Influencer II
Following the Arizona BDR, planning on 6 days or so. Starting at the State Line Campground on the Utah-Arizona border, and ending up at Coronado National Memorial.
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Cancelled Cancelled - Arizona Back Country Discovery Route - 6 days in May!
- Thread starter mtn
- Start date
Influencer II
Before you sign up, please read through from here post #8 and make sure you’re comfortable with the requirements, procedures, and expectations listed. This is a group trip, and traveling in a group is not for everyone. If you are not comfortable with what’s below, please do not sign up. Absolutely no shame in that, but it’s also not necessary to let us know.
Before you sign up, please make sure you can commit to the entire trip. If you want to participate for part of the trip, send me a direct message (DM) using the icon that looks like an envelope on the top of this web page. Overland Bound (OB) calls that a Conversation. If you want to participate for just a section of the trip we can add you as a stand-by, but I want to give priority to those who can join for the whole trip.
After you have signed up, please post and let us know a little about yourself, your experience, and your rig! We’ll be spending the better part of a week together, so good to get know each other before we meet!
Also, please use the OB Conversations feature to send me your cell phone number and your inreach address if you have one. I promise I won’t abuse it, but it can come in handy if we miss each other at the start of the trip.
Before you sign up, please make sure you can commit to the entire trip. If you want to participate for part of the trip, send me a direct message (DM) using the icon that looks like an envelope on the top of this web page. Overland Bound (OB) calls that a Conversation. If you want to participate for just a section of the trip we can add you as a stand-by, but I want to give priority to those who can join for the whole trip.
After you have signed up, please post and let us know a little about yourself, your experience, and your rig! We’ll be spending the better part of a week together, so good to get know each other before we meet!
Also, please use the OB Conversations feature to send me your cell phone number and your inreach address if you have one. I promise I won’t abuse it, but it can come in handy if we miss each other at the start of the trip.
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Influencer II
I have not traveled the AZBDR before, heck I’ve barely been to Arizona before, so this will be an adventure for me as well. I’ve travelled the Washington and Idaho BDRs alone and in groups, and I’ve travelled through the Mojave and Death Valley deserts so I’m not a total newbie. But not familiar with Arizona.
I will not be able to tell ahead of time where we will camp or whether your rig fits. I’ve watched the official AZBDR documentary on youtube and recommend that you do the same. It’s motorcycle-centric, but watching the landscape will give you an idea of what’s ahead.
One of my take-aways is that the northern part is mostly non-technical, but that the southern part will have some challenging hills and tight spots. Recommend you watch this carefully when you consider whether your rig is appropriate.
The Arizona Backcountry Discovery Route (AZBDR) Map & Information web site ranks this as more difficult than the Washington and Idaho BDRs that I’m familiar with, but that’s from a motorcyclist’ point of view.
I will not be able to tell ahead of time where we will camp or whether your rig fits. I’ve watched the official AZBDR documentary on youtube and recommend that you do the same. It’s motorcycle-centric, but watching the landscape will give you an idea of what’s ahead.
One of my take-aways is that the northern part is mostly non-technical, but that the southern part will have some challenging hills and tight spots. Recommend you watch this carefully when you consider whether your rig is appropriate.
The Arizona Backcountry Discovery Route (AZBDR) Map & Information web site ranks this as more difficult than the Washington and Idaho BDRs that I’m familiar with, but that’s from a motorcyclist’ point of view.
Influencer II
Vehicle requirements: I expect a stock mid-sized 4x4 with a 2 speed transfer case to make it through the trip. I also expect that all vehicles will get scratched up a bit, especially on the southern part. Judging by the video, I do not expect that a full sized pick-up will make it.
I’ll be traveling in a 4runner, I expect that Wranglers/Gladiators, Xterras, LR4s, defenders, and similar vehicles should be fine. If your rig is bigger, expect more damage to it or that you might need to turn around.
Your rig needs to be in good shape, with 5 good all terrain or mud terrain tires. Yes, that means you need a matching spare, that is a requirement for this trip. I’ve had side wall damage that ruined a tire in death valley, and I’ve travelled with others that have had the same experience. Arizona has sharp rocks. If you need to put your spare on, then you no longer have 5 good tires and need to leave the trail. If possible you can rejoin after the tire is repaired or replaced, but you cannot go on with 4 tires only.
Make sure to bring spares and tools and fluids as necessary. You know your rig best and you know what could possibly fail.
Trailers are cool, but will challenge you on parts of this trail. If you sleep inside your trailer (teardrop or similar) you probably won’t make it. If your trailer is smaller/narrower than your tow vehicle you might be ok. One of my trailbuddies travels with a Wrangler CJ and a WW2 military style trailer, and that has worked well, although it does make it a little more challenging when he needs to turn around in a tight spot. Just make sure you’ll be able to control the trailer even when traversing down a steep and tight and rocky and sandy and curved downhill. Also make sure you have a spare tire and tools/parts to repair your trailer on the trail.
