Adventure, Four Wheel Drive

2017 BFGoodrich Outstanding Trails

/ November 8th, 2017

Here in North America, we are fortunate to have a wealth of opportunities when it comes to overland travel. From the Rockies to California, a vast array of two-tracks spreads across Utah and Nevada, stretching north to Canada and south to Mexico. More than a decade ago, BFGoodrich launched their Outstanding Trails program to help local clubs and organizations not only preserve and protect these historic routes, but also keep them open for future generations to enjoy.

Purinton Creek: Alaska Extreme Four Wheelers

The Program

Each year, four trails are selected from dozens of applications. If a trail is chosen, the applicant club, whose members have volunteered to manage its maintenance, is given a $4,000 endowment. The funds are used for public education, cleanup projects, signage, camp area improvements, and watershed management. To date, the program has donated nearly $200,000 in grants to more than 40 clubs and is continually scanning the country for the next crop of candidates worthy of the Outstanding Trails designation.

Grizzly Lake Image courtesy of CORE

It would not be possible without the support of partnering companies like 4Wheel Parts and organizations such as the Blue Ribbon Coalition, United Four Wheel Drive Association, and Off Road Business Associations. The president of 4Wheel Parts, Greg Adler, said, “We are pleased to share in this opportunity to recognize the passionate members of some of North America’s prominent off-road clubs for their commitment to the preservation of these significant trails.”

Grizzly Lake Image courtesy of CORE

2017 Outstanding Trails and Clubs

  • Chinaman Gulch, Buena Vista, Colorado—Ute Pass Iron Goats
  • Elephant Hill, Moab, Utah—Red Rock Four Wheelers
  • Grizzly Lake, St. Elmo, Colorado—nominated by Colorado Off-Road Enterprise (CORE)
  • Purinton Creek Trail, Alaska—Alaska Extreme Four Wheelers

Grizzly Lake Image courtesy of CORE

We congratulate this year’s winners and commend BFGoodrich and the Outstanding Trails partners for their continued commitment to responsible management of our backcountry resources. For the full list of Outstanding Trails alumni or information on how to nominate your adopted trail and club, go to Outstanding Trails’ website here.

Chinaman gulch: courtesy of Colorado Four Wheelers

Chris spent his formative years riding dirt bikes with his dad in the deserts of Southern California and Baja, Mexico, which led to a lifelong quest for adventure. He is handy behind a viewfinder and at the keyboard, and brings four decades of international travel experience to Overland Journal as Editor-in-Chief. His career, which includes work for National Geographic Adventure, Four Wheeler, Hot Rod, and Autoweek, has taken him through 50-plus countries and to every continent. He has also served as correspondent to magazines in a dozen countries and in as many languages. In 2013 he was part of the Expeditions7 team that crossed Antarctica and he has recently been inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame as a pioneering journalist. When not behind the camera Chris can be found on The Office (his sailboat), or undertaking meticulous “research” for upcoming articles in locales such as Tequila, Mexico.