Trail(s) Question with re: to vehicles

[Foxtato]

Hey all,

My husband and I moved up to Puyallup, WA last year and I (sadly) haven't had the opportunity to get out and explore the surrounding areas yet. I've heard that there are some great trails and places to visit, which I am excited to do, but have no knowledge of them when it comes to how wide they are. We're looking at trading in our Tacoma for a Tundra sometime this year, and before we do, I want to make sure that we're not going to be limiting ourselves to where we can go. There are always going to be more Jeep / smaller vehicle-friendly trails, but I was hoping others on here might have some experience and knowledge with what we can expect if we step up to a full-sized truck.

All the best,

 

[M Rose]

@Foxtato welcome to the Northwest. How much off pavement experience do you guys currently have? I started driving Jeep trails in a Full Sized Jeep Wagon when I was 14. I got my first small 4x4 when I was 18 and it didn’t really open any new trails. I have owned more full sized trucks and SUVs than compacts and sun compacts throughout my life, and I have never felt hindered by their size.

Upgrading to a Tundra won’t stop you from being able to explore around the greater Seattle area. Get with @OTH Overland to see about getting in on one of his upcoming meetups or trips. Also check in to the “Greater Seattle Virtual Campfire” to meet people that are active in your area.

 

[Ubiety]

You probably won't have a problem with trail size going with a Tundra (nice choice); the caveat being pinstriping; wider vehicles are going to be more prone to pinstriping on the "bushier" trails. A lot depends on how far you turn up the "adventure" knob as trails tend to get skinnier as they get more difficult. Traveling with a chainsaw, especially early in the season, is always a good idea. On the West side of the Cascades, including the Cascades, expect more trees/undergrowth which provide badges of honor (pinstriping); the East side of the state is more wide open until you get to Spokane/Idaho and then you get back into the vegetation. I have found that a few doses of a high quality ceramic coating on a new vehicle will help branches/etc. to slide rather than scratch leaving you with less pinstripes. We did the WABDR (top of the Cascades) with a Tundra in attendance and it had no problem with trail width.

 

[jdunk]

Hey all,

My husband and I moved up to Puyallup, WA last year and I (sadly) haven't had the opportunity to get out and explore the surrounding areas yet. I've heard that there are some great trails and places to visit, which I am excited to do, but have no knowledge of them when it comes to how wide they are. We're looking at trading in our Tacoma for a Tundra sometime this year, and before we do, I want to make sure that we're not going to be limiting ourselves to where we can go. There are always going to be more Jeep / smaller vehicle-friendly trails, but I was hoping others on here might have some experience and knowledge with what we can expect if we step up to a full-sized truck.

All the best,

Welcome to the area! There are thousands of miles of forest roads around you.

Personally, I’ve spent a lot of time in Gifford Pinchot National Forest, but that’s only one of many!

There are some places your Tundra might have some issues. Less if you don’t mind a few pin stripes.

I’m working on getting regular meetups for the south sound, that’ll be a great place to get to know people and get their ideas for places to go.

 

[Smileyshaun]

You could spend every weekend out exploring FS roads in the pnw for 20 years and not even scratch the surface of what’s available. Just choose a general place you want to go and explore you will always find something new along your way . In spring and early winter down trees are real common .

 

[mtn]

Welcome to the area, and hope to see you on the trail!

One of my favorite areas in the south end starts at 47.11830, -121.60974, which is a little before you get to Ranger Air Field by Mt Rainier. Nice for a day trip, and you can definitely take a Tundra down here.

My rig is a 4th gen 4Runner and I definitely have my share of pin stripes and trail damage. How far you take a Tundra or even a Tacoma depends on your comfort level with that. I've certainly gone places where I've pushed the 4Runner to its limit, although I typically am more limited by by my large rear overhang and departure angle rather than the size of the vehicle.

2 years ago on the WABDR we found large rocks on the trail between Ardenvoir and Lake Chelan (47.868439, -120.325461), and I'm not convined that a modern full size truck would have been able to pass without either some serious damage or a significant effort stacking rocks. Then again, that was probably the only spot between Oregon and Canada where size would have been a major issue.

Biggest thing is to get a vehicle that fits your overall needs, and then use it go get out and enjoy the beatiful PNW!

 

[Ubiety]

I've certainly gone places where I've pushed the 4Runner to its limit

You just need to give in more throttle ;)

2 years ago on the WABDR we found large rocks on the trail

We need Overland brand dynamite!

 

[mtn]

You just need to give in more throttle ;)

You mean, Thelma & Louise style?

We need Overland brand dynamite!

