Welcome back, trail folks! 😎Our trail ambassador of this month is Dan@dan_beardly, a professional off-road enthusiast and great content creator who is always on trails and never stops! Let's follow Dan and get out to explore the Vedauwoo Trail and enjoy a relaxing time!
● Hi Dan, introduce a bit more about yourself?
I have been off-roading for about 15 years all over the country. I grew up in the southwest, so I often find myself on adventures in that part of the country. I am here to help people learn that they do not have to have a fully built out $70,000 Wrangler, Taco or 4Runner to have a blast on the trail.
● What keeps you overlanding and off-roading?
The enjoyment I find while in nature. There is not more relaxing time than being out living on what you brought with you and having the best time exploring new or old paths.
● Tell us about the trail, why that location? What was the coolest moment? Any scary or recovery moments?
We were looking for a fairly easy and simple trail as we both had to drive our Jeeps home almost 1,000 miles / 1600KM - so damage was not an option. As we began our search around Loveland, Colorado we had 2 options: Rocky Mountain National Park or Vedauwoo, WY. The decision was simple, Vedauwoo - after all, we needed the darkest area possible for lighting tests and astrophotography!
As the midday heat was beginning to rise, we set out and pointed the Jeeps north in search of the perfect camping spot. After about 50 miles on the highway it was time to take exit and get our tires on the dirt. Slowly we begin to weave back and forth following the trails, stopping only to scout on foot. There are a few Spot after spot was great, but not the "spot" - then the trail turns into extreme ruts, this has to be the path we are looking for!
We traverse another 1/4 mile through washboard roads that provided an amazing section to test articulation. We come around a slight left turn that took us up an incline to the ultimate spot, overlooking the valley. As we exit the Jeeps the sky lets us know that there is going to be a show tonight with a thunderclap the likes of which we had not heard before, time to prepare camp and eat while we wait for the ensuing storm.
● What makes this a difficult or easy trail?
This is an incredibly easy trail rated at a 2/10.🌟🌟
● Would you recommend this trail to anyone or more experienced folks? Why?
If you are just getting started and want to test your vehicle, this is an awesome spot to get comfortable with it. If you are more experience, do not sleep on this spot. There are plenty of turn offs that will allow you to test your skills and you will still find plenty of fun.
● What is your favorite or dream trail and why?
My dream trip would be about 30 days overlanding in Alaska, with a portion of the trip being on the Dalton highway.
● In your opinion, are there any modifications or accessories that everyone has to have?
The most important things are a winch, some light, and some sort of all terrain tire - Personally, I run Nitto and have for the better part of 2 decades.
● How important is proper lighting strategy for the trail? Can you list from the most important to the least to us and explain why?
Having the correct lighting strategy will lead to a more enjoyable time when you inevitability ends up rolling into camp much later than you planned to, or just wheeling at night.
The most important thing to consider is the environment you will be running your lights. If you live in an area where it is foggy, dusty when on trails or you get snow - you should build amber into your setup. Ideally, you want to have your amber run below your headlights, this will allow the warmer color to cut through whatever you are driving through giving you a bit more visibility.
The second thing to consider is white light output, if you choose the wrong type of light you can end up throwing light everywhere and not really getting the pattern you are looking for as well as blinding anyone on the trail in front of you.
● Do you have any suggestions about lighting set-up for trail riders?
I highly recommend highly including both amber and white light so that you are prepared for any conditions.
Here's the detailed Trail Info Dan provided to us for anyone who gets interested in this trail as reference:
Name of the trail:
Vedauwoo
Location:
Wyoming
Length:
7.4
Best time of year to go:
Summer, Fall
Key Features:
Great for beginners and amazing spots for for more experienced drivers to turn off and explore their rigs.
Elevation:
8351 - 7750
Fees:
$10 / day
Phone Numbers for local help:
307.745.2300
Grid Coordinates:
41.15687, -105.3786
Tire Pressure Advice:
We did not air down, the washboard roads would have made it nice, potentially air down about 5lbs
Rig requirements (Example, must be 4x4 with lift kit, or standard 4x4):
Standard 4x4 can more than handle this.
Other considerations:
Have a blast, if it looks sketchy, it probably is.
Questions or Comments? Leave them below!
2 comments
It sounds like you had an amazing experience. Thank you so much for also sharing some of your knowledge that you’ve acquired through your 15 years of off Roading.
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