Winter 4x4 Jamboree

Four Days of Guided Trail Runs Out of the Fairgrounds

The Winter 4x4 Jamboree is a trail-ride event, not a race or a spectator show. Drivers register their own vehicles for specific guided runs, and each morning the groups line up in the staging lanes at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Hurricane, hear a driver meeting from their trail leader, and head out together. Runs leave in an early wave and a mid-morning wave from Wednesday through Saturday, with Tuesday given over to vendor setup and packet pickup.

Most of the routes are on Sand Mountain, the off-road area outside Hurricane that the event was created to promote. Others use Warner Valley and the Hurricane Cliffs, and a few head toward the Virgin River Gorge. The first Jamboree, in January 2015, drew 284 registered vehicles to about two dozen trails; the organizers say the lineup has since grown past thirty, and 1,190 participants registered in 2025.

A 1-to-10 Rating on Every Trail

Every run carries a difficulty number from 1 to 10, and the rating decides who belongs on it. At the gentle end, past lineups have included a 4x4 101 run built around instruction and an easy SUV route out to Toquerville Falls. The top end, like Arrowhead Canyon at a 10, is described by the organizers as buggy territory.

Your equipment, not your confidence, sets your ceiling. The organizers say lockers and oversized tires determine which trails a vehicle qualifies for, so read the trail descriptions against what is actually on your rig before picking a run.

Who Runs It, and Where the Money Goes

The Jamboree is organized and staffed by volunteers from the Desert Roads and Trails Society, known as DRATS or the Desert RATS, a nonprofit off-road club formed in March 2014 alongside the Utah Public Lands Alliance. The two were set up to work in tandem: DRATS raises the money by running the Jamboree, and the alliance uses much of it to keep Sand Mountain and other Utah trail networks open to motorized use.

Jamboree funds have paid for composting toilets on Sand Mountain, trailhead and intersection signs across its trail system, and annual cleanups with the Bureau of Land Management. The club also credits that work with helping defeat a proposed housing development on the mountain. Donations have gone to the Utah 4 Wheel Drive Association, Washington County Search and Rescue and the BlueRibbon Coalition as well.

Evenings at the Fairgrounds

Off the trail, the fairgrounds' Harmon and Grafton buildings are the hub. Thursday evening brings a Show and Shine alongside the vendor show, Friday is vendor night with prize drawings, and Saturday closes with a barbecue dinner, raffle and auction. Families are welcome: there is a free kids' raffle and an RC 4x4 play course where children can drive their own remote-control trucks or borrow one.

Why January

The Jamboree is held the third week of January every year. The organizers put average January temperatures in the low 50s by day and near freezing overnight, which is comfortable for a long day in a cab and cold for anyone sleeping in a tent. They also warn to be ready for rain and snow, and they reserve the right to change a trail at the last minute for safety.

Who It Suits

Owners of full-size four-wheel-drive vehicles and buggies who want to learn local trails behind someone who knows them, and first-timers who would rather do their first sand-and-slickrock run in a guided group than alone. Anyone coming for the whole week should also read our guide to off-roading at Sand Hollow for the area outside event days, and camping near St. George if you would rather not sleep at the fairgrounds.