Sigh... when I thought I had purchased all the overpriced overland gear I need...

 

[Foxtato]

@Foxtato welcome to the Northwest. How much off pavement experience do you guys currently have? I started driving Jeep trails in a Full Sized Jeep Wagon when I was 14. I got my first small 4x4 when I was 18 and it didn’t really open any new trails. I have owned more full sized trucks and SUVs than compacts and sun compacts throughout my life, and I have never felt hindered by their size.

Upgrading to a Tundra won’t stop you from being able to explore around the greater Seattle area. Get with @OTH Overland to see about getting in on one of his upcoming meetups or trips. Also check in to the “Greater Seattle Virtual Campfire” to meet people that are active in your area.

Thanks for the advice; will reach out to @OTH Overland , etc. We've done some (what I would call) normal HOV-type trails, nothing too adventurous like rock-crawling, did the Mojave Rd 1.5 yrs ago, etc.

You probably won't have a problem with trail size going with a Tundra (nice choice); the caveat being pinstriping; wider vehicles are going to be more prone to pinstriping on the "bushier" trails. A lot depends on how far you turn up the "adventure" knob as trails tend to get skinnier as they get more difficult. Traveling with a chainsaw, especially early in the season, is always a good idea. On the West side of the Cascades, including the Cascades, expect more trees/undergrowth which provide badges of honor (pinstriping); the East side of the state is more wide open until you get to Spokane/Idaho and then you get back into the vegetation. I have found that a few doses of a high quality ceramic coating on a new vehicle will help branches/etc. to slide rather than scratch leaving you with less pinstripes. We did the WABDR (top of the Cascades) with a Tundra in attendance and it had no problem with trail width.

Not a stranger to pin-striping, but it is something I try to avoid since I like to take care of my rig as much as possible. Used to SoCal-type trails (so its either brush or pretty wide open), so good to know on potentially needing a chainsaw (who doesn't like more tools?!) Thanks for your insight!

Welcome to the area, and hope to see you on the trail!

One of my favorite areas in the south end starts at 47.11830, -121.60974, which is a little before you get to Ranger Air Field by Mt Rainier. Nice for a day trip, and you can definitely take a Tundra down here.

My rig is a 4th gen 4Runner and I definitely have my share of pin stripes and trail damage. How far you take a Tundra or even a Tacoma depends on your comfort level with that. I've certainly gone places where I've pushed the 4Runner to its limit, although I typically am more limited by by my large rear overhang and departure angle rather than the size of the vehicle.

2 years ago on the WABDR we found large rocks on the trail between Ardenvoir and Lake Chelan (47.868439, -120.325461), and I'm not convined that a modern full size truck would have been able to pass without either some serious damage or a significant effort stacking rocks. Then again, that was probably the only spot between Oregon and Canada where size would have been a major issue.

Biggest thing is to get a vehicle that fits your overall needs, and then use it go get out and enjoy the beatiful PNW!

Thanks for the welcome! Given that picture, I could see it being a problem for a full-sized vehicle! I agree with getting a vehicle that suits overall needs and then go from there - I just wish the Tacoma was a bit bigger on the inside, but there is few options between the Tacoma and Tundra in terms of size.

 

[OTH Overland]

@Foxtato, Welcome the area, as others have said there are endless forrest service roads on the west side of the mountains, a lot of them are fairly short as they are old logging roads that go up to a landing, or have been washed out or gated for various reasons, but just picking an area (Lots up by Rainier, Greenwater and Snoqualmie pass) and start exploring any open forrest service roads. The OB-1 app has some good maps to consult, and you can get paper MVUM (Motor Vehicle Use Maps) from the forrest service (Also there is a map layer for those on the app) these willl help let you know which roads are allowed for motorized travel. Definatly expect some pinstripes as @Ubiety mentioned on the west side of the mountain, not an issue if you stick to well travelled Forrest service main roads, but they brush out quickly when you hit the spurs. I also agree choose the rig you are comforatable driving, and remember most of us really do spend more time using them on the highway than in the woods no matter what we think..lol Personally we have a couple of Jeeps and a full size dually, and it is quite surprising how many places we can go with the dually without scratching it up...

Keep an eye out on the Rally Point page for upcoming trips, events, and meetups (They also show up on the calandar). Michelle and I try to have at least something every month, and although a lot are in the north end, everyone is always welcome if they are willing to make the drive. we currently have an event posted for next weekend the 14th going over to the Wenatchee area, exploring and camping out. June and July will see folks going to the NW overland rally in Plain, WA and the NW overland expo in Bend, OR and a few other events.

Looking forward to meeting you at an event soon.