Best Trail Moments Of 2015
It’s been an incredible year of ‘wheeling and 2016 is already shaping up to be another good one. With King of the Hammers just a month away, we’ll be starting off our off-road coverage with a full-throttle assault. While the motorsports side of the industry always brings some jaw-dropping moments, the things you encounter on a trail ride can be just as memorable. So, we’ve put together our top five trail moments.
1) EVO Launcher
Mel Wade is quite the wheelman and isn’t afraid to use the skinny pedal in his Hemi-powered Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. We caught Wade airing out his JK more than a few times on the 2015 East Coast JK Experience, and this three-wheeled blast was one of many captured on camera.
Original article: 2015 JK Experience East Coast Photo Gallery
2) Car-cass
Going off-road can be dangerous. This is amplified when you are farther off the beaten path. Contributor Lori Cary ran across this turned over relict on the Bendire Canyon Trail. While less common on the east coast, we’ve come across a few overturned vehicles out west that are simply too difficult or dangerous to remove. We would love to know the story behind this one.
Original article: Last Ride For 2015-The Bendire Canyon Trail
3) Megasaurus
There are some trails that stand out above the others, and Rangely, Colorado’s Megasaurus is one of them. We got to tackle the short, but extremely intense trail on this year’s West Coast JK Experience. With only half the group opting to attempt the trail, we witnessed firsthand how challenging, but extremely rewarding making it to the top was.
Original article: Day 5 of the 2015 West Coast JK Experience
4) V4
With so many Jeeps saturating the trails these days, it’s great to see something new in the mix. We ran into Ujoint Off-Road owner Chris Steuber at The Flats Off-Road park in Marion, North Carolina, earlier this year. Steuber was testing out his newly revised V4 E-350 Van and was kind enough to engage in some spirited ‘wheeling for our camera. One of his more dedicated attempts at conquering this massive ledge left him with a twisted Sterling 10.5-inch rear axle, and us with a great photo.
Original article: 2002 Ford E-350 4x4: The Ultimate Do-All Van
5) Grand 3Wheeler
Lifting a tire off-road isn’t terribly uncommon, but seeing a late-model Grand Cherokee do it on the Rubicon Trail is pretty unique. We are big fans of Jeremy Ayer’s 2007 diesel-powered Grand Cherokee. It worked great over the four-day Rubicon adventure and we’re sure we’ll be seeing more of it in 2016.
Original article: The 63rd Annual Jeepers Jamboree
These are just a few of our favorite moments, but we’re barely scratching the surface at all of the great off-road content from this past year. Got a trail ride you would like to see us at for 2016? Shoot us an email at editor@drivingline.com
