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Austin Tx to Cali up to Oregon.

3K views 46 replies 15 participants last post by  Slytin 
#1 ·
I just bought a 14 JKU soft top base and I’m wanting to go on road trip with it. I’m a photographer and backpacker before I was a Jeep owner. I plan on my trip being mostly car camping and scenic photoshoot the whole way. I’m planning of heading from ATX to Cali hitting any mild trails that’s recommended on the way. I’d love to check out the Arches at some point and the redwoods plus drive from northern Cali up to Oregon along the coast line.

I need help/recommendations on two pieces what trails to check out that I can handle solo, and I have 1k to outfit the jeep a little bit more.

What my JK has so far.
5 x 33s Duratracs on 15s.
1 x Recovery Strap
1 x Tuffy Trunk Security box
1 x Spiderweb shade
Rotopax mounts with 2gals of water and 72 hour preparedness kit.

Things I’m thinking of getting but in no particular order.
Bumper and Winch, or 2.5” Lift TF, or Tirecarrier with 4 gallon of gas, or ACE Rock Rails.

Oh yeah I'm leaving in 2 weeks so I have to move fast.

I’ll be updating my progress with photos from the build to the journey.
Some photos from my previous trips.



Got to have a Jeep photo heres one with a stuck FJ winching up to me.
 
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#2 ·
Sounds like a great trip you have planned. It looks like your pretty well outfitted for what your looking to do.
You'll love the drive up the Oregon coast. Make sure to check out the Oregon Dunes between Coos Bay and Florence. Great beach dune driving. Also, look into Sand Lake rec area south of Tillamook. You can also drive out onto the beach south of Astoria at Fort Stevens state park.
 
#4 ·
Come into California from the south. Come up highway 395. The east side of the Sierra Range is spectacular. We just spent a few days over there. Each night we would just find some place up in the mountains to camp. We were all alone every night. The Alabama Hills are a great strange place to wander around in. Check out the Bristlecone Pines (oldest living things in the world), camp at Laurel Lakes, we camped up above the bristlecones at about 10,000 feet another night, and up at the top of Armstrong Canyon another night. Check out books by Charles Wells or Roger Mitchell for suggestions on great 4x4 side trips. Check out Bodie State park. A great ghost town just north of Mono Lake. Then take highway 120 through Yosemite and come out on the west side. Make sure to stop and enjoy the views along 120. The west side it very different. Lake Tahoe is also very cool, but if I had to choose I would go through Yosemite instead. Other things to see along the way? Carmel, Big Sur, wine country, Mendocino, the redwoods north of Mendocino, the redwoods (a different type, called sequoias) in Yosemite (three locations to pick from), Crater Lake in Oregon, the Shakespeare festival in Ashland Oregon, Astoria … I could go on and on. I have lived here all my life and I am still exploring. Even bone stock, any Wrangler is pretty capable. For $1000 I might focus on the lift to get a little more clearance between you and the rocks. I have the ACE rock rails and have pushed a lot of rocks off the trail with them. It does not sound like you will be going some place where the winch will be a big deal. If you trash the stock bumpers, who cares? I will sell you mine, cheap. PM me if you want more ideas. It sounds like you might also be looking for things in Utah. Been there, liked it so much we ware spending 2 weeks there in September. Three words for you. White Rim Road.
 
#8 ·
If you find yourself on the SW Oregon coast there a spectacular camp ground a few miles up the Chetco River near the Oregon Redwoods forest.

There's a zillion places along the coast and inland I'd recommend.

I've camped in Oregon for over 40 years and haven't run out of great places yet.
 
#9 ·
Big Bend National Park in very West TX. Also Twin Buttes Reservoir has some good wheeling I'm told. (San Angelo). I would imagine you've seen better in East TX...there's some good stuff in your area. I can't comment on any other states, My parole officer won't let me leave Tx. (that's a joke btw).

On the mods. If I were wheeling alone #1 would be a winch. You may not use it, but that's cheap insurance IMO. Oh and a tire plug kit
 
#10 ·
In attempt to lock down some goals so I’m not like a dog chasing a multiple tennis balls all over the west states. Redwoods and Moab will be my main stops. Thank you for recommending white rim trail I think we are going to try to do that one.
I shouldn’t have any trouble with White Rim Trail? I think Oregon will have to be another trip exclusively I’ve always wanted to go there when I was a kid I died many times trying to get there from snake bites, diphtheria, dysentery, and typhoid.

