Four-Day Southern Utah Adventure Ride

By Jon Crowley

I love to off-road, and really enjoy exploring new areas whenever I can. In these strange times we are currently experiencing, we have been cooped up at home for the most part and many off-road events have been canceled or rescheduled for next Fall. One of my favorite events every year is rally on the Rocks, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it had to be rescheduled to September.

Lanse Chournos from Rally on the Rocks and I had talked about doing an adventure ride instead and he came up with a four-day ride to replace our Moab trip for Rally on the Rocks. Lanse’s son Sam and Reid Nordin from Walker Evans Racing joined us as well for a total of four vehicles.

Hog Canyon OHV Trail System – Crocodile Staging Area

Our adventure began at the Crocodile Staging Area just east of Kanab Utah. This spot has a large parking lot and bathroom and ties directly into the Hog Canyon OHV Trail System.

Our plan was to do four days and three nights with one night camping next to Lake Powell and two nights in Escalante, UT. I brought my 2019 Can-Am Maverick X3 Xrs Max Turbo R which I’ve built into a a vehicle that is perfect for adventure rides like this.

Can-Am Maverick X3 X rs Max Turbo R

With the back seats swapped out for Alpine Designs seat racks, I have tons of storage space and a very comfortable yet sporty ride that is perfect for hauling tools, gear, fuel and camping supplies.

We knocked out four 100+ mile days and a total of 598 miles, spending the night alongside Lake Powell for one night in a tent, then two nights in a hotel in Escalante.

Check out our full video from the trip:

Some Highlights from the Trip

Camping several hundred feet above Lake Powell at Grand Bench. Lake Powell via Smokey Mountain Road and Grand Bench Road – 30+ miles from Big Water with some low-range crawling once you hit Grand Bench Road.

Balance Rock at Left-Hand Collet Road

Barker Reservoir at 9500 feet

Hell’s Backbone Bridge and Box-Death Hollow Wilderness Area

Burr Trail

Cottonwood Canyon Road

Adventure Ride Dos and Don’ts

• Keep the group small or scale back on miles per day.
• Radios are a must. Test your communication equipment BEFORE your trip.
• Make sure your vehicle is well-prepped. Don’t add a bunch of new stuff without adequately testing.
• Spend time doing route planning and make sure you know how to use your GPS.
• Figure out your MPG and know how far you can safely go on a tank as equipped for your ride.
• Make sure everyone is like minded as far as how many miles you want to accomplish each day.
• Remember how far you are away from your trailer when using your right foot. Breaking down 50 miles from civilization can been catastrophic. 

Here are more details on our Can-Am Maverick X3 X rs max Turbo R build:

Build Specifications:

• Can-Am Off-Road Maverick X3 Xrs Max
• SDR MOTORSPORTS cage from MotoExpo
• Alpine Designs rear seat storage racks
• HCR Racing suspension, radius links and gusset kit
• Super ATV Rhino 2.0 axles
• Rugged Radios intercom, radio and helmet blower
• Assault Industries UTV tire carrier, steering wheel and mirrors
• XTC Power Products street legal kit
• Shock Therapy dual rate spring kit
• Baja Designs LED lights
• Bombshell Gear door bags
• PRP Seats heated seats
• ITP Tires & Wheels Tenacity tires on Hurricane wheels
• Rear Light Bar LED whips
• Zollinger Racing Products Radius Rod Plate and Radius Link Bones