off road trails  that you might like 

here are some ideas of places to go   the az, ut and Johnson Valley will cost more because of how far they are  

Rubicon

Difficulty Chart — Hardest CA 4x4 Trails

🟥 Extreme Difficulty (Top‑Tier / Vehicle‑Breaking)

  • Fordyce Jeep Trail

    • Massive boulders, deep water crossings, steep climbs

    • Harder than Rubicon for most rigs

  • Johnson Valley — The Hammers

    • Jackhammer, Sledgehammer, Claw Hammer

    • Waterfalls, sharp rocks, competition‑level lines

🟧 Very Difficult (Highly Technical / Multi‑Day)

  • Rubicon Trail

    • Iconic granite crawling, Little Sluice, Cadillac Hill

  • Dusy‑Ershim Trail

    • 33 miles of nonstop obstacles at high elevation

  • Barrett Lake Trail

    • Narrow granite shelves, deep ruts, no easy bypasses

🟨 Difficult (Advanced / Locker Recommended)

  • John Bull (Big Bear)

    • Tight boulder fields, steep climbs

  • Swamp Lake Trail

    • Long, rocky, scenic, technical

  • Hell Hole Trail

    • Rough, remote, rocky climbs

🟩 Moderate‑Difficult (Challenging but Doable with Skill)

  • Deer Valley Trail

    • Rock gardens, creek crossings

  • Slick Rock Trail

    • Granite slabs, steep climbs

 

🛠️ Trail‑by‑Trail Gear Checklist

Fordyce Jeep Trail

  • 37–40” tires

  • Dual lockers

  • Winch (mandatory)

  • Full armor (skids, sliders, diff protection)

  • Snorkel or sealed intake (water crossings)

  • Recovery gear + spare parts

  • High‑clearance suspension

Johnson Valley — The Hammers

  • 37–40” tires

  • Dual lockers

  • Full armor + beadlocks

  • Winch

  • Hydro assist recommended

  • Spare shafts, joints, tools

  • High‑strength steering components

Rubicon Trail

  • 33–37” tires

  • Lockers (at least rear)

  • Winch

  • Rock sliders + skids

  • Spare parts + fluids

  • Multi‑day camping gear

Dusy‑Ershim Trail

  • 35” tires

  • Lockers

  • Multi‑day gear (3–4 days)

  • Recovery gear

  • High‑clearance suspension

  • Tools + spares (remote trail)

Barrett Lake Trail

  • 35” tires

  • Lockers

  • Rock sliders

  • Winch

  • Narrow‑trail awareness (tight granite shelves)

John Bull

  • 33–35” tires

  • Lockers recommended

  • Rock sliders

  • Winch helpful

  • Spotter for tight lines

Swamp Lake

  • 33–35” tires

  • Lockers helpful

  • Recovery gear

  • High‑clearance suspension

Hell Hole

  • 33–35” tires

  • Lockers helpful

  • Winch recommended

  • Rock sliders

Deer Valley

  • 33–35” tires

  • Recovery gear

  • Lockers optional

Slick Rock

  • 33–35” tires

  • Good traction tires

  • Recovery gear

 

SAND HOLLOW (UTAH) — Hardest 4x4 Trails

Sand Hollow (Hurricane, UT) is known for steep slickrock climbs, massive drops, and technical off‑camber obstacles. Many trails here rival Moab’s hardest.

 

🔥 Top Hardest Sand Hollow Trails (Ranked)

1. Double Sammy

  • One of Sand Hollow’s most iconic hardcore trails

  • Huge waterfalls, steep climbs, off‑camber shelves

  • Mandatory winching for many rigs

2. The Chute

  • Narrow V‑notch descent

  • High rollover risk

  • Technical tire placement required

3. The Maze

  • Tight, confusing slickrock lines

  • Big ledges and off‑camber transitions

  • Very easy to get body damage

4. Joint Effort

  • Waterfalls, deep cracks, technical climbs

  • Requires lockers and careful spotting

5. Plan B

  • Steep climbs, big drops

  • High traction slickrock but unforgiving lines

6. Sliplock Gulch

  • Ledges, cracks, and tight turns

  • Intermediate‑hard but still very technical

7. John's Trail

  • Rock gardens, ledges, and steep climbs

  • Good warm‑up for harder trails

 

🛠️ SAND HOLLOW — Trail‑by‑Trail Gear Checklist

Double Sammy

  • 37–40” tires

  • Dual lockers

  • Winch

  • Full armor (sliders, skids, diff protection)

  • Spotter recommended

The Chute

  • 35–37” tires

  • Lockers

  • Rock sliders

  • Winch helpful

  • Driver comfortable with off‑camber exposure

The Maze

  • 35–37” tires

  • Lockers

  • Full armor

  • Spotter recommended

Joint Effort

  • 35–37” tires

  • Lockers

  • Winch

  • High‑clearance suspension

Plan B

  • 35–37” tires

  • Lockers

  • Rock sliders

  • Winch helpful

Sliplock Gulch

  • 33–35” tires

  • Lockers helpful

  • Recovery gear

John’s Trail

  • 33–35” tires

  • Lockers optional

  • Good traction tires

 

