Owyhee Range, Idaho Rock Crawling - Your Own Private Idaho

People used to think that Idaho was full of potato farmers and militias. As our latest Ultimate Adventure revealed, there's some great wheeling to be had in the Gem State. Since we covered 1,100 miles in seven days on the UA, we didn't get a chance to explore all that Idaho had to offer, which provided us with a great excuse to go back. We recently returned to the Owyhee Range southwest of Boise for more rockcrawling action.

The name Owyhee is actually an early name for the Hawaiian Islands. Three Hawaiian fur trappers explored this region of Idaho nearly 200 years ago, and the name stuck. Most history reveals that a spur of the Oregon Trail also ran through this area near the Snake River, but it was more recently discovered routes that we were interested in. Numerous rockcrawling trails have been opened by Boise local Jesse Crews.

Jack Rice had the sickest rig present, in our opinion. His FJ45 has a 5.7L Vortec mill that routes power through an SM465 and NP203 and NP205 transfer cases to locked Dana 60 axles. Even with a 116-inch wheelbase, Jack was one of the many people who were denied on the second dry fall.

Trying to fit a fullsize peg through a buggy hole is William "W" Harrold. With an airbag suspension and rear steer, W was able to maneuver his vehicle just about anywhere. The 44-inch Super Swampers and 125-inch wheelbase are on a rig that started life as an FJ55 Land Cruiser. "Every time there was a dent, I just cut that piece off...and this is what is left."

John Turnbull in his TBI 350-powered CJ-7 slipped off the line on the second waterfall and ended up on his side. A quick pull from the winch had him back on all four tires and continuing up the trail. A new rear four-link suspension by HBRK 4x4 in Boise lengthened the wheelbase on John's Jeep, which definitely aided in climbing the numerous dry falls.

Our trail for the day had only been run once prior to our visit. Dubbed Machine Screw, this trail is as nasty as they come. It took our group of eight vehicles nearly 10 hours to go 12.6 miles to and from the tow rigs and trailers. The 12 miles was easy; it was the 0.6 that took so long! This group wasn't made up of Dana 30 front ends, limited slip diffs, or 33-inch tires either. Each vehicle had locked Dana 44s and 37-inch tires at the bare minimum, yet everyone sustained body damage and had to winch repeatedly.

The trail starts with some large, loose rocks to weed out the wannabes. From there, a narrow V-notch keeps the driver's attention and makes it difficult to line up for the next climb. After that the real fun starts. A large dry fall with no available bypasses stands poised with diff-grabbing rocks sticking out of the middle.

The next climb has a 6-foot ledge followed immediately by another 4-foot ledge. The trail then narrows to the point that it was giving fits to those equipped with full-width axles. It widens only when the next dry fall is encountered. This obstacle had large, loose rocks that moved under the vehicles, requiring each and every vehicle to pull cable.By the time we limped off the trail and onto the nearby access road, the carnage count was two axles and a set of sheered steering studs, complicating the process of returning to the tow rigs. Once the wounds heal and all our repairs are made, we can't wait to see what else Idaho has to offer. For more info contact Jesse at JBCrews@hotmail.com or www.idaho4x4.com

The 40-inch tires, 1-ton axles, and deep gearing made Kevin Thomas well prepared for Machine Screw. The narrowed front and rear fenders on his K5 Blazer helped it fit on this extremely narrow trail, but he still ended up with fresh body damage.	The entrance to Machine Screw is clearly marked... although you are unlikely to even find the entrance without help from the locals. The trail snakes up a narrow dry wash with several notches and large dry waterfalls. The winters dramatically change this trail from one year to the next.	The Dana 44 and Ford 8.8 axles under Nate Davidson's '90 YJ are the minimum we would suggest for running this trail. Luckily the finesse that Davidson is displaying here allowed him to finish the trail without breakage.
Michael Borg spent two years doing a frame-off build on his '73 FJ40 in order to prepare it for trails of this magnitude. All of his time and money paid off on Machine Screw.	A small-block Chevy and TH350 power Jesse Crews' '74 FJ40. Surprisingly, the modified Motorcraft two-barrel carburetor never faltered, even on the steep climbs. Crews was our trail leader for the day in his capable FJ40. However, the 37-inch IROKs were the smallest tire in the group and put him at a definite disadvantage.