Post pic of your 3rd Gen Taco w/ a scenic background...

Taken right after completing Elephant Hill in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. My skid plates and sliders received a bit of a workout, but the truck did really well. I think my next mod will be a forward-looking camera (for me, line selection was noticeably hampered by lack of forward visibility).

 

Gettin sandy

 

Nice shot! I've seen videos of elephant hill and it's not my cup of tea, but am curious if there was another way to this location other than traversing that hill.

 

Absolutely! A more relaxing way to this spot is from the south via Beef Basin (that's actually the way I exited the park, since going back over Elephant Hill in the dark seemed silly).

The intersection you're looking for is Hwy 211 at Beef Basin Road.; there's a staging area there with a vault toilet. Basically you head west for about 34-ish miles, then turn north (Funtreks covers this route extremely well and offers free gpx files on their website here: https://funtreks.com/off-road-trails/beef-basin/)

Even traveling via Beef Basin Road, you still have to pass two noteworthy obstacles to get to the spot where the pic was taken. The first one you'll hit is Bobby's Hole, which is just around the corner from the "WARNING! 4-WHEEL DRIVE ROAD ONLY" sign. It's a short (200') section of ledges and loose+large rocks. Coming from the south, you'll be descending down to the access road into the National Park. It'll be harder coming back up, so keep this in mind. Coming the reverse direction (i.e. UP the hill) I was aired down, used 4L, and even put the rear locker to work. Be patient and use a spotter.

The second obstacle is much easier than Bobby's Hole. It's called SOB Hill and occurs several miles after you cross into National Park land. I think the name is just to scare people - the hill is a tight s-turn that has a few medium ledges to climb. It was doable without a spotter in 4L.

I did this foray into the Needles as part of a week long road trip to various National Parks in the southwest, and it was definitely the highlight. If you get out to the area, I would highly recommend you budget at least a day or two to explore the ruins/petroglyphs in Beef Basin as well as hike the Joint Trail. It'll change your life!

Approx Pic Location (38°08'23.3"N 109°52'10.5"W)
Bobby's Hole (38°02'32.5"N 109°56'15.3"W)
SOB Hill (38°07'41.2"N 109°52'35.4"W)
Joint Trail (38°06'13.6"N 109°51'59.6"W)

 

Santa Margarita, CA

 

What size ST Maxx, any rub?

 

Love those pictures..... just curious if those shots are in the Southern Appalachians??!!

 

Those wild flowers are beautiful!

 

Yeah, Linville Gorge in NC.

 

A few miles south of moab!

 

Dude just curious if that is in the GSMNP ?

 

Acronym?
It’s the Great Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, TN. (At least I think that’s what you were asking)

Edit: gotcha. Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Took me a sec. yezzir! Enjoying these freedoms. Thank you veterans, those currently serving and POW/MIA

 

Reno Nevada area.

 

You got it brother!