OK4WD Hosts First Full Size Trail Ride in Pennsylvania
March 14, 2019
OK4WD Trail Ride
OK4WD of Stewartsville NJ hosted their first Full Size Trail Ride at Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA) in Coal Township PA. This was a first time for OK4WD hosting an event for all 4WD/AWD vehicles, not just for Jeeps and the like. Weather conditions were not ideal, but a day on the trails is always a good time.
Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA) is located northeast of Harrisburg PA. The AOAA property contains a vast amount of trails covering over 6500 acres that are designed for Jeeps, ATVs, and other recreational vehicles. The property has a wide variety of trails accommodating all levels of off-roading skill. If you are unfamiliar with off-road parks, they are usually mapped out similarly to a ski slope:
| Ski Slope Designation | Off-road Trail Designation | Difficulty |
| Bunny Hill | Parking Lot | Not difficult, 2wd sufficient in most cases |
| Green Circle Trail | Green Trail | Beginner Level, some small challenges, relaxing, good scenery |
| Blue Square Trail | Blue Trail | Intermediate, some trails require vehicle modifications (vehicle lift for clearance), more frequent obstacles than green trails |
| Black Diamond & Double Black Diamond | Black and Red | Hard, vehicles NEED to be modified. Not recommended for your “daily driver” |
Due to the size of the group and variety of vehicles present, the groups remained on the green trails most of the day. I highly recommend if you are looking to venture off-road for the first time, to try out a dedicated off-road park. Most places require at least two vehicles in a group for safety. The parks also provide support in the case of an emergency.
The x-factor when visiting an off-road park is the current weather conditions. When it’s sunny, warm, and dry, the trail levels (listed in the table above) are very accurate to their designation. When those same trails are combined with harsh winter weather conditions, the difficulty levels change. The trails at this event were wet, snowy, icy, and muddy. Despite the harsh weather, only a few recoveries were needed, and no vehicles overturned. The scenic views were also amazing despite the conditions.
Why have an off-road event for full size / all vehicles? Isn’t the purpose of going off-roading to use all of the crazy modifications we have done to our vehicles? Normally, I would say yes, but this event proved the capabilities of every vehicle, ranging from off-road dedicated vehicles, to a stock Honda CRV with a sole upgrade of some all-terrain tires. Vehicles present were stock Jeeps, modified Jeeps, stock pick-up trucks, modified pick-up trucks, Jeep XJs, 4Runners, Honda CRV, and a modified Geo Tracker. The capabilities of even a Honda CRV were amazing. If your vehicle has 4WD or AWD, it’s impressive what it can do on the trails, even in bad weather conditions. Vehicle modifications / upgrades enhance your ability to handle rougher terrain and go new places, but are not necessary to get out there and have a good time.
OK4WD plans to do more events like this to get people outside, enjoying their vehicles in the great outdoors. If you want to learn more about OK4WD or AOAA, please click the links below.
www.OK4WD.com
www.aoaatrails.net
- Special thanks to AJ Lafferty, owner of GP Factor, for attending the event and sharing it with OutdoorX4 Magazine. To learn more about GP-Factor, visit www.gp-factor.com.
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