Make sure your vehicle has tow points or recovery points front and rear. A hitch is not a tow point, but a receiver with a pin can work in a pinch. Hitch mounted recovery points are great! Bring a tow strap (not chain) and make sure it has fabric loops at the ends. No metal hooks, they’re dangerous.
Make sure your jack is sufficient for you to change a tire, possibly on an off camber stretch of trail. Blocks of wood can come in handy as a base for your jack.
You will need a way to quickly air down and air up tires. Aired down tires provides extra traction, lessens the stress on your suspension and your rig, and greatly enhances comfort. Bring a heavy duty compressor to air back up, we won’t be near a gas station when we air up. If your compressor plugs into a cigarette lighter outlet then it is not sufficient, and the group will be waiting for you to air back up. Look for a compressor that is either hard wired to your battery, or connects to your battery with alligator clips.
We will top off fuel every day, but make sure you can travel at least 150 miles off road with the fuel that’s in or on your vehicle. Bring extra fuel cans if you think you might need it.
I’ll be traveling in a 4runner, I expect that Wranglers/Gladiators, Xterras, LR4s, defenders, and similar vehicles should be fine. If your rig is bigger, expect more damage to it or that you might need to turn around.
Your rig needs to be in good shape, with 5 good all terrain or mud terrain tires. Yes, that means you need a matching spare, that is a requirement for this trip. I’ve had side wall damage that ruined a tire in death valley, and I’ve travelled with others that have had the same experience. Arizona has sharp rocks. If you need to put your spare on, then you no longer have 5 good tires and need to leave the trail. If possible you can rejoin after the tire is repaired or replaced, but you cannot go on with 4 tires only.
Make sure to bring spares and tools and fluids as necessary. You know your rig best and you know what could possibly fail.
Trailers are cool, but will challenge you on parts of this trail. If you sleep inside your trailer (teardrop or similar) you probably won’t make it. If your trailer is smaller/narrower than your tow vehicle you might be ok. One of my trailbuddies travels with a Wrangler CJ and a WW2 military style trailer, and that has worked well, although it does make it a little more challenging when he needs to turn around in a tight spot. Just make sure you’ll be able to control the trailer even when traversing down a steep and tight and rocky and sandy and curved downhill. Also make sure you have a spare tire and tools/parts to repair your trailer on the trail.
Make sure your vehicle has tow points or recovery points front and rear. A hitch is not a tow point, but a receiver with a pin can work in a pinch. Hitch mounted recovery points are great! Bring a tow strap (not chain) and make sure it has fabric loops at the ends. No metal hooks, they’re dangerous.
Make sure your jack is sufficient for you to change a tire, possibly on an off camber stretch of trail. Blocks of wood can come in handy as a base for your jack.
You will need a way to quickly air down and air up tires. Aired down tires provides extra traction, lessens the stress on your suspension and your rig, and greatly enhances comfort. Bring a heavy duty compressor to air back up, we won’t be near a gas station when we air up. If your compressor plugs into a cigarette lighter outlet then it is not sufficient, and the group will be waiting for you to air back up. Look for a compressor that is either hard wired to your battery, or connects to your battery with alligator clips.
We will top off fuel every day, but make sure you can travel at least 150 miles off road with the fuel that’s in or on your vehicle. Bring extra fuel cans if you think you might need it.
Influencer II
Comms requirements: We will be using HAM radio for communications on the trail, please be properly licensed. A hand held Baofeng might be sufficient as long as you’re somewhere in the middle of the group, but your antenna needs to be outside the vehicle and you need to make sure you have adequate power for running the radio for days. Radio needs to stay on while we’re on the move.
The Arizona band plan allocates 146.400 – 146.600 and 147.400 -147.590 with 20kHz steps for simplex. We will start on the OB frequency 146.46. First backup will be 147.46 and the second backup will be 147.42. If we need to switch frequencies, all vehicles stop before we switch, and we will do another radio check before we resume travel.
If you have a satellite messenger device (e.g., Inreach or Spot or Zoleo) consider bringing it. It will be especially handy if you need to leave the group for a bit and want to rejoin later.
Maps: The official AZBDR map is a good idea. So is having the GPS tracks downloaded to your favorite GPS or GPS app. Consider that you might need to bail out and travel on your own, and be prepared.
Things to bring: We will be camping every night, plan your food and water accordingly.
We will most likely do dispersed camping, but I’m not opposed to staying at a campground if we find somewhere nice. Bring cash for campgrounds. Don’t expect to see a shower for the duration of the trip (!) and bathrooms will also be far between. Digging a cathole for #2 is appropriate when there’s soil, but not in the desert. In the desert plan to pack everything out, even your #2. Leave no trace Leave No Trace Leave No Trace - Home - Leave No Trace.
