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Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle?

SeaGeo

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It's mostly Forest Service roads so should be ok. I have seen early season videos where some had do deal with washout areas and trees down.
Agreed. South of Ellensburg it can't be a bit rocky. I'm a bit surprised one of us didn't get a flat tbh.
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WSea

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So we couldn't do the entire length of 2, we started just west of Yakima and then went up to Ellensburg.
I see what you did and probably went in just east of Rimrock. So did you charge up in Yakima before hitting the trail? Getting a DCFC in Packwood will be great! Had some range anxiety coming home from White Pass this winter. Heading to white pass on that last stretch to the top I was seeing about 1% soc per mile
 

SeaRivian23

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It's mostly Forest Service roads so should be ok. I have seen early season videos where some had do deal with washout areas and trees down.
That’s good to know. Looks like fun and yah the video looked like doable roads. But I am not an expert and don’t want to be in the news with a rescue mission :)
 

WSea

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I'd recommend having at least another vehicle along for the adventure...just in case and more fun.
And...have some recovery gear. Some threads here you can search for.
 

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SeaGeo

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I see what you did and probably went in just east of Rimrock. So did you charge up in Yakima before hitting the trail? Getting a DCFC in Packwood will be great! Had some range anxiety coming home from White Pass this winter. Heading to white pass on that last stretch to the top I was seeing about 1% soc per mile
Yep!

Yeah we went to white pass this year and decided to get an airbnb with a 14-50 at it. Didn't have to fast charger at all that way.
 

WSea

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Let me know how it goes. A few of us did Segment 2 last summer, and I'll be doing 3 in August.
Decided that BDR segment 3 was going to be a long day from Seattle. Another time when we can do 2 days.
Plan B- Stampede (Crystal Springs to Greenwater)
Short Version- We didn't make it- Too much snow
Long Version- We made it a bit over 26 miles and past the high point of 5500' before we hit way too much snow and decided to return back to the starting point.
Start point was Crystal Springs sno-park- elevation 2400'. The sno-park is 78 miles from home (just above sea level) and on east side of snoqulamie pass- elevation 3022'.
Hit snow fairly early around the Stampede Pass/Lizard Lake area.
To head off comments- yes, I know, wrong choice of wheels/tires. Still deciding on proper AT wheel/tire setup.
Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? Stampede1.JPEG


Dropped down lower
Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? Stampede2.JPEG


Then back up
Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? Stampede3.JPEG

And up
Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? Stampede4.JPEG

Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? Stampede5.JPEG


I think we were the first this season. Had to clear some trees and lots of bball sized rocks
Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? Stampede6.JPEG


















That was about the best we could do without a winch/pulley setup. Had an axe to clear the limbs and we had a super tight passage.
Lesson learned- bring a chainsaw especially early season

Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? Stampede7.JPEG


Spring thaw/mud don't mix well with a heavy ass truck.
Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? Stampede8.JPEG


We both got stuck multiple times. 4 recovery boards became a necessity.
This spot got very tricky with an off camber road. Was getting way too close to that tree.
Luckily we both had recovery straps/kinetic ropes. Combining two with a soft shackle allowed for the Jeep to get off the snow to help me stay further away from the tree. My DR tire was on the soft/muddy back. The others were on snow. Cleared a path for the DF tire. Axe came in handy since there was 2" of ice below the snow. This area was close to the hight point of 5500'.
Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? Stampede10.JPEG


Stuck jeep. Photos don't show the road grade very well. Steeper than it looks. took us about an hour to get thru this section. We had scouted ahead and the road looked much better.
Lesson Learned- having redundant recovery gear gives you more options. Also, bring a shovel! Recovery boards suck as shovels. And bring gloves & towels
Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? Stampede9.JPEG


Lunch Break- Little did we know that our turnaround point was less than a 1/4 mile further
Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? Stampede11.JPEG


Hit way too much snow a little over 26 miles in at about 5400'. This area is due north of Windy Pass & Pryamid Peak
Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? Stampede12.JPEG

Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? Stampede13.JPEG


Range Stats-
Left Seattle at 100%
Sno-Park 71%- 78 miles
Turnaround point 47%- 26.5 miles
Back at sno-park 43% (not a typo) 26.5 miles
Back home 20% -78 miles
Of note-Jeep was running low and had to stop for gas in North Bend

Also, the recent thread re: roller tests was good knowledge to have. If I just gently pushed the go pedal down while stuck the wheels wouldn't move. Hitting the pedal faster (in off road mode) got me on the recovery boards and out of a bad situation.

