1st Time Going Off-Road

Hitting up San Gabriel OHV in a few hours.

Hoping to have a good time without any incidents, will report back later on, any suggestions/tips are welcomed!

UPDATE:
I SURVIVED! Hahaha, so it was a real good first experience. I'm glad I didn't chicken out. The water level was not very high. I was able to test out my 4WD and do some nice little obstacles, donut (attempts), mud splashes and saw some vehicles get stuck in the mud and people pull em out. Got super burnt by the sun, and my truck is filthy (my dirty girl)!

Thanks for everyones suggestions and input, really appreciate it.


I was able to get tons of cool drone footage (which I will be editing and then sharing). But for now here's a video my friend captured with his samsung (pretty bad quality): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahdatXko460

 

Cool

 

Don't know what that area is like, or how challenging it may or may not be.

If it has any difficulty at all, it's always good to have a seasoned off roader with you.

 

I believe this water crossing is right after the entrance gate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8A0VwlmDx5g

 

But I've heard its a good beginner spot

 

Have you done the rear diff breather mod?

If not, I'd avoid that crossing. And before entering it's worth knowing how deep it is.

If there is no one there to watch, walking it with an 8' staff to probe (and balance) is always a reasonable plan. Especially if the water is not clear enough to see the bottom.

 

NO I don't even know what that is...breather mod?

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/my-differential-breather-mod-photos.111954/

 

Make sure you watch other people cross water and mud before you do. It is better to watch other people do stupid. Not a giant area but there should be plenty of stupid to see. Have fun.

 

no diff mod and i survived just fine. just don’t let off the throttle.

 

That looks pretty deep. When was that? Anything else you’d advise? I made the mistake of watching YouTube videos of some sketchy situations and it’s safe to say I’ve gotten myself a little nervous now haha

 

it varies out there. we haven’t had rain or snow so it shouldn’t be bad. if you’re driving that far you could drive 20 minutes more and go to cleghorn. it’s free and is a mix of fire road with offshoots.

also something of note they won’t let you in if you’re not 4x4 at azusa

 

Ok well I am 4x4

Would you say cleghorn is better for a first timer like myself? Thanks for the feedback everyone!

 

What a cluster!

 

Yeah I know, I hope I dont end up needing help, but if I do hopefully theres some cool ass people out there.

 

Looks like a lot of helpful folks from that vid.

 

OP, breather mod would be a good idea for crossings like these.
I see that was mentioned above.
Cheap insurance.

 

Have you drained your rear diff since?

 

30k later, nope