Off-Roading In The Snow — Part 1

Driving off-road in the snow can be an exhilarating experience, and an excellent way to get into some gorgeous scenery during the winter months. Yet for many people it can also be little intimidating. We put together this guide for new off-roaders who want to go play in the white stuff this winter, but don’t know where to start.

As a disclaimer up front, we wrote this guide primarily for drivers of relatively stock but capable 4x4 and AWD vehicles who do not have much experience driving off-highway in the snow. If your rig is on 35”+ tires that you routinely drop down to below 20 PSI this guide may be a little basic for you. If you are an experienced off-roader with tips to add to this guide feel free to leave a comment and we will add your advice in!

How do I find places to go off-roading in the snow?

Sometimes the hardest part about snow wheeling is finding the right place to do it. Exploring random back roads is always an option, but we usually prefer to do a little research before heading out the door. Knowing where the snowline is, and having a few routes picked out in advance can make for a more fun excursion and allow you to leave an estimated itinerary with someone back home (we’ll get to that later).

Caltopo.com is our go to free browser-based mapping application, and our starting point for snowventures. Select your favorite base layer (we usually use FSTopo 2016) then click on “SnoTel Sites” under “Real Time Data”. This will bring up a series of circles at higher elevations on your map that represent data from weather gauges across the Western US.

Caltopo.com is the best browser based mapping application available. For driving navigation we use Gaia GPS, but Snotel data is not available on Gaia yet.

In this example we are looking at a SnoTel site near Waldo Lake at a little over 5,500ft. The black line on the graph at the bottom of the screen represents snow levels over time. This is only showing 3” which shouldn’t be too difficult for any capable rig to tackle. By using data from two to three SnoTel sites in the area that you want to explore you can get a good feel for how deep the snow is at any particular elevation. With that information you can make an informed decision on which trails to explore based on your comfort level, and the capability of your vehicle. In our Tundra we are good to drive solo in snow up to 18” deep, anything over that and we want to go with a group or take additional precautions. Figuring out that number for yourself will take some trial and error, but a good rule of thumb at the beginning is to stick to roads that will not take you into snow that is any deeper than your ground clearance.

When driving uphill the snow can pile up fast!

When picking roads to run, flat is your friend. Snow depth can increase dramatically with just a few hundred feet of elevation gain. Try to look for flatter routes that keep you in the sweet-spot for snow depth as long as possible.

What Gear Should I bring?

Equipment for snow wheeling can be broken down into two categories: gear to help keep you from getting stuck, and gear to help you survive comfortably if you do get stuck. We will start with the survival gear.

It is always a good idea to keep some basic emergency supplies in your vehicle regardless of the season, but winter makes that need all the more important. The best way to think about packing for winter off-roading is to imagine that you are going to be camping in your vehicle overnight, even if you only plan on doing a day trip. This breaks down to:

Warm clothes are a must when driving anywhere in the snow.

Warm clothes — Typically a spare base layer, mid layer, insulated layer, and waterproof shell, for everyone in the vehicle. Don’t forget spare socks, gloves and a beanie!

Blankets/sleeping bags — Optimally this includes a mummy bag with a low temp rating, and a pile of blankets.

Water — Make sure to keep this in your cab to avoid freezing, having a means to efficiently melt snow is a good idea as well.

Food — best to have a couple backpacking style meals, and ample snacks for everyone in the car.

Darkness comes early in the winter months. Having a few extra light sources around can make your life a lot easier when it does.

Lights — whether you are stuck out overnight, or getting home later than expected, having a few battery powered lights available will make a big difference for your safety and comfort. We recommend carrying a mix of headlamps, handheld flashlights, and lanterns.

Gas — You don’t necessarily need to load your rig down with jerry cans for a day trip into the mountains, but leaving town with a full tank will ensure that you can handle unplanned detours, or run your heater off and on through the night if you do get stuck.

We keep most of these items in a large backpack so that they are easy to move in and out of the vehicle and stay consolidated in-between trips.

Now for the gear to keep you from getting stuck.

The aftermath of a successful recovery. Taking two shovels on these trips allows us to both dig out at the same time.

Shovel — The shovel is your best friend in the snow. If you spend enough miles in it you will eventually get stuck, and this is your best bet to get you out. There are a ton of specialized shovels marketed to the overlanding/off-roading crowd at an exceptional markup, but we have found that a typical garden shovel works just fine. If you have the space to carry one with a full-sized handle that helps, when heading into really deep snow we take two so that both of us can go to work at the same time.

Traction boards make a huge difference in low traction situations.

Traction boards — People ask all the time if these things really work, and the answer is unequivocally yes, they do. When our progress stops in the snow this is the first tool that we turn to. Placing these under tires that are struggling to gain traction is usually the fastest way to get moving again. Not all traction boards are made equal, but in our experience, you don’t have to go with the top name brand to get the job done.

Tire deflator — Lowering the pressure in your tires will help to improve both traction and flotation in the snow. There are a number of relatively low cost options out there for tire deflators, we use the one from ARB since it allows us to select a specific PSI based on the conditions that we are driving in.

Airing the tires to highway pressures after a snow run.

Air compressor — What goes down must eventually go back up. When you get back to the blacktop you will want to inflate your tires to the pressure listed on the sticker inside the driver’s door. When selecting a compressor make sure that it is capable of airing up your tire size, since smaller units struggle with bigger tires. We use a Viair 88P for the Tundra’s 33” tires and a Viair 85P for the 4Runner’s 31” tires.

Tow/Recovery strap — When a vehicle really gets stuck sometimes the best way to get it out is a little help from another rig. These come in two forms: static tow straps, and dynamic recovery straps. Both have pros and cons that we won’t dive into in this post, but a quick google search should help you with that.

Shackles — These devices allow you to connect a recovery strap or a winch line to your recovery points. We use metal D-ring shackles because they are generally more affordable, but if you are willing to spend the money soft shackles offer a number of advantages.

Saw — Snow isn’t the only thing that can stop your forward progress. Winter storms have a tendency to knock down trees, or cause branches to hang low into roadways. We typically carry a chainsaw with an 18” bar for this reason, but a decent folding handsaw can do the trick too.

Stay tuned

In our next post we will cover driving tips, things to do while snow wheeling, and how to stay safe in the wintry back country.