All in it was a great fun day with temps in the 70s.
And...no damage to vehicles
 

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There's a 4x4 trail in Tahuya State Park that's very popular and beginner friendly. I can personally confirm the R1T can do just about all of it (didn't attempt the rock wall). You can either drive through Tacoma/Gig Harbor or take the Fauntleroy ferry. Both will get you there well under 2 hours.
 

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Last summer I ended up doing most of BDR section 4. Having the charger in Leavenworth is a great starting point to explore much of that area. Camped overnight up on Chumstick mountain. Lot of logging at the time so the roads where the heavy trucks traveled were VERY dusty.
Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? IMG_1474.JPEG
Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? IMG_1539.JPEG
Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? IMG_1522.JPEG
 

WSea

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Last summer I ended up doing most of BDR section 4. Having the charger in Leavenworth is a great starting point to explore much of that area. Camped overnight up on Chumstick mountain. Lot of logging at the time so the roads where the heavy trucks traveled were VERY dusty.
IMG_1474.JPEG
IMG_1539.JPEG
IMG_1522.JPEG
Great pics. We’re you able to get back to Leavenworth to charge after segment 4?
 

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Mcdoo

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Great pics. We’re you able to get back to Leavenworth to charge after segment 4?
At the time, I only had the truck for just under 2 months, still didn't have camp mode then and this being my first EV, I didn't venture all of Section 4. Basically did a loop at Ardenvoir and took some other FS roads back to Leavenworth. I didn't see any good charging options once I was near Lake Chelan. Looking back at the route now, guess it wasn't "most" of it... Loved it though.
 

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Fortune Creek area (near Cle Elum) is a great starter. The forest road is well graded and fun in rally or drift mode, mostly safe beside few areas near cliffs (don’t drift those ;)). The side trails get pretty rutted and bumpy with decent obstacles (that the Rivian can eat up nicely even on 21s).

Good for camping as well…

The best nearby charger is the Shell Recharge in Cle Elum, or the Electrify America in Northbend (few other jj72 around but super slow on those).
 

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Anyone reading this thread might want to check out the Northwest Overland Rally in Plain / Leavenworth next weekend. We are watching the grandkids next weekend, still trying to figure out if I can get over there for at least a day.

I mentioned this last year - for trails in the Cle Elum area - mostly single track but some 4wd - you might want to look at the Cle Elum Trails Off-Road Team group on Facebook. The admin of that group is Mikki Douglas who's the Cle Elum Ranger District trails manager. There is also the Northwest Overland Society group.

I did most of WABDR Section 3 last year (in my GX) - I didn't go all the way to Wenatchee because of the Beehive Washout - the FS really needs to improve that (there is a drivearound).

I would recommend Tronsen Ridge via "Upper Naneum Trail #4W312". In the map below light blue is WABDR 3, dark blue is an easy route via LIberty, and red is an easy route via Blewett Pass. 4W312 is that little orange loop off the top of WABDR. If you're in your Rivian then I'd do it counter-clockwise and come back the same way - there's an area on the west side of that loop that is (was) blocked by a downed tree and the bypass is a bit tight and might scratch.
Rivian R1T R1S Any recommendations for off-roading locations near Seattle? 1686486717158
 

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There's a 4x4 trail in Tahuya State Park that's very popular and beginner friendly. I can personally confirm the R1T can do just about all of it (didn't attempt the rock wall). You can either drive through Tacoma/Gig Harbor or take the Fauntleroy ferry. Both will get you there well under 2 hours.
ECRC went out last weekend! I couldn't make it, already on another trip, but my coworker claims he saw like 60.

Any pics from folks who went? I'd love to see folks rolling through the Oak Patch lake entrance.
 

Phatman113

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ECRC went out last weekend! I couldn't make it, already on another trip, but my coworker claims he saw like 60.

Any pics from folks who went? I'd love to see folks rolling through the Oak Patch lake entrance.
Pretty sure ECRC is working on collecting and posting their photos. There's a few circulating on the Discord and FB groups...
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