It’s an amazing privilege to have a 4x4 in the United States. Not only does this country have hundreds of thousands of paved miles open to any street-legalized vehicle, but also countless numbers of dirt, mud, and rocky trails to venture down when the pavement ends. The key is having a 4x4 with the capability to access these less frequented pathways—one that is built with slightly more than stock equipment. These are the vehicles we made the all-new GRABBER X3 for. Designed for a level of use more advanced than what the manufacturer assumed your vehicle would endure, the GRABBER X3 was made to excel in the most extreme dirt, mud, and rocks you’re likely to ever encounter. If you’re anything like every other off-roader we’ve ever run across, you’re always looking to experience epic adventures and explore new places. Therefore, we put a list together of 10 incredible destinations that will test your 4x4’s mettle in a variety of terrains. While some may be a little far for you to venture to, and perhaps one or two a bit extreme, most of these areas offer something fun for mildly built to the most extreme trucks, Jeeps, and 4x4s. Whether the terrain you’re tackling is comprised of dirt, mud, rocks, sand, pavement, or snow, the new X3 can take you where you want to go. Remember how we role - Anywhere Is Possible!
Below is our list of ten pretty impressive trails where we have included our recommended tire size for each trail in addition to our personal ranking for the difficulty level and the overall scenery, both of which are rated on a 1-10 scale. We hope you enjoy this list and can only hope that you will have a chance to explore a few of them while riding on our Grabber X3.
- 1.Hot Springs ORV Park
Location: Hot Springs, AR
Difficulty: 5-8
Scenery: 7
Recommended X3 size: 35” or 37”
The Hot Springs ORV Park is made for fun family wheeling. All types of off-roaders including Jeeps on 35s and buggies on 37” GRABBER X3s can be found at the park during normal operating hours. The nearly 1,300-acre park also houses some of the area’s premier rock racing competitions in the more difficult terrain at the park. Located near Hot Springs, Arkansas, the sharp rocks and muddy trails can do some damage to lesser tires, so only the most rugged off-road treads like the GRABBER X3 should be utilized on the rough trails. The Hot Springs ORV Park has a convenience store on site and lodging accommodations can be found within a few miles of the park—both camping and hotels.
- 2. Iron Range OHV area
Location: In St. Louis County, near Gilbert, Minnesota (approximately three hours north of Minneapolis)
Difficulty: 4-9
Scenery: 8
Recommended X3 size: 35” or 37”
With more than 36 miles of trails for 4x4s, ATVs, UTVS, and motorcycles, there’s something for everyone at the Iron Range OHV area. It also happens to have some of the absolute nastiest, sharpest, most tire-scaring rocks there are in the lower 48 states. Located near the iron-rich Mesabi Range a red hue is spread on much of the area, and the extremely sharp rocks and nice fauna make for a great place to visit, like nowhere else you’ll wheel in the United States. It can also be some of the absolutely toughest terrain on tires. Only mud-terrain type tires with heady-duty sidewalls should venture here. This is a park where you will see no all-terrain tires. It’s also connected to the Sherwood Forest campground by a trail for camping.
- 3. Johnson Valley OHV area
Location: In Johnson Valley, about 50 miles southeast of Barstow, California
Difficulty: 4-10
Scenery: 3
Recommended X3 size: 37” tire
If you’re into off-roading, then you’ve heard of Johnson Valley. Famed for not only its difficult “Hammer” trails, but also numerous competitions, the Johnson Valley OHV area has enough room to go fast but also some of the most treacherous, boulder-strewn trails you’ll find anywhere. Once a bombing site (and still bordering military land), there’s not much to look at as far as natural features and flora go, but there is a ton of off-roading and excellent rock crawling to be done. While you can drive into the dry lake bed below the trails in a stock van, most of the trails in the hills can absolutely destroy vehicles that aren’t built to the hilt. But there are many trails geared towards moderately-built and heavily-built vehicles on 35” and 37” tires.
The nearest hotels are about half an hour away, but most people set up camp in what becomes known as “Hammertown” for a week of festivities.
- 4. Las Cruces
Location: Las Cruces, NM
Difficulty: 2-7
Scenery: 6
Recommended X3 size: 31” to 37”
Around Las Cruces, New Mexico, lie a number of areas and trails that invite all types of four-wheel drive builds. The hilly desert terrain offers enjoyable riding for 4x4s, ATVs, and UTVs. Perhaps known best for its local club’s annual Chile Challenge, the Las Cruces area has drawn off-roaders looking to torture their Jeeps and 4x4s on the trails that the Las Cruces Four Wheel Drive Club have been tending to for so many years. It doesn’t matter if its Pine Tree trail or Organ Needles trail; they’re all fun to ride on and near the town of Las Cruces so you can head back into town each night.
Las Cruces has a number of hotels for anyone visiting the area to stay and enjoy themselves.
