The week before Easter a subliminal homing beacon starts pinging and Jeepers, wheelers, and other off-road enthusiasts nationwide fire up tow rigs and trail rigs and begin the pilgrimage to the red rock temple: Moab, Utah. We know you’ve seen it here before, and you’ll see it here again. And that’s because we love the darn place. It’s a small town nestled amongst red rock cliffs with a rich history in uranium mining, maybe some gold, and a long line of wild characters looking for fortune or escaping the grid. We go for all that, and also for some of the most beautiful four-wheeling in the nation.
The Easter Jeep Safari (EJS) is hosted by the Red Rock 4-Wheelers. Although it seemed like you were required to have a four-door Jeep Wrangler just to get in the town, in fact the event is open to all 4x4s. Fullsize trucks were running trails as well as imports and tube cars. (Be warned, buggy owners: You need to tow to the trailheads, as the local authorities aren’t so keen on rigs missing flaps and fenders.) The variety of trails—from hardcore insanity at the private Area BFE to the mind game of steep climbs on Hell’s Revenge—offers something for everyone. The townsfolk seem extremely welcoming to Jeepers of all makes. Although we imagine it’s different the rest of the year, it is hard to leave EJS without Moab melancholy.
If you’ve read our coverage of Moab before then we will surely sound like a broken record when we say you need to attend. Coming for EJS is a blast, but coming any time is worth the trip. There is plenty of camping, hotels, mountain biking, hiking, rafting, restaurants, and of course four-wheeling. So plan a vacation, tell your boss you’ve got the slickrock sickness, and head to the home of red rock. To attend next year’s EJS, check out www.rr4w.com for official entry information.
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The vehicle of choice for Easter Jeep Safari 2012 was definitely the four-door Jeep Wrangl
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The guys from Jeep and Mopar are renowned for bringing some very cool concepts to Moab eac
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Crossing the famous Golden Crack on Golden Spike Trail, as Brady Lehr from Denver does in
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If you’re looking for some shopping, there are plenty of trinkets and T-shirts for sale in
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Lance and Renee Clifford hit the trail in their brand-new IFS rock buggy. Designed for fam
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Mark Hesser was driving his company car from Synergy Suspension when he took this opportun
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We are seeing more and more aftermarket axles under the big four-door Jeeps as owners upgr
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Another awesome concept truck from Jeep Design is the J12. This is based on a four-door Je
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One of the biggest Jeeps we came across with the Rattle-Trap from MBRP Exhaust. Fitted wit
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As the week wound down there was still plenty of excitement for wheelers to enjoy. Out at
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One of the coolest trail fixes of the week came when a Jeeper broke his track bar and the
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The crew from Falken Tire had a brand-new Jeep truck at Moab. Built by Chappelle’s Kustoms