We took 10 Polaris RZR’s through the desert and mountains all the way from LA to Las Vegas. This two day rally style adventure saw less than a mile of pavement and 300 miles of wildly various terrain. We had two chases truck teams to keep us safe and meet us for lunch along the trail. They made short work of the few mechanical hiccups and everyone made it there and back. It was an incredible feeling of accomplishment with a 10.0 for adventure and 8.4 overall FACE Score™
Summary: Off-road rally in Polaris RZR’s from LA to Vegas. We rented the RZR’s, followed a pre-scouted trail, there one day, back the next. 300 miles total.
Where Was It: We staged as a group in Newberry Springs CA and went all off-road through to Primm NV
Who Made It Happen: The team at Rentmefun put together the RZR rentals and the logistics of the trailers etc. My dear friend and off-road legend Jeff Mathews put the route and details in order.
Here’s how it went down:
It was an ambitious idea. Let’s do a rally that does all off-road from LA to Vegas. Well it was easier said than done to put it together. But it all came together. Jeff Mathews and I had talked about racing Baja and off road play for years. A few years ago he did a 2-day rally from LA down to San Diego and loved it. So when he finally said Vegas was doable. We locked it in.
10 members descended on my lake place in Newberry Springs. My 15 year old daughter was coming along as she is an off-road lover. We trailered 6 2019 Polaris RZR 1000 4 passenger rigs the night before. Once we had the group together Jeff went over some safety details and our plan. The plan was simple: Jeff would lead and his partner would bring up the rear. That way all of us could just follow the leader and if there were problems we’d all be together. The key was staying together.
We hit the trail by 9:00am and it was wild. First we crossed miles of sand dunes and river wash weaving though to the first mountain range, These RZR’s go over everything and anything. After a couple of hours we had our first mechanical stop, a blown belt. We changed the belt on the RZR in no time and we we’re back rolling.
We cruised through the mountains till we came out on the other side near Baker CA. There was an epic dry lakebed that we played in and that’s were we stopped for lunch. There was some serious energy in the group.
After lunch the trail got very technical with some skill required, Really fun and exciting stuff. My daughter was driving most of this area and keeping up like a champion. Nearing 4pm and about 50 miles to go we a big breakdown. My friend Keith brought his CanAm and he snapped a control arm. We eventually got him out to the trail and on a trailer, but we were 2 hours behind.
As we headed up the final mountain stretch it turned dark. It was one of the craziest experiences coming across the range to see the glow of the Vegas lights in the distance. We rolled right off the trail into the Chevron gas station in Primm NV. It was quite a sight to see 10 off-road vehicles up at the gas pumps with 20 or so dust covered riders. We staged the vehicles at the Primm Valley Casino because we could literally drive into the parking lot. Just perfect. From there it was a lot of dust washing and excited recaps of the adventure before hitting the Uber to head to the MGM for dinner. It was my daughter’s first trip to Vegas so I had to show her the Venetian and other cool hotels. I slept like a log that night.
Next morning 8am the crew assembled and we were back on the road. The way back had some of the coolest off-road terrain I’d ever been through (and I’ve raced the Baja 1000). We went through a sand stretch that had hundreds of Joshua trees and a sidewinding banked sand dune trail. It was amazing.
We all made it back to the lake by 3pm that day and packed up for the boring highway drive home JWas a serious adventure and the fact that I got to take my daughter was a real highlight as a Dad.
Best Moments: Coming down the mountain at night and seeing the lights from the casino. Also, Bethany lost her phone the night before on the trail and somehow we found it the next day. Big celebration!
What We Loved: It was a big team effort. We moved as a group we worked as a group. It was so different and fun. The RZR’s were just beasts!
What We’d Change: Not much. Everything went off without a hitch. Might not do overnight again, one day is more than enough.
Who Is This For: You gotta love adventure. This is something you have to want to do and it’s not something you can just set out and do. There was a lot of planning and prepping. Our next off-road will probably be more day trip.
FUN: 7.8 – It was fun, but it’s not all fun. There is work involved and it’s a long two day. The driving is super fun but when you add the big group and the destination it becomes a mission more than a fun play day.
ADVENTURE: 10.0 – It doesn’t get better. Get from A to B and nobody knows if you’ll make it was epic. Also the idea of rolling off-road to Vegas was a big win.
COST: 4.0 – it was cheap overall when you look at what was involved. Renting is a big win.
EFFORT: - 7.0 – it was a lot of work. Even for those that just showed and drove, it was a long day and there was a lot going on.
Overall FACE Score™ 8.4
Will I do this one again. Most certainly. Contact me if you want to roll with.
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