Wheelin' With a View at Washita Offroad Trails

One of the things that's unique about the park is the incredible vistas. In addition to 1,350-foot-tall "Bald Knob," as it's known, there are a few places where you can see for up to 20 miles.

One of the things that's unique about the park is the incredible vistas. In addition to 1,

The Saint Francois Mountains of southeast Missouri are a range of Precambrian igneous mountains. Translated, this means they're really old and formed by molten rock that has become solid. These mountains have a rich history, and geographically they're significant in part because they boast the highest point in the state, 1,772-foot Taum Sauk Mountain. Their other claim to fame is Washita Offroad Trails ORV Park.

Washita Offroad Trails is a 1,200-acre park that was opened in November 2006. It is located in the southwest corner of St. Francois County, about a 75-minute drive from St. Louis. The park boasts 22 miles of mild to extreme trails, on-site restrooms, and primitive camping. It is open 2 4/7 every day except Christmas Day. Don McDowell, the park's owner, says that the folks at Midwest Jeepthing, a St. Louis-based 4x4 club, have been instrumental in getting the park off the ground, and everyone's hard work shows. All of the trails are clearly marked, and trail maps are available. These maps are color-coded, so you won't end up on a trail with a challenge level you don't want. Moreover, the park is continuing to evolve. There are plans for a 22-acre lake with campground in the works, and it's planned to open in late spring 2010.

Jim Klouzek and his wife Anne compete in rockcrawling competitions, and it shows. They effortlessly navigated their heavily modified '97 TJ over the toughest trails with ease. Their rig features a 4.0L I-6; modified TorqueFlite 727 transmission; Atlas 4.3:1 transfer-case; Dana 60 front axle with ARB Air Locker, Superior 35-spline chrome-moly axleshafts, Longfield 300M axlejoints and Warn drive flange kit; 14-bolt rear axle with ARB Air Locker and disc brakes; 5.13:1 gears; four-link suspension with coilovers up front and air shocks in the rear; dual Warn winches; Allied beadlocks; and 39-inch BFG Krawler T/A KX tires.

Jim Klouzek and his wife Anne compete in rockcrawling competitions, and it shows. They eff

We recently had the chance to spend a day at Washita Offroad Trails. We tagged along with a group of about 16 rigs that represented almost every build level of four-wheel-drive vehicles, and they sported some fascinating mods. We had the chance to experience a wide variety of trails from easy two-tracks to pucker-factor rock climbs and descents. We came away from the park impressed with what it has to offer, as well as its mountain majesty.

Our trail guide, Jeff McGuire, drove this '98 TJ. This rig is also his daily driver. It's amazing how capable this rig was under his experienced control. Among other things, it has a power-chipped 2.5L I-4 engine, five-speed manual transmission, stock axles, 2-inch lift, 1-inch body lift, TeraFlex S/T Swaybar System, Warn 8,000-pound winch, Warn and Dirty Fab skidplating, and 31-inch Pro Comp Xterrain tires.
Our trail guide, Jeff McGuire, drove this '98 TJ. This rig is also his daily driver. It's
To conquer the big granite, a rig like Scott Cason's rock buggy is the hot ticket. Cason owns Creative Offroad Designs and he built this rig. "Everything was up to me. I didn't have to work under manufacturers' constraints," he says. The rig has a propane-fed 351ci V-8, C6 transmission, Klune-V, NP205 transfer case, Unimog 404 axles, double-triangulated four-link suspension with nitrogen shocks, custom beadlock wheels, 42-inch Interco IROKs, dual winches and PSC hydraulic steering.
To conquer the big granite, a rig like Scott Cason's rock buggy is the hot ticket. Cason o
Trail B7 coming down from Bald Knob is a challenging run filled with large, sometimes loose rocks, as well as tight turns. This is Bobby Duncan in his way-cool '68 Bronco. This machine has a long list of mods including a fuel-injected 396ci V-8, C6 transmission, NP205 transfer case, pair of Dana 60's, 44-inch Boggers, and lots of custom bodywork.
Trail B7 coming down from Bald Knob is a challenging run filled with large, sometimes loos

