To a developer, 40 acres of unoccupied land is just another place to stuff 320 tract homes, make a tidy profit, and move on. To a wheeler, 40 acres of unoccupied land is an awe-inspiring nirvana of off-road adventure. To Roland Bal, 40 acres of unoccupied land is all it took for him to create Spring Creek Off Road.
Spring Creek Off Road is an off-road park located near Spring, Texas, which is just a few minutes north of Houston. Bal has been running the place for about four years. During this relatively short lifespan, a lot has happened. Bal and a generous team of volunteers have created a trail system that complements the natural terrain of the area, which is hilly, mostly tree- covered, and bordered on one side by Spring Creek. The sum of which is that 40 acres seems much larger. They've also added a competition mud pit, a rockcrawl course, and various other obstacles. They now have a mud-bog racing series, a new King of the Creek competition, a Supertruck Shootout, and rockcrawling competitions. They've even hosted a W.E. Rock event on the property.
We recently went down and spent the day at the park. A monsoon appeared to greet our arrival, leaving everything ultra- mucky and a lot of fun. We had a chance to wheel with scores of great people from the Houston area and beyond, and we got to see a wide variety of Texas rigs in action on their home soil.
It costs $10 per person per day to explore Spring Creek Off Road, and kids under 12 years of age are free. There are no services at the park, but because it is very close to a population center, amenities such as food, lodging, and parts are very close. For more information on Spring Creek Off Road, visit springcreekoffroad.com.
One of the cool features of Spring Creek is the rockcrawling area. This area was built to facilitate a W.E. Rock competition and the surface is comprised of Shotcrete. Here, Rick Milstead lines up to show how it's done in his rig. This machine started life as a '98 Wrangler, but the only stock parts left are the grille and 4 feet of frame. It has a 4.3L V-6, a TH400 trans, an Atlas 3.8 transfer case, 'Mog axles with air-actuated lockers, a three-link front suspension, a triangulated four-link rear suspension, bead-lock wheels, and 49-inch IROKs. He says he loves the "super flexible" suspension, but wishes the rig was a four-seater.
When Jeff Vogel isn't making trails look easy in Texas, he and his heavily modified '87 Toyota 4Runner can be found on the trail in Moab, Clayton, or Hot Springs. His career as a machinist gave him the expertise to create this rig and it features a 350ci engine, a TH350 trans, an NP203/205 transfer case with homemade doubler, a 35-spline ARB'd Dana 60 front axle with hydraulic steering, a Detroit-Locked 14-bolt rear axle, 5.13:1 gears, Pro Turn bead locks, and 44-inch Boggers. The bobbed rig has leaf springs up front and a custom four-link in the rear. Vogel says his favorite mod is the dual transfer-case setup.
 One of the park's main attractions...  One of the park's main attractions is the two-lane competition mud pit. This is the location of Spring Creek's mud-bog racing series. The track is gnarly right from the beginning and it quickly gets worse. |  We hit the trail with a group...  We hit the trail with a group of rigs that ran the gamut from stockers to heavily modified. The cool thing about Spring Creek is that no matter what modification level your rig is, there is something for everyone here. |  You can't blame a guy for...  You can't blame a guy for trying. Jim Taylor attempted a gnarly ravine in his Atlas II- and Detroitequipped '98 Ford Explorer and ended up flopped onto his side with a broken CV axle. But hey, no big deal. After righting the rig, he drove it 83 miles home. |
 The natural rolling terrain...  The natural rolling terrain of the park lends itself to some entertaining hillclimbs. Normally one could just straddle the V-notch on a hill like this, but rain made it too slippery for that maneuver. The only option for Donnie Brown was to unwind his nitrous-fed LT1 and power to the top. |  Steven and Heidi Holt wheel...  Steven and Heidi Holt wheel a giant Centurion conversion F-350/Bronco and they're not afraid to use it. It has a bedlined interior, seats up to seven passengers, has four-point harnesses for all, a propaneinjected diesel engine, a Detroit-locked Dana 60 front axle, and a welded Ford 10.5-inch rear axle. It rolls on 39-inch IROKs mounted on Hummer H2 wheels. |  One of the more unique obstacles...  One of the more unique obstacles at Spring Creek is this Shotcrete-covered bridge. It has a steep approach, which in wet weather forces a fair amount of forward velocity to ascend. This means you had better be lined up with the two rails when you crest the top or you'll find yourself puckered-up. Trust us; it looks plenty tall when you're sitting in the driver seat. |
 Heavy rains made the dirt...  Heavy rains made the dirt ravines ultra-slippery. Nick Lundt found himself pitched over in his '75 Chevy pickup, staring at a wall of slime during his attempt to ascend this ravine. His rig is completely Herculined inside and out, has a 350ci engine, a Dana 60 front axle, a Detroit-Locked full-floating GM 14-bolt rear axle, a 6-inch suspension lift, and 38-inch Boggers. He says his rig is priceless, but his wife Sarah says it's worth $1.25. Ouch. |  Donnie Brown could easily...  Donnie Brown could easily climb the rocks all day long if he stuck to the normally traveled lines, but where's the fun in that? He tried a new line to make things more interesting, which ended with a light flop onto the passenger side. His rig has a full tube chassis, an LT1 V-8 with nitrous, a TH350 trans, an NP205 transfer case, a pair of Rockwells, a four-link suspension with 20-inch-travel Racesource shocks, 15x14 bead-lock wheels, and 44-inch Swampers. |  This is Roland Bal, owner...  This is Roland Bal, owner of Spring Creek Off Road, driving his bobbed '80 Toyota pickup. Bal isn't one to sit around and watch other folks wheel. He was out on the trail during every spare moment he had while we were there. His truck has a Vortec 4300 V-6 engine, a 700R4 trans, a Marlin Crawler transfer case, and 36-inch IROKs. Since we visited the park Bal stretched the 'Yota's frame 4 inches, added a pair of Detroit-Locked Dana 60s, and 42-inch IROKs. Then he violently rolled it, destroying the body. |