Loose agenda so far.


As for Big Bend I've been backpacking there a lot and plan to return many times.



 
#15 · (Edited)
...Redwoods and Moab will be my main stops.
... I think Oregon will have to be another trip exclusively I’ve always wanted to go there ...

Loose agenda so far.
I've lived in Humboldt County, CA (Redwood country) for 45 years. I have just a couple of comments on things you might consider.

1. The coast drive - looks like your planning on coming up hwy 1 from north of San Francisco to where it joins hwy 101 just south of the Humboldt county line - is an incredibly beautiful drive. Bring lots of extra memory cards for photos! But, it is a bit of a slow, winding, two lane road, and if you get behind a tiltin' hilton, well, just try to hold your temper and be careful where you pass!

2. While in Mendocino, Humboldt, and Trinity (east of Humboldt on 299) counties, DO NOT get off the paved roads and do not go for a walk in the woods! Any time of year can be dangerous, but we're coming into the peak pot harvest season (Aug thru Oct) and it is especially dangerous to go wandering off the beaten path! There are estimated to be over 10,000 large grows just in Humboldt county, all heavily and aggressively defended by paranoid growers. People disappear, and decomposed bodies turn up with frightening regularity! Please be careful! I'm not kidding....

3. When you're at Redwood National Park - where it is safe to hike anywhere you want - you are only a 45 minute, very scenic drive from the Oregon border. Get yourself filled up with good, affordable seafood at the Chartroom restaurant in Cresent City, just south of the border, then cross the boarder for a fill up with sales tax free gas in Brookings, and at least you can say you made it to Oregon!

Enjoy your trip!
 
#11 ·
I would think you will be fine on the White Rim Trail. I have seen pictures of Volkswagens Syncros on it. Don't worry about the bear spray. Keep a clean camp, put away your food and you will be fine. I have been camping in bear country my whole life and never had a problem. I have seen plenty of other camps have trouble because they did not follow the simple rules. Put the food away! Now if you are going to Yosemite... Those bears are geniuses. Use their bear lockers for everything!
 
#12 ·
I might consider crossing the mountains further north. It looks like you are going over Highway 58 through Tehachapi. That is the quick way into the central valley, but not very scenic. Unless you have a thing for the Bakersfield oil wells. It will remind you of west Texas. At least take 178 through Lake Isabel. I would still suggest taking 395 up to 120. The east side of the Sierra range is spectacular. Mountainous landforms Mountain Mountain range Wilderness Highland
 
#13 ·
I might consider crossing the mountains further north. It looks like you are going over Highway 58 through Tehachapi. That is the quick way into the central valley, but not very scenic. Unless you have a thing for the Bakersfield oil wells. It will remind you of west Texas. At least take 178 through Lake Isabel. I would still suggest taking 395 up to 120. The east side of the Sierra range is spectacular. View attachment 1390010
Thanks for recommendation I'm still locking down the route. I'm starting prep now I have some ACE sliders coming in on Tuesday so decided to hide the pinch seam with some bed liner.




 
#18 ·
As others have mentioned, you really should look at going up 395 in California. The Alabama Hills outside of Lone Pine are spectacular. Many TV show and movies have been filmed there and they shoot commercials there a lot to get the Sierra's in the background. Mono Lake is a must see and you won't find better views than you will see on 120 going over the Tioga Pass into Yosemite. I just signed up for a 3 day photog workshop in Lone Pine for the end of October. Have a great trip, look forward to seeing your work.
 
#20 ·
I'd expect you'll get mighty tired of Hwy 1 if you drive it up the whole coast!

You could easily take 395 up the Southern Sierra to Reno, NV. Then take 80 or 50 west, down to the SF bay area where you can pick up the northern 1/2 of Hwy 1. Then take 1 up to where it joins 101 just south of the Humboldt county line. Then you can take 101 north to the Oregon border, if you choose, or to hit 299-44-395 east and back to Reno to pick up 80, as your tentative map shows.
 
#21 ·
re: "Oregon will have to be another trip exclusively"
I've been camping Oregon for over 40 years & haven't grown weary of anything yet. A proper 10 day tour would give you a good taste of many amazing sections though.
 
