Whether you like racing across desert sand a la Baja, the disorienting experience of driving slowly, methodically, and thoughtfully over boulders the size of buffalos, or something in between, off-roading is your passion. But let’s not make it sound so noble. At the heart of it is the thrill of getting away with something logic says you shouldn’t do. That rutted trail with logs and rocks strewn across it or that mud hole or sand dune were not intended as roads for ordinary vehicles, but you drive over them anyway. It’s kind of like sneaking into the neighbor’s pool when they are gone. You shouldn’t do it, but you do.
The biggest challenge to fulfilling your need for off-road adventure is finding and gaining access to the terrain and climate you want. Thanks to the ever-growing off-road community, you can find commercial and government sanction off-road trails in virtually every state. Even New Jersey, the densest populated state in the union, has dozens of off-road trails.
Of course, some states, primarily big states, offer more off-roading opportunities than others. With that in mind, we have put together a sampling of locations in each of the best states for off-roading trails.
