On April 23-24, VOLHOO, MRSVOLHOO and I did some exploring on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in the Tuweep area - and camped at the Toroweap Overlook.
The roads in the area are all 2WD FJ friendly to spite the warning signs.
Recommended - MINIMUM 15 gallons of spare fuel if you want to explore the area. You are a long way from anywhere. The MAF extended range tank worked like a champ. It's about 80 miles from the nearest fuel (each way) and when you're exploring, you suck down gasoline.
You're almost there.
A pause for the cause - stopping at the Tuweep Ranger Station (one ranger) to read the rules.
The Scorpion's Camping Spot:
Unloading
Sleeping in the back
View out the back of the FJ.
VOLHOO and MRSVOLHOO with the Grand Canyon in background.
Toroweap Overlook is almost exactly 3000 vertical feet, straight down to the Colorado River. It's also the narrowest part of the Grand Canyon.
MRSVOLHOO, "Harley" and "Nicky" with Snow Canyon, UT behind them. (photo taken on the road to to the Arizona Strip outside St. George, UT)
We did some exploring in the Mt. Trumbul Area (many cinder cones from extinct volcanos. We also took this trail.
I was in favor of trying to get down to the river using this route (in the FJ's) but VOLHOO over-ruled me.
Park Service cautionary note. (there's a book you can sign)
There was a lot of wild life: Deer, elk, lots of antelope, jackrabbits, cottontail rabbits, coyotes, hawks, owls, and mustangs (above) in the middle of NOWHERE. They were unshod, no brands but were quite friendly. They're now protected by law.
On the way out - on the road to Fredonia, AZ and Kanab, UT beyond.
Driving through those cinder fields is very exotic because there is a wall of cinders and then a glen/open field with trees and then it's the Moon again. I loved it! The area north of there around Kanab is truly spectacular.
I've camped in a lot of places and Toroweap point has to be at the top of the list. I took my wife there several years back and we had it all to ourselves.
Did you go sit with your feet off the edge at the campsites ON the edge of the cliff? We had our dog, and Linda made me choose a camp site back up on the second tier.
They really are ON THE EDGE. You could swan dive into the river 2500 feet below.
It's right up there with "Top-of-the-World" on the Kokopelli Trail. The view, the general remote nature of the spot and the small, intimate campground make Toroweap spectacular. I'm with you on putting this location on the "must experience" list. And I'll be going back.
It's right up there with "Top-of-the-World" on the Kokopelli Trail. The view, the general remote nature of the spot and the small, intimate campground make Toroweap spectacular. I'm with you on putting this location on the "must experience" list. And I'll be going back.
The entire three day trip was amazing. Yes, the wild life abounded. One cautionary note. VOLHOO (and I'll let him speak for himself when he returns - he spend an extra day) did have fuel issues on this leg of the trip. One of the days we left the Brigadier parked and drove off for the day in the Scorpion because I had the MAF extended range tank (an extra 120 lbs of gasoline). On deeper runs like this one you'll burn nearly half a tank getting there... and you do want to get back to a gas station. As a result, your ability to play there in the area is limited. Vince had a 5 gallon Jerry can on the back but when we got to Fredonia, he bought 2 additional 5 gallon cans and mounted them on the rack. My sense is that to do this run right, you need an additional 15 gallons. The area is HUGE and very desolate. There's just no civilization there.
We encountered other campers at Toroweap, but once we started into the back country we didn't see another person all day long on the second day. You could spend a lot of time up there without running into anyone else - and that underscores the need for proper mechanical and logistical planning.:bigthumb:
When I was down there I had a tensioner rope come off of the back of my kayak out on the road. He somehow found it and then came and found me to return it. We had a long talk and he hung out with me and the family for a while and had some good long talks about his time in-country there. I think that he and his wife were hoping to get posted to a location with more green, more mountains and more snow. He originally came from either Alaska or Washington.
Great trip. My group and I are looking to go to the Strip after Overland Expo. Did you need any permits ?
I've been told that trailers were not permitted but all I have seen about a trailer restriction was for the
Toroweap Overlook. Did you see anything concerning that?
Would you be willing to share any GPS files ? Thanks in advance .
Hey everyone! I decided it would be cool to have a thread where I can post up pictures and details of all the major FJ trips/trail-runs I've been on. :bigthumb: I got my 1st FJ Cruiser TRD SE in April of 2011 but it wasn't until about a year later that I REALLY went on my first off-roading trip...
I know most of you on this forum concentrate on which wax rejuvenates your FJs soft, delicate skin and polishing your fake beadlocks so I decided to go 4wheeling on your behalf. Decided to go iron out some boulders in the 3 ton pig. Video coming soon.
Corral Hollow Trail
This is one of the trails our 4-wheel group in Crested Butte does every year. Fortunately none of our group has experienced anything like what happens here around the 5 minute mark:
Gaspe is a peninsula in eastern Quebec that sticks into the Atlantic Ocean roughly northeast of Maine and North of New Brunswick. My wife and I went there from CT in the FJ for 10 days in August to explore and scope out possible future trips in the area. No camping, no cookouts, very civilized...
Had an epic day today exploring the high country. Found a lot of snow but the day was perfect. Upper 60’s, not a could in the sky, no wind. Went up Yankee Boy Basin first. Then went down to Silverton and took County Rd 2 up to Animas Forks. Last went up Hurricane Pass. All of these were...
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