- First Name
- T
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2021
- Threads
- 8
- Messages
- 309
- Reaction score
- 326
- Location
- Berkeley, CA
- Vehicle(s)
- 2023 Badlands, 2013 Toyota Highlander, 2000 Miata
- Your Bronco Model
- Badlands
- Thread starter
- #1
Recently returned from 4 days/3nights in Baja with Camp4Lo. This is my third trip with Camp4Lo so I knew what to expect. However on this trip the wheeling exceeded expectations. This was the most adventurous & challenging trip of the three. A wet winter certainly helped with mountain scenery, water crossings and amazing fields of wildflowers. It was a blast!
There were 10 rigs: 5 Jeeps (4 lifted on 37s + 1 Gladiator on 35s), 4 Toyotas (my buddies stock 4Runner on 31s, one brand new stock Tacoma, a real badass Baja built Tacoma on 40s, and the trip leader's '88 Yota pickup on 33s), and my lone Bronco Badlands mostly stock on 33s. The recommendation was minimum 33" tires, and two trucks did not meet that but they got through just fine (with scraping and a few bruises). My Bronco scraped & bumped a lot on the hard crawling sections. When I looked underneath I found the skids did their job, especially the gas tank skid. The scraping sounds & feels worse than it really is.
Many of the trip participants were repeats. Some are former Baja 1000/500 racers and support/pit people. Experienced in Baja. A couple were complete Baja newbs. Everyone had a blast.
The scenery was amazing. We did at least 200 miles off-road, with about 4-5 sections that were probably class 5-6. I bypassed two sections that the Jeeps on 37s did. Otherwise I could hang with the Jeeps. It was a mix of dirt roads, rarely used over-grown double tracks, steep hills, dry lake beds at speed, and rocks. We stayed one night at a working Rancho that was incredible many miles from a paved road. The Rancho accommodations are basic - bunkhouse or camp. I chose to camp so I could snore in peace. Plus the camp meadow was beautiful and my buddy mixed more than a few ice cold martinis we drank under a near full moon. The Rancho even had a swimming pool! Icy cold but who cares when it's in the 80s and sunny and there's a lot of trail dust. Perfect for cannon balls!
The Jeep guys were actually super excited to see a Bronco on the trip, especially cause it's basically stock. They were all mighty impressed. I got a lot of fist bumps from these experienced Jeep dudes. It was fun. The Baja Tacoma... wow that thing is a beast. Really cool.
I like Camp4Lo trips. But I will admit it's not for everyone. This is NOT an Exo Baja trip that is full service and costs $3-$5k that caters to people who want to go Baja fast. Camp4Lo is a basic Baja trip that is more akin to DIY. Yes, there's a guide (Matt). But don't expect to have white glove service. You gotta come prepared and be able to roll with some uncertainty. This trip is inexpensive for what it is. $850 including most meals for 4 days. Not bad. But if you snap a tie rod, you'd better be prepared. Don't worry, nothing happened. And, like I said, the terrain is mixed. Closer to advanced overloading with a handful of techie sections. I was definitely challenged a few times. And more than happy to scrape and bounce on rocks.
Baja is incredible. I've been going since the 90s. It's not as remote now as it was then. But it can still feel pretty damn remote. And I feel far safer in Baja than I do at home in California. The people are incredibly friendly. I drove backroads back home to Northern California and went through a lot of small desert California towns. The difference is striking compared to a tiny Baja village. A Baja town has people and kids outside and many tiny outdoor restaurants. They are alive. Yes, they are poor. But full of life. Small California desert towns are sad and dead. They feel abandoned in comparison. Lifeless.
I ended by going through Berdoo Canyon in Joshua Tree. A fun and very scenic easy trail. Before you get into the park there are many additional short bonus sections to challenge you, up to class 6 perhaps. Those were fun. And then I made the Bronco Knoll pilgrimage through Johnson Valley. The knoll was fun. I took the hard way up - steep and loose and rocky. I used my rear locker on a couple sections. Nice views from up there. I also hit a couple of hot springs along Hwy 395. One in particular is off the beaten path and not even listed on Google Maps. It was sweet. Wish I'd had more time to do the 395 trails and Death Valley.