The Arizona band plan allocates 146.400 – 146.600 and 147.400 -147.590 with 20kHz steps for simplex. We will start on the OB frequency 146.46. First backup will be 147.46 and the second backup will be 147.42. If we need to switch frequencies, all vehicles stop before we switch, and we will do another radio check before we resume travel.
If you have a satellite messenger device (e.g., Inreach or Spot or Zoleo) consider bringing it. It will be especially handy if you need to leave the group for a bit and want to rejoin later.
Maps: The official AZBDR map is a good idea. So is having the GPS tracks downloaded to your favorite GPS or GPS app. Consider that you might need to bail out and travel on your own, and be prepared.
Things to bring: We will be camping every night, plan your food and water accordingly.
We will most likely do dispersed camping, but I’m not opposed to staying at a campground if we find somewhere nice. Bring cash for campgrounds. Don’t expect to see a shower for the duration of the trip (!) and bathrooms will also be far between. Digging a cathole for #2 is appropriate when there’s soil, but not in the desert. In the desert plan to pack everything out, even your #2. Leave no trace Leave No Trace Leave No Trace - Home - Leave No Trace.
Influencer II
More things to bring:
Permits: you will need to obtain two permits.
The first one is the Arizona State Land Trust Recreation Permit from the AZ State Land Trust (AZSLT). You can now obtain it online at Applications & Permits | Arizona State Land Department.
The second permit is needed when riding through Navajo Nation (first day) You can get this ahead of time by contacting the Cameron Visitor Center: P.O. Box 459, Cameron, AZ 86020 tel : 928.679.2303, fax: 928.679.2017, info@navajonationparks.org or we can stop by when we get to Cameron. They can be purchased at the small round building at the junction of Hwy 64 and 89 in Cameron
Sleeping arrangements: Consider that it often gets windy in the desert. If you’re in a ground or roof top ten there can be nights where you will barely get any sleep. I’ve experienced this in Joshua Tree NP and in Alabama Hills, and there’s a segment in AZBDR documentary linked above where the riders had the same experience.
Things to not bring: Generators, speakers, movie projectors, fireworks, firecrackers. I’m looking to enjoy nature and I’m looking forward to peaceful evenings in camp. If you need power for your CPAP, bring a battery. If you want to listen to music, bring earbuds. If you want to watch a movie, use your phone or your tablet.
Alcohol, Cannabis: A beer or a joint at camp at night is totally cool as long as we’re where it’s legal. Specifically, we will be travelling through the Navajo nation and make sure you respect their restrictions. Navajo Tribal Park Rules & Regulations. Getting drunk or overly high is not cool. Nor is being hung over or still intoxicated when we start off the next morning. Drive sober.
Firearms: Guns are cool too, but keep them out of sight for this trip. That means no open carry, not keeping them visible in your vehicle, and not bringing them out at camp at night. If you want to do some target practice after we get to camp, let the rest of us know and find a safe location away from camp to go shooting. Be a responsible gun owner.
Medical: If you have a medical condition, consider leaving a note describing details, medication, contacts, insurance and so on in your glove box. Same thing if you have nitroglycerin pills or an epipen – leave it in your glove box OR a note in your glove box that describes clearly where to find it. I’m not a medical professional, but I’ll do my best to help. That means you need to make it as easy as possible for me to help you.
Permits: you will need to obtain two permits.
The first one is the Arizona State Land Trust Recreation Permit from the AZ State Land Trust (AZSLT). You can now obtain it online at Applications & Permits | Arizona State Land Department.
The second permit is needed when riding through Navajo Nation (first day) You can get this ahead of time by contacting the Cameron Visitor Center: P.O. Box 459, Cameron, AZ 86020 tel : 928.679.2303, fax: 928.679.2017, info@navajonationparks.org or we can stop by when we get to Cameron. They can be purchased at the small round building at the junction of Hwy 64 and 89 in Cameron
Sleeping arrangements: Consider that it often gets windy in the desert. If you’re in a ground or roof top ten there can be nights where you will barely get any sleep. I’ve experienced this in Joshua Tree NP and in Alabama Hills, and there’s a segment in AZBDR documentary linked above where the riders had the same experience.
Things to not bring: Generators, speakers, movie projectors, fireworks, firecrackers. I’m looking to enjoy nature and I’m looking forward to peaceful evenings in camp. If you need power for your CPAP, bring a battery. If you want to listen to music, bring earbuds. If you want to watch a movie, use your phone or your tablet.
Alcohol, Cannabis: A beer or a joint at camp at night is totally cool as long as we’re where it’s legal. Specifically, we will be travelling through the Navajo nation and make sure you respect their restrictions. Navajo Tribal Park Rules & Regulations. Getting drunk or overly high is not cool. Nor is being hung over or still intoxicated when we start off the next morning. Drive sober.
