Off-roading is one of the great joys in life. You take your trusty truck and a few essentials for survival and head out on the road less traveled. Maybe you’ve got some friends and a few things to warm up around a campfire. Life couldn’t be better.
But while off-roading is a surefire way to feel free and connected with nature, it’s also something that requires knowledge, preparation, and care. You shouldn’t just buy a truck, add some accessories, and head out to the first trail that you can find. No, there are a lot of important things to know about off-roading before you fire up the engine, load up the rack, and kick up some dust.
Before you go off-roading for your first time, you must learn some trail etiquette guidelines. Here’s everything you need to know so that you can be a respectful off-roader as you head out on your first adventures.
Evaluate Your Terrain
Off-roading is all kinds of fun, but it’s also a very serious endeavor. If you’re going to do it, you should do it right, and make sure that you’re fully prepared.
A big part of that comes from evaluating your terrain. Evaluating the terrain means doing research for the land that you’re going to be off-roading on. How extreme is the off-roading? Are there large rocks and other obstacles that you’ll need to navigate over, or is it relatively smooth? Is the ground compact, or will you encounter mud or water? Are there tight passages? Is there snow or ice?
A component of off-roading is understanding the capabilities and limitations of your vehicle. But that only matters if you also know what you’re up against with the terrain, and that requires some careful evaluation.
Evaluating your terrain isn’t just about what’s on the ground, though. You should also make sure you know who owns the land that you’ll be driving on, and familiarize yourself with any rules.
Monitor Your Speed
It’s important to remember when off-roading that the terrain might be your playground, but it’s not your race track. Make sure you monitor your speed, and always drive at a safe and respectable clip. With off-roading, you never know who might be around the next turn.
It’s especially important to drive slowly when near other people that aren’t off-roading, such as hikers, mountain bikers, ATV riders, and people riding on horseback. Driving too quickly is not only dangerous, but can kick up the dirt enough to be a serious pain for those people.
And you should always slow down when driving by or through campsites.
Communicate with Other Trail Users
You’re going to come across other off-roaders when on the trail. And when you do, it’s important to communicate with them. You’re all in this together, so take a moment to communicate any important information to the other off-roaders that you encounter. One of the most important things that you can do when you come across another off-roader is to let them know how many vehicles are in your group. If there are four trucks behind you, hold out four fingers so the oncoming off-road traffic knows. If there are two cars behind you, hold up two fingers. If you’re the last off-road vehicle in your group, hold up a closed fist to signify that you are at the end of the line.
You should also communicate with the other off-road trail users in your own group. You should always be able to see the vehicle behind you in your mirrors. If you lose sight of them, slow down or stop until they catch up. Always off-road with radios or high-quality walkie-talkies to ensure that you can communicate with your party.
Understand Who Has the Right of Way
On flat ground, it’s easy enough to get around another truck when you encounter a group of off-roaders. But things get a little bit stickier when you meet on a hill. The general rule of thumb is that the right of way goes to the driver who is going uphill. If you’re going uphill, you might have momentum that you need to maintain, and it might be difficult to move to the side and let someone pass. However, remember that this is just a guideline. There will be times where the driver facing uphill has an easy way of pulling to the side, while the driver heading downhill can’t get out of the way as easily. When in doubt, common sense and general awareness are the biggest factors when determining the right of way when off-roading.
Be Smart with Obstacles
A common mistake that new off-roaders make is that they get too stubborn when trying to climb hills or make their way over certain obstacles. First off, you should never try anything that you’re not comfortable doing, and don’t let other off-roaders pressure you into it. Nobody knows your skill and comfort level better than you do, and nobody knows the capabilities of your specific off-road vehicle better than you do. If you don’t feel comfortable with an obstacle or don’t feel like it’s a safe or smart thing to try and go over, then leave it be.
And second, if your failed attempts to make it past an obstacle are backing up traffic, then give it a break. Either let other people through and then resume your attempts or give up on the obstacle.
Be Respectful
This shouldn’t have to be said, but unfortunately, it does. Always be respectful. That means a few different things when off-roading. It means packing out all of your garbage, and even picking up after fellow riders. It means keeping your volume down so as not to disrupt other off-roaders or the wildlife. It means keeping your language appropriate when on the radios, understanding that other people might be tuned to the same channels. It means helping other drivers that you encounter who might need your help. And it means waiting until you’ve turned off your truck for the night before you break out the adult beverages.
Off-roading can be one of the most fun and satisfying hobbies. Follow this etiquette and you’ll have a wonderful time, over and over again.
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