2WD to Montana and Utah

[Justin Lee]

My wife and are are in the beginning stages of planning a vacation. We would like to see Wyoming, Montana, and maybe Utah. We will be leaving Pensacola, FL and driving my 2wd Pre-runner Tacoma. This will occur potentially in April 2020. My question is: we want to see some stuff, but are limited by the 2WD. What are some awesome places we should see that are not too treacherous? We are looking to retire to Wyoming or Montana and need to see amazing sights to sell us. What do y’all think?

 

[shortbus4x4]

Lots of paved two lane roads in MT and WY with awesome sights and no people. If it's dry then no problems on alot of the dirt roads in a 2x4, if it rains or snows then I stay on pavement even in my 4x4.

 

[Billiebob]

2WD will go almost anywhere 4WD can go. Other than the obvious mud pits. Use the same traction tricks like airing down over soft terrain, sand etc. 40 years ago 4WD was a rare affliction of the morbid, antisocial, eccentric loner. Yet everyone "overlanded" in 2WD station wagons. The "need" for 4WD is driven by the internet. Anywhere you go today in 4WD people went there in 2WD 50 years ago.

The big plus of 4WD in being able to go slower..... but since your Tacoma is the PreRunner version, you understand how momentum can overcome many obstacles.

 

[JoelIII]

My wife and are are in the beginning stages of planning a vacation. We would like to see Wyoming, Montana, and maybe Utah. We will be leaving Pensacola, FL and driving my 2wd Pre-runner Tacoma. This will occur potentially in April 2020. My question is: we want to see some stuff, but are limited by the 2WD. What are some awesome places we should see that are not too treacherous? We are looking to retire to Wyoming or Montana and need to see amazing sights to sell us. What do y’all think?

I know this doesn't answer your traveling question but where in PCola do you live? I grew up in Cantonment off of Kingsfield Rd not too far from Tate High School.

 

[Justin Lee]

I know this doesn't answer your traveling question but where in PCola do you live? I grew up in Cantonment off of Kingsfield Rd not too far from Tate High School.

More by the airport. I’m friends with a lot of people that went to Tate. I grew up in Pace. I see you are at LeJeune now, I spent the rest of my childhood at Cherry Point and college in Wilmington. Small world.

 

[WAYAWAY]

The Shafer Trail from the Island in the Sky ranger station in Canyonlands NP leads all the way back to Moab. It's a fun road that follows the Colorado River.

Very 2WDable. About 30 or so miles. Ask the rangers to describe the route.

Island in the Sky Rd, Moab, UT 84532

38°28'17.2"N 109°48'40.9"W · 38.471441, -109.811366

maps.app.goo.gl

 

[JoelIII]

More by the airport. I’m friends with a lot of people that went to Tate. I grew up in Pace. I see you are at LeJeune now, I spent the rest of my childhood at Cherry Point and college in Wilmington. Small world.

No kidding! My platoon commander grew up in Pace as well and my wife grew up in Molino.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

2WD will go almost anywhere 4WD can go. Other than the obvious mud pits. Use the same traction tricks like airing down over soft terrain, sand etc. 40 years ago 4WD was a rare affliction of the morbid, antisocial, eccentric loner. Yet everyone "overlanded" in 2WD station wagons. The "need" for 4WD is driven by the internet. Anywhere you go today in 4WD people went there in 2WD 50 years ago.

The big plus of 4WD in being able to go slower..... but since your Tacoma is the PreRunner version, you understand how momentum can overcome many obstacles.

I hate to disagree with you Billybob but fifty years ago I was in those station wagons with a car full of kids. Very few autos had posi traction in those days, not even pick up's. We went out on the back roads but not in the rain. We didn't go in the sand at all and when we did we always got stuck and had to be pulled out buy some farmer with a tractor or rancher with a jeep. My generation would have been better off with a model A or T, they would go just about anywhere if not forward then in reverse. We use to hill climb with model A's when I was a teen ager. Going up hill backward was always the way to get to the top. Along came 1968, I finally bought my first truck. We headed out to the back country non solid ground. after a while we came to a sand doon area that was about a half mile long. I could see someone had been driving across it so there I went following the trail. About 200 yards in I became bogged down, then finding out my brand new truck did not have posi traction. Along came a man in a jeep and offered to help me out. I said no, I will manage I am just barely stuck. He went on easily. I worked and shoveled dirt for about 2 hours trying to get out. The more I tried the deeper the truck sank in the sand. I could hear some sounds coming from just behind a sand hill so I started walking till I came across a bunch of 4 wheel guy's (sheriffs department posse rescue guys) and the man who had originally tried to help me. I asked for help and he told me Fella when someone offers to help you, you otta listen and take him up on it. I'll help you this time but I better not ever see you again out here in a 2 wheel drive again. I was embarrassed but he was right. I have only driven 4 wheel drive vehicle ever since then. From many miles of traveling back country I can only say you had better have 4 wheel dire and a locker diff at least on the rear if you go to back country and especially if you are alone. There are a few places I would go with a 2 wheel drive tuck but not without a locker rear and good ground clearance and plenty of water so I wont die before someone rescues me.. Then I would be very careful of where I went and carry a portable hitch winch with ropes, chains, shovels and jacks with jack seats.
That's my best advise, don't rely on someone else to pull you out, they may not be there to help you.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

2WD will go almost anywhere 4WD can go. Other than the obvious mud pits. Use the same traction tricks like airing down over soft terrain, sand etc. 40 years ago 4WD was a rare affliction of the morbid, antisocial, eccentric loner. Yet everyone "overlanded" in 2WD station wagons. The "need" for 4WD is driven by the internet. Anywhere you go today in 4WD people went there in 2WD 50 years ago.