Firearms: Guns are cool too, but keep them out of sight for this trip. That means no open carry, not keeping them visible in your vehicle, and not bringing them out at camp at night. If you want to do some target practice after we get to camp, let the rest of us know and find a safe location away from camp to go shooting. Be a responsible gun owner.
Medical: If you have a medical condition, consider leaving a note describing details, medication, contacts, insurance and so on in your glove box. Same thing if you have nitroglycerin pills or an epipen – leave it in your glove box OR a note in your glove box that describes clearly where to find it. I’m not a medical professional, but I’ll do my best to help. That means you need to make it as easy as possible for me to help you.
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Influencer II
Convoy expectations and procedures
We will leave camp at 8am every morning except the first. If the group wants to leave before 8am the next day, we can agree to do so the night before. But we will not be waiting beyond 8am. At 8am the vehicles will be packed, ready, and lined up to depart. We will start off with a brief drivers meeting, then get rolling. No going back to pack after the drivers meeting, we will depart immediately after the drivers meeting.
Start the trip with a full tank of gas, and fill up when we get to a gas station. No skipping fill-ups.
We will number the vehicles according to their spot in the convoy, and we will use this number when communicating on the radio. This makes it easy to for us to ensure that nobody is left out. More details at our drivers meeting.
When we’re on our way we will all travel together. The first and last vehicle need to be close enough to be in radio range. We might need to make space for dust purposes, but we will all keep the same speed. This is important. If you’re the fastest we will ask you to slow down. If you’re the slowest we will ask you speed up. If you are not able to adjust to the speed of the group we will be saying our goodbyes.
If you need to stop and get out of the vehicle for a bio break or a technical reason, let us know on the radio. If you’re just slowing down or stopping for a quick photo from the driver’s seat, no need to call that out unless you’ll be stopped for a bit. If there’s an emergency, do what you need to do, and the person behind you can call out to the group.
We will stop for lunch around noon, expect a 45 minute or so break. Can adjust if there’s a particularly nice spot close by.
I like to go for hikes when I’m out traveling, so if there’s a trail or something nearby we can stop for a while. The hike is obviously optional, those choosing not to join are of course free to hang out nearby. However, those not hiking need to stay within radio range of the place where the hikers park their rigs.
Plan to roll in to camp around 4pm. I have not traveled this route before, so I don’t know where we can camp. Let’s all look at the map at lunch time and see if we can spot a nice place for the night. Open to ending the day earlier if we see a particularly nice spot, and some days it might go beyond 4pm before there’s a suitable campsite. However, going beyond 5 means energy and enjoyment will start declining rapidly, so we will target 4pm.
We will leave camp at 8am every morning except the first. If the group wants to leave before 8am the next day, we can agree to do so the night before. But we will not be waiting beyond 8am. At 8am the vehicles will be packed, ready, and lined up to depart. We will start off with a brief drivers meeting, then get rolling. No going back to pack after the drivers meeting, we will depart immediately after the drivers meeting.
Start the trip with a full tank of gas, and fill up when we get to a gas station. No skipping fill-ups.
We will number the vehicles according to their spot in the convoy, and we will use this number when communicating on the radio. This makes it easy to for us to ensure that nobody is left out. More details at our drivers meeting.
When we’re on our way we will all travel together. The first and last vehicle need to be close enough to be in radio range. We might need to make space for dust purposes, but we will all keep the same speed. This is important. If you’re the fastest we will ask you to slow down. If you’re the slowest we will ask you speed up. If you are not able to adjust to the speed of the group we will be saying our goodbyes.
If you need to stop and get out of the vehicle for a bio break or a technical reason, let us know on the radio. If you’re just slowing down or stopping for a quick photo from the driver’s seat, no need to call that out unless you’ll be stopped for a bit. If there’s an emergency, do what you need to do, and the person behind you can call out to the group.
We will stop for lunch around noon, expect a 45 minute or so break. Can adjust if there’s a particularly nice spot close by.
I like to go for hikes when I’m out traveling, so if there’s a trail or something nearby we can stop for a while. The hike is obviously optional, those choosing not to join are of course free to hang out nearby. However, those not hiking need to stay within radio range of the place where the hikers park their rigs.
Plan to roll in to camp around 4pm. I have not traveled this route before, so I don’t know where we can camp. Let’s all look at the map at lunch time and see if we can spot a nice place for the night. Open to ending the day earlier if we see a particularly nice spot, and some days it might go beyond 4pm before there’s a suitable campsite. However, going beyond 5 means energy and enjoyment will start declining rapidly, so we will target 4pm.
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Influencer II
Member III
Looks like a fun one! Wish I could go. Engine grenaded in my TJ 500 miles from home, so am in the process of getting a rebuilt put in.
