized can use those trails. However, there are moto alternatives. We would follow those as much as possible. The first two legs of this trip require a well outfitted and lifted AWD van with an experienced off-roader driver. Yeah, there are some very challenging sections. The third leg can be done with any AWD van with all terrain tires but lifted would make the route less stressful. As always, road conditions can change during and after storms.
Bears Ears National Monument Utah This is a huge, wild, remote region south of Moab that has hidden Native American ruins and deep scenic canyons to explore! Within this NM is Natural Bridges National Monument. Natural bridges are arches over creeks or rivers. While the roads are usually graded there are a few places where a lifted AWD van is needed. After storms, usually in late July and August, wash crossings can be badly eroded and could require some shovel work. If you are up for serious adventure this will do it.
Southwest Traverse 2025 This trip started in San Diego in March and we spent 12 days and well over 1,000 miles exploring remote areas of California, Arizona, and Nevada up to the Utah border. We covered a lot of terrain during seven trip legs and it was exhausting. We ran out of time by the time we got to South Utah so we headed up I-15 to I-70 and across Utah to home.
Coming next fall, winter, and spring: Grand Staircase Escalante and the San Rafael Swell!
Grand Junction, Colorado, USA