Remember this gent? It's 2008 Top Truck Champion Jeremy Naeger. Washita Offroad Trails ORV Park is right in his backyard, figuratively speaking. His custom rig is exactly the way it was when he competed in Top Truck. He made short work of all the major obstacles at Washita. He tells us his "next quest" is to build a rig to compete in King of the Hammers.
Remember this gent? It's 2008 Top Truck Champion Jeremy Naeger. Washita Offroad Trails ORV
Buzzard Creek is a rock-littered lengthy obstacle. For rigs like Rick Freeman's '87 YJ, it was no problem. Rigs with less ground clearance had to pick and choose their line carefully. Freeman's YJ features a 350ci V-8, TH350 transmission, Atlas T-case, Detroit-locked Dana 60 front axle, and a spool-locked Ford 9-inch rear axle.
Buzzard Creek is a rock-littered lengthy obstacle. For rigs like Rick Freeman's '87 YJ, it

Washita is home to some truly big rocks, but that didn't scare Charles Meyer in his '98 Disco. His rig's long list of mods includes ARB Air Lockers front and rear, upgraded axleshafts, three-link Safari Gard front suspension, Safari Gard bumpers and sliders, Superwinch X9 winch, and 35-inch BFG Mud-Terrain KM2 tires.
Washita is home to some truly big rocks, but that didn't scare Charles Meyer in his '98 Di
It looks as though it should be in a museum, but retired autoworker Fred Bailey's immaculate 4.3L V-6-powered '53 Willys CJ-B3 is built for the trail. We'll have a full feature on this incredible rig in a future issue.
It looks as though it should be in a museum, but retired autoworker Fred Bailey's immacula
Jason Price says his grandfather taught him how to drive on a farm in a '46 Willys CJ-2A when he was 12 years old. During our run, he was sharing the trail with his 9-year-old daughter, Mekenzie, in his heavily modified '97 TJ. This rig's long list of mods includes a Dana 44 front axle with ARB Air Locker and Moser axleshafts, rear Dana 60 with Detroit Locker, a modified Rubicon Express long-arm suspension, custom 1-ton high-steer setup, XD9000 Warn winch, shifter-mounted hand throttle, and underhood-mounted hand throttle.
Jason Price says his grandfather taught him how to drive on a farm in a '46 Willys CJ-2A w

Big granite boulders like these are commonplace at the park. Jack Tucker wheeled 'em in his '06 Rubicon Unlimited. The rigs drivetrain is stock, except for the pair of Dynatrac ProRock 60s. The suspension is a TeraFlex long-arm kit with Rubicon Express springs. The rig rolls on 37-inch BFG M-T KM2's.
Big granite boulders like these are commonplace at the park. Jack Tucker wheeled 'em in hi
Ron Thompson built his incredible '04 "Skull Splitter" with enough room to haul his whole family. The small-block Chevy-powered rig has throttle body injection, and it's bolted to a TH400 transmission. An Off Road Design Doubler splits power to a pair of 2 1/2-ton Rockwell axles with Detroit Lockers. The front axle is held in place via leaf springs, while the rear axle is located via a triangulated four-link with coil springs. The rig rolls on custom 15x10 beadlocks and 44x18.50 Super Swamper TSLs.
Ron Thompson built his incredible '04 "Skull Splitter" with enough room to haul his whole
You may remember this YJ from the cover of the January 2010 issue. It's owned by Chris Harbinson and sports a number of cool features, including a Detroit Electrac-locked front Dana 60 axle and a Detroit Locker-equipped Ford 10 1/2-inch rear axle.
You may remember this YJ from the cover of the January 2010 issue. It's owned by Chris Har

It seemed like there wasn't an obstacle in the park that Bob Gilmore, or his daughter, Heather, wouldn't try at least once. This father-daughter duo took turns driving the CD Fab tube chassis rig, sometimes with spectacular results. The rig has a 350ci V-8, TH350 transmission, Atlas 3.8:1 transfer case, ARB'd Dana 60 front axle, ARB'd 14-bolt rear axle, King remote-reservoir coilovers, hydraulic bumpstops, 15x10 TrailReady beadlocks, and 42-inch Interco IROKs.
It seemed like there wasn't an obstacle in the park that Bob Gilmore, or his daughter, Hea
Scott Carline, president of Axle Boy Performance Offroad, wheeled his 104-inch-wheelbase '87 YJ. One of the rig's unusual mods is an Eaton E-Locker-equipped AAM 9 1/2-inch rear axle that was pirated from a Hummer H2. It joins a high-pinion Dana 44 front axle, also with an Eaton ELocker. Carline says his favorite terrain includes natural rock ledges, so he was probably quite happy at Washita.
Scott Carline, president of Axle Boy Performance Offroad, wheeled his 104-inch-wheelbase '