Northwest Overland Rally in Washington

The NW Overland Rally is a Pacific Northwest overland rally that is held in Plain, Washington, a tiny town about 20 minutes from the German-influenced city of Leavenworth. In its 8th year as an event, the NW Overland Rally has grown from a small gathering of adventure-seeking attendees to a mid-sized rally that just hosted nearly 2,000 visitors and approximately 110 vendors. Everyone who attends this rally supports global vehicular travel in some fashion or another. The 2018 NWOR brought in people from around the Pacific Northwest (including Canada), other states, as well as folks from other countries.

Hosted by well-known Canadian overlander/explorer/all-around awesome guy, Ray Hyland, the NW Overland Rally has become a great place for adventure travelers to meet up every year: learn a thing or two about new products and techniques, brush up on some off-road skills, and have a pint or two around the campfire.

From vehicle recovery and winching demonstrations, wilderness first aid to Rebelle Rally classes, to a cooking competition, Pacific Northwest wine class and tasting, and classes for kids; there’s a lot to learn, tons to do, and plenty of people to meet. You’d never get bored at this event as each day is jam-packed with informative classes and hands-on gatherings. Don’t forget the trail rides too! From technical to ladies only trails, driving the terrain near Plan, WA can test your off-road ability and allow for beautiful scenery.

The NWOR showcases the latest and greatest in products too. The “vendor row” as it’s known, has over 100 vendors exhibiting and selling their latest products. From solar panels to WARN winches, knifes to tactical clothing, bungee cords to Simple Showers, you could spend dozens to potentially thousands of dollars on great gear.

This event is well-known for its nightly raffles, in which vendors give away amazing amounts of prizes. Lots of attendees come away with something (hats, shirts, travel-related gear), while real lucky ones garner big-ticket items like a winch, rooftop tent, high-end camping gear, and much more.

The weekend-long event concludes Sunday morning with the NW Trophy Challenge. This challenge is meant to pit driver and vehicle against the clock for obstacle course superiority. This year’s event included the “Embarrassing Wetness Challenge” in which drivers navigated the obstacle course with a glass of water taped to the hood of their vehicle and three strategically-placed “stops” along the course to grab a marker and put an X on your hand. Not only is it timed, but you’re penalized for spilling water or missing one, two, or all three “X” stops. The vehicle with the fastest time—and the most water in their cup once through—gets first place. It’s a hoot to see everyone drive through the course. One mistake and half your water could jump of your cup. Or, if you weren’t comfortable with trees, contestants would skip a marker stop in order to improve their time. From Subarus to Landrovers, Nissans, Jeeps, (and us being an odd-ball right-hand-drive Mitsubishi Pajero), all had a good time. Each driver ended up with a prize. Once the Trophy Challenge was done and prizes handed out, the 2018 NW Overland Rally was in the books.

The NW Overland Rally is a must-see event. From the vehicles, gear, and informative classes showcased there, to the truly awesome people that attend it, NWOR is an amazingly fun time. Mark your calendars as it’s typically held in June. Hope to see you there!

* OutdoorX4 Magazine Promoting responsible 4×4 adventure travel and outdoor recreation