Off Road Park near (ish ) to Houston

[Gerald]

Had a great time at Hidden Falls. We got there on Thursday afternoon and we were the only campers in the Improved sites (electricity and water connections). So we had plenty of room and privacy. The campsites were very close together so on a high occupancy day it would be fairly crowded. But we had plenty of space sine we were it!!

 

[Gerald]

After unloading and getting the tent set up, we went exploring around. They have several trails for 4x4s ranging from 1 diamond to 5 diamonds. For this initial trip we stuck to 1 and 2 diamonds. There are some really fun 2 diamond trails with very rocky terrain that would cause the truck to bounce around. It was a blast. I got to try the "rocky terrain" cruise control and it worked pretty well. It was fun. Most of the trails are not meant for speed. Here are a few shots to show the scenery and trails.

 

[Gerald]

The best part was on Friday morning. There was still really no one on the 4x4 trails so we had plenty of time to explore and test things out. Way out at the back of the park on Park Road 1, I spot a hump of the trail that looked like you could get some air beneath the Raptor. There wasn't a lot of room and the trail wasn't the smoothest, but I did manage to get some decent air. This was my first time trying to jump, so I was a little cautious. Maybe next time I'll get even more air. Apparently the video file is too large. I'll have to work on compressing it or making it smaller so I can upload.

 

[Gerald]

It was a little muddy from a recent rain so the Raptor did get to play in mud a bit. Now time to give her a bath tomorrow!

 

[GCATX]

Very cool. Our family has probably spent a collective year out there. We've had dedicated rock crawlers, utv's, then dirtbikes until my son got bored. Took the Raptor out a while back to putz around, still fun. They have full hookups for RV's too. Spent many a weekend out there in the diesel pusher and trailer with a collection of toys. If you get a membership, you can go anytime, they give you a gate card. Go during the week, nobody is there. Weekends can get a little rowdy, but still fun.

Awesome place, it really shines for rock crawling and dirtbikes. It will always have a special place in my family's heart, we would go camp with other families and just turn the kids loose on whatever mechanized beast was there.

 

[salvagediver]

That looks like fun, will have to take the wife there when i get back in from offshore

 

[Gerald]

Hidden Falls is a great place to get your toes wet. Little high speed stuff, but it's great to just be out there. Half the fun is watching the jeep retards parade around and get in over their heads, yelling for a spotter. Grab a map at the office and stick to the easier trails. Most of the ranch roads are doable in 2 wheel drive, may have to click in 4wd every once in a while, if you're feeling salty and choose a slightly harder line. If you're camping in the cold, bring plenty of fire wood and whiskey. Take the tires down to 10-15 psi and cruise around in comfort and have a good time, you will not bust a tire bead. They have a big air compressor as you leave, so you can air back up.
Drive up to the area above Loose Rock trail for the best view, sunset is spectacular. You can easily see over 20 miles.

I missed your post before I headed out. Your comment about the Jeeps is too funny. We went on a Thursday to avoid crowds and it worked. We were alone in the improved campsites and no one was on the 4x4 trails. We pretty much had the place to ourselves. On Friday morning, some Jeep folks showed up and came over to say hello. They were very nice and offered us some homemade moonshine! They were telling us that they had at least 11 Jeeps showing up for the weekend. So there was going to be a big Jeep group coming in as we were packing up to leave. We asked if they ran the Jeeps up Carnage Canyon (very steep slope) and they said yes. We then asked if they had rolled a Jeep off of that slope and they said yes!

Funny, I saw the air compressor on the way in and thought that might be there to air up. But after setting up the tent, I was so excited to get going on the trails that I completely forgot to air down. So I pretty much ran both days on 38 tires. I didn't have any issues and everything felt fine. Maybe I wouldn't have bounced around on some of the rocks if the tires were aired down. For getting air or jumping like I did, is it still recommended to air down? Or should you stay fully aired for the landings. Seems like having the fully aired tires was good for the jumping.

 

[Gerald]

Gave the Raptor a good bath after our trip to Hidden Falls. Found a few minor scratches on the bedside. The only negative about Hidden Falls is that some of the trails are a bit narrow. I tried to stay off of those that looked like the branches were too close to the trail. But I did still hit a few. I think they'll come out with a little buffing. But the truck looks great after a good washing. Used Pledge for the first time on the tires.

 

[Gerald]

Until I can get a video uploaded, here is a screen shot of me getting some air!!