- 5. Moab
Location: Moab, Utah
Difficulty: 2-10
Scenery: 10
Recommended X3 size: 31” to 37”
Moab is…well, Moab. It is the mecca for off-roaders of all kinds. Anyone who likes to be outdoors will find something they like in Moab. The unbelievable topography of the area located along the Colorado River gives perfect shape for hiking, rock crawling, trail exploring, hiking, rock climbing...like we mentioned: It’s an outdoor mecca. Trails surround the entire town, with some being a couple hours out and some being five minutes from your hotel room in the middle of town. It doesn’t matter if you have a stock 4x4 with some added X3s or a competitive buggy on 37” GRABBER X3s, there are trails to challenge everyone.
There are numerous camping spots and hotels in Moab. Most of the town is basically set up to accommodate tourism, with hotels ranging from budget to high-end.
- 6. The Rockies
Location: Colorado
Difficulty: 4-8
Scenery: 9
Recommended X3 size: 33” to 37”
While “The Rockies” is a vague description of a very large area, there are a number of excellent trails that can be found within the mountains that run through Colorado. Trails like Black Bear Pass offer riders not only a view that will make you pucker, but also challenging terrain with steep elevation changes. As incredible as the area is, it is seldom crowded (and perhaps the locals would rather us not even mention their area on a list like this!) and you won’t be stuck in a sea of other Jeeps and 4x4s on the trails.
There are a number of various ski resort towns that are very welcoming to summer patrons with great hotels and restaurants, scattered throughout the range.
- 7. Rausch Creek ORV Park
Location: Pine Grove, PA
Difficulty: 3-8
Scenery: 9
Recommended X3 size: 33” to 37”
Some of the most beautiful parts of the country are in the Northeast, and Rausch Creek ORV Park in Pennsylvania is situated right in the middle of some of the best of it. It’s known as the East coast rival of Moab—offering not only incredible rocky terrain but also beautiful natural topography and flora that make for a pleasant place to recreate in. If you’re into Autumn wheeling, there may not be a better place in the world to visit before winter hits, as the color changes throughout the park is spectacular. Muddy trails and rocky roads make the 3,000-acre park a fun place to play, and most vehicles you see will have 33” tires and bigger.
There is on-site camping at the park, and the nearest big city is Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
- 8. Rubicon Trail/Fourdyce Trail
Location: Truckee, CA
Difficulty: 8
Scenery: 9
Recommended X3 size: 35” to 37”
In the High Sierras around Tahoe Lake are some amazing hardcore trails winding through beautiful riparian areas strewn with granite terrain. Up here, you can find the famous Rubicon Trail and the Fourdyce trail. To a trail rider familiar with the area, it’s just a matter of preference as to which is better. But there is no denying that the Rubicon trail, known as the quintessential off-road trail, is far more well-known. Both trails require careful driving, and for most vehicles a locker or two, and minimum of 35” tires. But we’ve been told a good driver in a stock Jeep on a set GRABBER X3s can do it.
Camping is abundant and most people take two days to do the Rubicon trail—most stopping at Loon Lake for the night.
- 9. Ruby Lake Trail
Location: Anchorage, AK
Difficulty: 6
Scenery: 10
Recommended X3 size: 33” to 37”
Out of reach of most wheelers in the lower 48 States, the off-road trails near Anchorage, Alaska, offer fun that only a small population of off-roaders will ever get to experience. Not only is almost all of Alaska amazing to be in, it offers a vastness that truly makes you feel like you’re in the absolute wilderness. One of our favorite Alaskan trails is the Ruby Trail…which can be deceiving. While it doesn’t seem too difficult, slippery mud makes trail navigation terribly difficult at times. Of course, it’s a lot easier when the trail is dry…however often that is! While it is possible to drive to Alaska, you may find it easier to ship your vehicle up there if you’re not one of the lucky Alaskans that gets to call the largest state in the Union “home” and you’re determined to hit some AK trails.
Alaska is the most sparsely populated state, but there are still several hotels in the big city of Anchorage. If you head further out, you may find yourself camping and carrying lots of extra fuel.
- 10. Silver Lake Sand Dunes
Location: Mears, MI
Difficulty: 5
Scenery: 6
Recommended X3 size: 33” to 37”
If you’re into sand, then you need to head to western Michigan and get your fill at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes. Sand is a great equalizer, and driver skill comes more into play than how well your vehicle is built. Dropping the tire pressure will allow almost any four-wheel-drive vehicle to traverse the sand dunes and enjoy what the park has to offer. Of course, the more built buggies and prerunners can move a whole lot faster over the sand than a stock vehicle can! But a mild lift and some 33” GRABBER X3s would be more than enough to have a great time out in the dunes and get almost anywhere you wanted to go in the park.
Butted up against the lake in Mears, Michigan, Silver Lake offers all sorts of nearby accommodations including RV resorts, cottage rentals, hotels, and RV rentals.
