4x4 Trail Info
4x4 Trail Info
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Rating Systems:

4x4TrailInfo
Arizona
Arizona Land Rover Rally
ASA4WDC
AZ Rockcrawler.com
AZVJC
BadAss
Black Hills 4 Wheelers
Black Hills Jeeps
C.O.R.E.
CA Parks
Californiajeeper.com
Colorado
DVO
Expeditions West
Extreme4x4
GLFWDA
Jeep Jamboree
JonFund
Massey/Wilson
Moab
Nevada
Northern4x4
ORN
Sedona
SITR
Tellico
TTORA - NorCal
USFS
Vermont
Wells
Yuma

AZ Rockcrawler.com
Trail Rating System

This system is described on AZ Rockcrawler.com.  More details, including reasons for developing the system and recommended equipment for different size vehicles, can be found here.

1.01-2Improved dirt road
2.03-4Unimproved dirt roads.  Potholes, minor wash outs, medium sized rocks and mud holes.  Higher ground clearance helpful.
3.05Difficult Trail.  Loose gravel, large pot holes, steep inclines, medium sized rocks, 4 wheel drive required, aggressive tread and lowered tire pressure helpful.  See the list of recommended parts to carry.
3.56Hard Trail.  Same as above.  Some rocky sections, go arounds at major obstacles.  Body damage possible, mainly rocker panel or rear quarter panel.
4.07Moderate rocky trail.  Frequent ledges, crevices, large boulders, steep inclines and off camber situations.  Body and or tire damage likely. Spotters may be needed for some obstacles. Low tire pressure required, good chance of loosing a bead. Possible component breakages.
4.58Hard rocky trail.  Same as a 4.0 rated trail but the obstacles are bigger, tighter squeezes and bigger risks to body and mechanical components.  Few bypasses if any.  Longer wheelbase vehicles may have problems with breakover angles, short wheelbase vehicles may have to use a winch or strap on some obstacles.  Large vehicles will damage sheet metal.  Spotter may be needed for all major obstacles. Rollovers possible. Plan for common component breakages (vehicle specific).
5.09Extreme rocky trail.  Same as a 4.5 rated trail but the obstacles are bigger, tighter squeezes and bigger risks to body and mechanical components.  No bypasses.  Body damage guaranteed.  Spotters needed for most of trail.  Rollovers likely.  Some obstacles may require a winch for larger vehicles. Trail may be impassible when wet. Plan for major component breakages.  Realistically these trails should be run with rock buggies.
5.510Insane trail. Same as a 5.0 rated trail except all of the obstacles are bigger.  Constant spotting required, vehicles will get hung up frequently, undercarriage will catch rocks.  At some point a winch will be required to support the full weight of the vehicle.

Note: Trail ratings are highly subjective. A trail that is easy for an experienced driver with a highly modified vehicle may be impassable for a novice driver in a stock vehicle. Weather conditions may also significantly affect the difficulty of a trail. Also, the difficulty of a trail may change over time, as trail use, weather, and maintenance modify the trail. Always check with the managing organization and/or recent users before planning a trip on a trail and scout ahead on foot if you are not sure of current conditions.

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