Anyhoo, here are a few pics plus the official Camp4Lo video summary on YouTube. Cheers.
Video Summary of trip
The ravine/ditch straddle video. It was far steeper in person. Video doesn't do it justice. There's a nice commentary from a Jeep guy as I'm doing it.
There were 10 rigs: 5 Jeeps (4 lifted on 37s + 1 Gladiator on 35s), 4 Toyotas (my buddies stock 4Runner on 31s, one brand new stock Tacoma, a real badass Baja built Tacoma on 40s, and the trip leader's '88 Yota pickup on 33s), and my lone Bronco Badlands mostly stock on 33s. The recommendation was minimum 33" tires, and two trucks did not meet that but they got through just fine (with scraping and a few bruises). My Bronco scraped & bumped a lot on the hard crawling sections. When I looked underneath I found the skids did their job, especially the gas tank skid. The scraping sounds & feels worse than it really is.
Many of the trip participants were repeats. Some are former Baja 1000/500 racers and support/pit people. Experienced in Baja. A couple were complete Baja newbs. Everyone had a blast.
The scenery was amazing. We did at least 200 miles off-road, with about 4-5 sections that were probably class 5-6. I bypassed two sections that the Jeeps on 37s did. Otherwise I could hang with the Jeeps. It was a mix of dirt roads, rarely used over-grown double tracks, steep hills, dry lake beds at speed, and rocks. We stayed one night at a working Rancho that was incredible many miles from a paved road. The Rancho accommodations are basic - bunkhouse or camp. I chose to camp so I could snore in peace. Plus the camp meadow was beautiful and my buddy mixed more than a few ice cold martinis we drank under a near full moon. The Rancho even had a swimming pool! Icy cold but who cares when it's in the 80s and sunny and there's a lot of trail dust. Perfect for cannon balls!
The Jeep guys were actually super excited to see a Bronco on the trip, especially cause it's basically stock. They were all mighty impressed. I got a lot of fist bumps from these experienced Jeep dudes. It was fun. The Baja Tacoma... wow that thing is a beast. Really cool.
I like Camp4Lo trips. But I will admit it's not for everyone. This is NOT an Exo Baja trip that is full service and costs $3-$5k that caters to people who want to go Baja fast. Camp4Lo is a basic Baja trip that is more akin to DIY. Yes, there's a guide (Matt). But don't expect to have white glove service. You gotta come prepared and be able to roll with some uncertainty. This trip is inexpensive for what it is. $850 including most meals for 4 days. Not bad. But if you snap a tie rod, you'd better be prepared. Don't worry, nothing happened. And, like I said, the terrain is mixed. Closer to advanced overloading with a handful of techie sections. I was definitely challenged a few times. And more than happy to scrape and bounce on rocks.
Baja is incredible. I've been going since the 90s. It's not as remote now as it was then. But it can still feel pretty damn remote. And I feel far safer in Baja than I do at home in California. The people are incredibly friendly. I drove backroads back home to Northern California and went through a lot of small desert California towns. The difference is striking compared to a tiny Baja village. A Baja town has people and kids outside and many tiny outdoor restaurants. They are alive. Yes, they are poor. But full of life. Small California desert towns are sad and dead. They feel abandoned in comparison. Lifeless.
I ended by going through Berdoo Canyon in Joshua Tree. A fun and very scenic easy trail. Before you get into the park there are many additional short bonus sections to challenge you, up to class 6 perhaps. Those were fun. And then I made the Bronco Knoll pilgrimage through Johnson Valley. The knoll was fun. I took the hard way up - steep and loose and rocky. I used my rear locker on a couple sections. Nice views from up there. I also hit a couple of hot springs along Hwy 395. One in particular is off the beaten path and not even listed on Google Maps. It was sweet. Wish I'd had more time to do the 395 trails and Death Valley.
Anyhoo, here are a few pics plus the official Camp4Lo video summary on YouTube. Cheers.
Video Summary of trip
The ravine/ditch straddle video. It was far steeper in person. Video doesn't do it justice. There's a nice commentary from a Jeep guy as I'm doing it.
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