SXS Adventure Rally, "Plan B:"

It’s one of our favorite times of the year~ Rock crawling season! With perfect weather of 72 degrees, early November tends to be one of the best times to head south. We loaded up a 2018 Can Am Maverick X3 XRC Turbo R, 2019 Can Am Maverick Sport XRC, 2016 Polaris RZR XP Turbo 4, 2019 Polaris RZR XP Turbo 4 and the all-new 2020 Polaris RZR PRO XP Turbo and headed to beautiful Sand Hollow for the weekend!

The SXS Adventure Rally sponsored by CST Tires is an annual event that takes place in Sand Hollow, UT as a family event showcasing everything that Sand Hollow hides. From some extremely technical rock crawling, scenic rides, dunes and plenty more there is something for every enthusiast whether just starting out or wanting to challenge themselves as a driver along with their vehicle. From November 7-9th during the Adventure Rally you can take part in group rides. For most riders, this is the best option. During group rides you are provided with a spotter and have a group of people to help out in a tight situation. The guides will help spot you through some intense terrain and help you learn the capabilities of each machine!

Our first day started out on the trail “Plan B” GPS coordinates 37.05080, -113.40556. For those that know the area, it is South-South East of Top of the World. Plan B is rated as a 7, so it definitely has some difficult obstacles.

Pictures left to right: Screenshot from Avenza Maps showing “Plan B” Trailhead

2016 Polaris RZR XP Turbo 4 driven by Brayden on first obstacle on Plan B

The start of the trial runs through a gully that for 72” machines and most 4 seaters will require using some sidewall on your tires. A quick left turn takes you to a small overlook with an off-camber turn into rocks. This off-camber section can make you feel uneasy at it does tilt your machine to around 30 degrees! For machines with more suspension travel that want to avoid the off-camber feel, you can place a rear tire on top of the rocks to help balance the machine out.

Adam “Fitz” taking his machine up the first off-camber left on “Plan B”

Coming up from the off-camber turn takes you to one of our favorite spots on the trail. The path takes you between some large rocks that can prove to be tricky for longer UTV’s. We had a bit of trouble getting the 2 4-seaters through this section as the wheelbase puts your front tires in a hole while the rear tires are pinned up against large rocks. We had to use a little extra skinny pedal along with stacked rocks to get one of the 4 seaters through this section.

Robert taking the X3 XRC through the boulders~ 2 seaters had a clear advantage at this point!

Fitz hung up on the rocks on the rear tires. Getting the 4 seaters through required some spotting!

One of the best parts of “Plan B” was the scenery~ many of the canyons had a backdrop featuring “The Maze” and Top of the World. We had timed the trail just right that as we got to the halfway point (where we left the trail on day 1) you can merge onto the main trial and catch some gorgeous views of the sunset, the Arizona valleys and plenty more!

AJ taking the Maverick Sport XRC up one the hills on “Plan B”

What really blew us away on this trip was the ability of the Maverick Sport XRC~ nothing could stop this machine! With the 90” wheelbase, this thing was just short enough to make quick work of nearly every single obstacle thrown at it. The fully locking Smart-Lok® gave the Sport XRC the ability to climb in true 4 Wheel Drive fashion up and over everything thrown at it. What we saw, was that the 15” of TRUE ground clearance gave the XRC the advantage over the other machines we had with us. Every other SXS we had with us had a trailing arm setup~ which is a perfect setup for desert! The downside of a trailing arm setup is that as the rear suspension drops going over rocks, the trailing arm follows. This caused snags and hangups on many obstacles. The Sport XRC, however, has a double a-arm setup which prevented any of the snags we experienced with the other machines.

Downsides of double a-arm setup definitely showed in certain areas. Getting to most of the trails in Sand Hollow require riding through dunes and whoops. At speed with a trailing arm suspension setup, the car will generally stay very planted and make for a smooth ride. On a double a-arm setup, there is a lot more bouncing over rough terrain. This is also due to the shorter 90” wheelbase. The only other downside of the Sport XRC that we could find was that with the shorter wheelbase, long steep uphills on slickrock proved to be tricky as the tire placement wasn’t perfectly ideal. With the XRC package, the Sport does include a winch which was perfect as we did get stuck on one uphill and required winching.

Adam guiding AJ up a very steep incline on “Plan B”. Winching may not have been necessary, but gave AJ more confidence on this steep hill to keep the front end planted on the ground.

To wrap up the day, each and every machine shined in its own way. One machine would make an obstacle without issue, where another machine would struggle. Something that is always recommended to those who are riding in Sand Hollow: Upgrade tires. UHMW skid plates are a MUST. Rock sliders come in handy. Winches aren’t necessary, but may give the extra confidence on larger hills and will help if stuck. With a good group of people, side by sides are unstoppable on these trails regardless of wheelbase and brand. Make sure to equip yourself and be ready for anything!

Make sure to head over to our YouTube channel as well and catch our video on Sand Hollow.