The big plus of 4WD in being able to go slower..... but since your Tacoma is the PreRunner version, you understand how momentum can overcome many obstacles.

Billybob, you are dead right about something here. The driver and driving skills and ability to estimate the danger of the path or road ahead of you means a whole lot. Experience helps a lot in knowing the momentum required to go over certain places. I think I told you I use to race cars many years ago. You could give the worst car to the best driver and he could still win the race. You could give the best car to the worse driver and he would still come in dead last. Skill has a lot to do with the ability of the car be it 2 wheel or 4 wheel drive. If you don't know how to drive a 4 wheel vehicle you are still in trouble.

 

[Billiebob]

You could give the worst car to the best driver and he could still win the race.

This is why I love TJs and Cortinas.
Way more fun beating a BMW in one of them than get beat by one of them when yer in Bimmer.

Trans Ams and Corvettes I used to love but I lost my license way to often trying to get 110% from them. Now I prefer 6 cylinders. ... or 4.

Are we off topic, NO. Just like an LS in a Trail Boss Sierra. It is way more fun to drive a 2WD Tacoma PreRunner past that Trail Boss stuck in the mud pit than to be the idiot who decided to run the low line rather than the high line. When everyone says "you go first" it is time to put the ego away and find a better route.

2WD vs 4WD.... More guys with 4WD get stuck.

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

This is why I love TJs and Cortinas.
Way more fun beating a BMW in one of them than get beat by one of them when yer in Bimmer.

Trans Ams and Corvettes I used to love but I lost my license way to often trying to get 110% from them. Now I prefer 6 cylinders. ... or 4.

Are we off topic, NO. Just like an LS in a Trail Boss Sierra. It is way more fun to drive a 2WD Tacoma PreRunner past that Trail Boss stuck in the mud pit than to be the idiot who decided to run the low line rather than the high line. When everyone says "you go first" it is time to put the ego away and find a better route.

2WD vs 4WD.... More guys with 4WD get stuck.

Tork is the name of the game not horsepower and RPM's.

 

[BTodd]

To get things back on track, a lot of what you are able to do/see will be determined by the month of which you travel. Utah, Wyoming and Montana are beautiful during the winter and spring but you’ll have to stick to paved roads unless you’re equipped with a winch (even then - paved roads). I may suggest the fall, the change in seasons and colors will be amazing. With that, you’ll have the ability to select more adventurous routes.

 

[Beeftaco]

I’ve got the same truck and run a decent amount of trails in Southern California. If I were doing a solo trip to Utah/Montana I would stick to fire/forestry roads. At least for this area, generally if it shows up on Google maps it’s not going to be an issue. I’d also suggest picking up a gazetteer for each state. Some of the prettiest places I’ve found have been from flipping through the maps and finding random forestry roads. Just make sure someone back home knows your route before you leave and when you should be back.

Not sure how much you’ve taken the truck off road but if you want to hear about my experience with it we’ve got a YouTube video up. There are also some other videos up if you want to see the types of places I’ve had no trouble (and some places I’ve had to recover from).

Backcountry Beefcakes

Off-road adventures in the backcountry.

www.youtube.com

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

I’ve got the same truck and run a decent amount of trails in Southern California. If I were doing a solo trip to Utah/Montana I would stick to fire/forestry roads. At least for this area, generally if it shows up on Google maps it’s not going to be an issue. I’d also suggest picking up a gazetteer for each state. Some of the prettiest places I’ve found have been from flipping through the maps and finding random forestry roads. Just make sure someone back home knows your route before you leave and when you should be back.

Not sure how much you’ve taken the truck off road but if you want to hear about my experience with it we’ve got a YouTube video up. There are also some other videos up if you want to see the types of places I’ve had no trouble (and some places I’ve had to recover from).

The link doesn't work ? Am I the only one OB'ers ?

 

[Beeftaco]

Oh yeah, looks broken for me too. Let me try again. And the forum service seems to keep breaking on a link directly to the video.

Here’s a link to the channel and there’s a video in there called “Can you go off road in a 2wd truck?”

Backcountry Beefcakes

Off-road adventures in the backcountry.

www.youtube.com

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Oh yeah, looks broken for me too. Let me try again. And the forum service seems to keep breaking on a link directly to the video.

Here’s a link to the channel and there’s a video in there called “Can you go off road in a 2wd truck?”

Backcountry Beefcakes

Off-road adventures in the backcountry.

www.youtube.com

The guy in the video pretty much says the same thing I have said in this thread. Use you head, prepare for the worst, Don't go into no mans land.

 

[JasperOutdoors]

My wife and are are in the beginning stages of planning a vacation. We would like to see Wyoming, Montana, and maybe Utah. We will be leaving Pensacola, FL and driving my 2wd Pre-runner Tacoma. This will occur potentially in April 2020. My question is: we want to see some stuff, but are limited by the 2WD. What are some awesome places we should see that are not too treacherous? We are looking to retire to Wyoming or Montana and need to see amazing sights to sell us. What do y’all think?

I'm from Jacksonville (dad is from Pensacola, went to Pine Forest, and much of my family is still in the area) and moved to Wyoming in 2018. There is plenty to see here, but you'll probably be restricted to lower elevations since many mountain passes and locations will be closed until Memorial Day. I live in Casper, which is centrally located and alongside I-25, so I'd be happy to show you around or point you in the right direction. April is hit-or-miss – a spring snowstorm can happen at any time. We had an odd winter this year, and our last major snow (in Casper) was in late May. I've been to nearly every part of the state so far, and I'm happy to share what I know.