Some adventures are so exciting and memorable that they turn into tales that folks will tell for the rest of lives—the JK Experience is that kind of adventure. The on- and off-highway weeklong excursion is in its third year and has been one of those quests for hardcore four-wheeling that’s left all of its participants with an adventure they’ll brag about for years to come.
The 2011 JK Experience covered almost a thousand miles of Colorado Rocky Mountain highways and trails. Days 1 and 2 of the event started in Glenwood Springs. After meeting in the historic little town the group toured some of the state’s most scenic byways while hitting a slew of Colorado’s finest and most challenging trails. The dramatic trails included Holy Cross, Chinaman’s Gulch, Engineer Pass, Black Bear Pass, and Bangs Canyon. Along the way the band of adventurers stopped at historic mining towns and districts and stayed in some of the most famous, questionably haunted, creaky old hotels.
The JK Experience persuaded...
The JK Experience persuaded more than a few people to buy a Wrangler JK! Andrew Hoit, VP of Falken Tire Marketing, shows off a move or two in his new Wrangler.
Mel Wade, owner of Off Road Evolution in Fullerton, California, found the inspiration for creating the JK Experience after attending a number of Petersen’s 4-Wheel & Off-Road Ultimate Adventures. Similar in design to the UA, the JK Experience covers hundreds of miles of highway while seeking out and conquering the toughest off-road trails. The unique aspect of the JK Experience is that all the vehicles on the adventure are the popular and capable Jeep Wrangler JK.
The JK Experience is no small affair. This year drivers and co-drivers navigated 22 Wrangler JKs through the expedition. The event also drew a number of major sponsors including Falken Tire, Warn Industries, Off Road Evolution, Discount Tire, Rancho Suspension, Skyjacker Suspension, Rockstar Energy Drink, PSC Steering/Motorsports, Dynomax Performance Exhaust, MasterCraft Safety, JE Reel Drivelines, ATX Series All-Terrain Wheels, OffRoadJerky.com, RCH Designs, and Project-JK.com.
Feature Editor Ali Mansour...
Feature Editor Ali Mansour finally got out from behind the camera and got in some trail time. He conquered the creek crossing on the Holy Cross trail in his mildly built ’07 JK with ease.
After a week of threading their way through massive boulders and navigating hair-raising shelf roads, trees, and high Rocky Mountain passes, the crew made it to Grand Junction with more than a few dented doors, broken U-joints and bent drivelines and a medley of failed mechanical parts. But carnage isn’t what the JK Experience is about. The trip is about pushing the JK to its limits, improving driver skills, and making lifelong friends. If you would like information about next year’s event visit
www.jk-experience.com.
On the long road day after...
On the long road day after Holy Cross, the crew stopped at the Royal Gorge Bridge for a little break. Royal Gorge is one of the world’s highest suspension bridges. It’s over 1⁄4 mile long and swings 956 feet above the river below. It was eerie sitting in the Jeeps as they crossed the bridge with the planks creaking and flexing.
On Day 4 of the JK Experience...
On Day 4 of the JK Experience drivers had the choice of running Chinaman’s Gulch or Carnage Canyon. The former isn’t too difficult, but Carnage Canyon is extreme. The Dynomax JK started off nicely but broke the passenger-side front axle U-joint halfway up, and then the driver-side U-joint on the way out.
Day 5 was a road day that...
Day 5 was a road day that covered about 250 miles. On Day 6 the crew started from the town of Ouray side of the mountain and ran Engineer’s Pass, a scenic trail that’s not too difficult. The trail does have a hair-raising pucker factor due to the shelf road and side-hill sections of trail at high elevations.
The traveling band of adventurers...
The traveling band of adventurers stayed at the Grand Imperial Hotel in Silverton the sixth night of the event. Silverton and the old Victorian hotel (built in the 1800s) is rich in history, and the tiny town has a number of great restaurants—it also features the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Train, which has been in service for 128 years (
www.durangotrain.com).
On Day 7 the crew of the JK...
On Day 7 the crew of the JK Experience ran Black Bear Pass. The trail runs up into the dizzying elevation of 1,280 feet and is famous for the narrow and spooky shelf road turn above the town of Telluride.
The Billings Canyon trail...
The Billings Canyon trail has a number of really fun sections that are tricky to negotiate. There are also many holes a rig can drop into that will throw it way off-camber, as happened to Greg Melancon’s new JK Wrangler.
Discount Tires’ Mark MacGuinness...
Discount Tires’ Mark MacGuinness had a blast on the JK Experience and wheeled his personal Hemi-powered JK Wrangler without any mechanical issues. Some of the guys found Billing Jeep trail very difficult, but MacGuinness rolled right over it like it was his driveway!
The Skyjacker Suspension Wrangler...
The Skyjacker Suspension Wrangler was driven by Lonnie McCurry, who is quite adept at wheeling hardcore trails. He completed the JK Experience without inflicting any body damage on the Jeep and will certainly be back next year.
The Falken Tire guys were...
The Falken Tire guys were conquering the toughest obstacles like the best rockcrawling professionals. Of course they had their team drivers at the wheel of the company JK: Brian Sellers, a top American Le Man’s Series Racer; and Justin Pawlak, a fulltime Formula Drift Championship racer.