🟧 SAND HOLLOW Difficulty Chart

🟥 Extreme

  • Double Sammy

  • The Chute

  • The Maze

🟧 Very Difficult

  • Joint Effort

  • Plan B

🟨 Difficult

  • Sliplock Gulch

  • John’s Trail

 

UTAH — Hardest 4x4 Trails

🔥 Top 10 Hardest 4x4 Trails in Utah (Ranked)

1. Pritchett Canyon — Moab

  • Utah’s hardest mainstream trail

  • Huge ledges, waterfalls, off‑camber climbs

  • Mandatory winching for many rigs

2. Hell’s Gate + Hell’s Revenge (Hot Tubs) — Moab

  • Steep V‑notch climbs

  • Hot Tubs can roll rigs instantly

  • High pucker factor

3. Cliffhanger — Moab

  • Narrow shelf road with 1,000‑ft exposure

  • Big ledges and off‑camber sections

4. Behind the Rocks — Moab

  • Obstacles like High Dive and White Knuckle Hill

  • Extreme drops and climbs

5. Moab Rim

  • Immediate exposure and steep slickrock

  • Tight ledges and off‑camber shelves

6. Metal Masher

  • Big ledges, optional extreme lines

  • Rock crawling + slickrock mix

7. Poison Spider + Golden Spike + Gold Bar Rim (Trifecta)

  • Long, technical, iconic Moab combo

  • Waterfalls, ledges, slickrock climbs

8. Kane Creek

  • Deep water crossings

  • Tight canyon walls

  • Rock gardens

9. Steel Bender

  • Ledges, waterfalls, tight turns

10. Top of the World

  • Moderate trail with extreme optional lines

  • Huge exposure at the overlook

 

🛠️ UTAH — Trail‑by‑Trail Gear Checklist

Pritchett Canyon

  • 37–40” tires

  • Dual lockers

  • Winch (mandatory)

  • Full armor

  • Spotter recommended

Hell’s Revenge / Hell’s Gate

  • 35–37” tires

  • Lockers helpful

  • Winch recommended

  • Excellent brakes + traction control

Cliffhanger

  • 35–37” tires

  • Lockers

  • Rock sliders

  • Driver comfort with exposure

Behind the Rocks

  • 35–37” tires

  • Lockers

  • Winch

  • High‑clearance suspension

Moab Rim

  • 35–37” tires

  • Lockers

  • Rock sliders

  • Spotter recommended

 

🟧 UTAH Difficulty Chart

🟥 Extreme

  • Pritchett Canyon

  • Behind the Rocks

  • Cliffhanger

🟧 Very Difficult

  • Hell’s Revenge (Hot Tubs)

  • Moab Rim

  • Metal Masher

🟨 Difficult

  • Poison Spider / Golden Spike / Gold Bar Rim

  • Steel Bender

🟩 Moderate‑Difficult

  • Kane Creek

  • Top of the World

 

🟥 ARIZONA — Hardest 4x4 Trails

🔥 Top 10 Hardest 4x4 Trails in Arizona (Ranked)

1. Die Trying (AZ version) — Florence Junction

  • Massive boulders

  • Extreme rock crawling

  • One of AZ’s hardest trails

2. Highway to Hell — Florence

  • Waterfalls, huge ledges

  • Very high breakage rate

3. Judgement Day — Table Mesa

  • Big boulders, tight lines

  • Technical crawling

4. Upper Terminator — Table Mesa

  • Waterfalls, off‑camber climbs

  • Extreme rock gardens

5. Lower Terminator — Table Mesa

  • Similar to Upper but slightly easier

  • Still very technical

6. Anaconda — Florence

  • Narrow canyon

  • Big ledges and tight turns

7. Elvis Trail — Florence

  • Waterfalls, rock gardens

  • Popular hardcore trail

8. Backway to Crown King

  • Long, rocky, steep

  • Not extreme, but very challenging

9. Broken Arrow — Sedona

  • Scenic but technical

  • Ledges, slickrock, steep descents

10. Woodpecker Mine

  • Rock crawling, waterfalls

  • Good intermediate‑hard trail

 

🛠️ ARIZONA — Trail‑by‑Trail Gear Checklist

Die Trying (AZ)

  • 37–40” tires

  • Dual lockers

  • Full armor

  • Winch

  • Spare shafts

Highway to Hell

  • 37–40” tires

  • Lockers

  • Winch

  • Rock sliders + skids

Judgement Day

  • 35–37” tires

  • Lockers

  • Winch

  • Spotter helpful

Upper Terminator

  • 35–37” tires

  • Lockers

  • Rock sliders

  • Winch

Backway to Crown King

  • 33–35” tires

  • Recovery gear

  • Lockers helpful

 

🟧 ARIZONA Difficulty Chart

🟥 Extreme

  • Die Trying (AZ)

  • Highway to Hell

  • Upper Terminator

🟧 Very Difficult

  • Judgement Day

  • Lower Terminator

  • Anaconda

🟨 Difficult

  • Elvis Trail

  • Woodpecker Mine

🟩 Moderate‑Difficult

  • Backway to Crown King

  • Broken Arrow