#22 ·
Just caught up on your thread. As a fellow Austinite, good luck on your trip and be sure to update the thread when you can. I run the same EXO mount for my Rotopax containers along with the TF hinge & Hilift mount. I'll be interested to hear how they work out for you on the long trip. Sounds like a lot of good advice on where to go, I'm sure it will be an enjoyable trip for you. Stay safe.
 
#25 ·
Have fun on your adventure. I am from ATX as well and just got back from a 6500 mile road trip that I took in a 2dr Rubicon. I did a loop from Austin to Santa Fe NM --> Steamboat Springs CO --> Jackson WY --> Darby MT --> (Magruder Cooridor 180 miles off road) Elk City ID --> Boise ID--> Rachel NV --> Vegas --> Flags Staff AZ --> Socorro NM (very large array)--> Austin. I camped at each stop over in either a state, national park or RV campground. All in all jeep did great except battery died. I had a blast on the Magruder (not as difficult as suggested on other sites). I also did a lot off overlanding in central Idaho (Salmon River region) and the Bitteroot range (Idaho/Montana boarder). The RotoPax fuel cans came in handy on my trip to Rachel NV as the path I took from Ely NV included some desert overland trails (to just outside A51) to HWY 375 (Extraterrestrial HWY) I was running on fumes when we got to Rachel and there is no Gas available there. The closest Gas was at Ash Springs another 60 miles. Enjoy your trip and share some of your photos when you return.
 

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#26 ·
tpbrandt: I've been eyeballing McGruder for a couple years. Would appreciate as much detail as you are willing/able to share. I've read a smattering of other reports that don't seem to rate it as particularly difficult, just isolated and low density traffic for a couple days. Something about the rocky top around an old fire look out, and a few narrow portions......What say you?

Given my 'edge phobia' seems to be a fever of increasing intensity the last few years if I wait too much longer I may never make the trip.
 
#27 ·
JeeperJake, frankly the Magruder was easy. I think there has been a lot more traffic on it in the last few years. I would say 2/3rds of trail/road is maintained with many turn outs. I only came across a few areas where the road was narrow but not bad. On the other hand the Burnt Knob Detour is only good for 1 vehicle, no turn outs for a 1.5 miles. I would not want to have to back up on that. I constantly was on the CB to see if anyone was coming up or going down when I was on that section. As far as steep drop offs there are some but nothing like black bear pass and such. I never felt I was in danger. I bet you could take a regular sedan the entire length if you were very cautious. The only section that you [MUST] have high clearance 4x4 is the 1.5 mil section that forks off to Burnt Knob. The Burnt knob section was pretty rough. Steep and lots of rocks. It is not maintained and I think the snow run off and weather has eroded the soil on the trail which makes it like a creek bed. I made it up though in 4x4 low, took about 25 min for 1.5 mile. The view was fantastic at the top, extremely windy when I was there. The pictures attached are from the 1.5 mile fork to Burn Knob. Getting to the Magruder was a little bit of challenge, directions were not clear. I should of just used my GPS instead of a Map. I filled up in Elk city and did not have to fill up until I got to Darby MT. I only used a half tank of gas for the entire trail. I camped at Poet Creek which in my opinion was the nicest. Around 5 am I heard a noise outside the tent and quietly peeked out. There was a giant moose about 10 ft from my tent eating tall grass by the creek. Pretty awesome. There were many camp sites, no reservations needed (first come gets it). I only passed a motorcycle mid morning coming the other direction and a UTV in the morning. That was it for 2 days. I did meet a Jeeper from Boise that stayed at the Poet Creek campground as well, very nice couple. I did the trail in 2 days but if you arrived at the start in the morning 1 day would be doable. Probably 7-8 hours for the entire trail not counting the Burn Knob detour. There was some remaining snow drifts in the Salmon Mnt area but not any effort needed (mid July) I thoroughly enjoyed it. There is another trail if your in the area that I like just as much and that was a dirt road from Bergdorf Hot springs to Riggins Id using forest road 246. the road was about 50 miles in length. You start at Bergdorf which is about 25 miles north of Mccall Id and you end up dropping 5000 ft to the salmon River then on in to Riggins. It was a pleasant drive, the dirt road was maintained and you are all alone. Let me know anything else you want to know about the trip.
 

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#28 ·
Jeeper Jake, one other note. If you go on the Magruder ensure to bring a Chain Saw. There are lots of snags (dead fall) from past fires. I only had an axe and was lucky I did not have to negotiate with any but there was lots of evidence others had cleared the path for me.
 
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