ST. GEORGE — The 8th Annual Winter 4×4 Jamboree drew nearly 1,000 participants and netted $77,000 in donations to land use organizations and the Washington County Search and Rescue, event spokesperson Julie Lindquist said in a press release.
The Jamboree is a noncompetitive, guided trail event for full-sized 4×4 vehicles. It is held every third weekend of January and based at the Washington County Fairgrounds. This year’s event was Jan. 12-15.
The event is organized by the Desert Roads and Trails Society, or Desert RATS, a St. George-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the responsible use of public lands. The event was supported by more than 250 volunteers. The 2022 event included an extra day of trail rides, as well as an expanded activity schedule after the daily trail rides.
“It was a really good year,” Desert RATS president Jeff Bieber said. “The turnout was enormous. Overall, it went really well and everybody had a good time. And we’ll do it again next year.”
After-trail activities included two days at Stucki Farms and two days of a large off-road vendor show at the Washington County Fairgrounds, where many participants won prizes donated by vendors and sponsors.
At Stucki Farms, attendees and the public enjoyed three Jeep Rodeo courses, an RC racetrack and rock crawling courses, a flex trailer, fire pits and live music, according to the news release.
Jamboree attendees came from 38 states, with a few traveling from as far as Alaska, Arkansas, Rhode Island and New York. The majority were from Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona, Colorado and Idaho.
At a brief ceremony Wednesday held at Dixie 4 Wheel Drive in St. George, Desert RATS presented a check for $43,000 to Utah Public Lands Alliance. A second check for $13,000 went to Washington County Search and Rescue.
Utah Public Lands Alliance is a Southern Utah nonprofit dedicated to protecting Sand Mountain. The group was heavily influential in preventing a land swap that would have allowed residential development on Sand Mountain and is currently involved in land use issues and trail improvement projects on Sand Mountain and across Utah.
Desert RATS expressed its support of and appreciation for Washington County Search and Rescue. Many search and rescue volunteers are present on Sand Mountain during the Jamboree, which is a big help, said Lindquist, adding, “We let them sign up for trails for free.”
While rare, accidents can occur during this type of event, Lindquist said.
“It’s really great to have them on the mountain during the event,” she said. “So, if anything goes wrong, we have EMTs and medical expertise very close by.”
Washington County search and rescue personnel are almost entirely volunteer and spend countless hours of their own time finding and helping people who get into trouble in the backcountry, Lindquist said.
And we want to support them with our donations,” she added.
In addition to the donations to Utah Public Lands Alliance and Washington County Search and Rescue, Desert Roads and Trails Society also gave $10,000 to the Utah 4 Wheel Drive Association and $2,000 to the Blue Ribbon Coalition/Share Trails. Another $9,000 was set aside to help with the construction of a new staging area on Sand Mountain, near the Hurricane City water tanks.
Next year’s Winter 4×4 Jamboree is set for Jan. 18-21, 2023. Online registration generally opens in November.
Photo Gallery
2022 Winter 4x4 Jamboree participants enjoy a trail ride, Washington County, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Desert Roads and Trails Society, St. George News
2022 Winter 4x4 Jamboree participants enjoy a trail ride, Washington County, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Desert Roads and Trails Society, St. George News
2022 Winter 4x4 Jamboree participants enjoy a trail ride, Washington County, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Desert Roads and Trails Society, St. George News
2022 Winter 4x4 Jamboree participants enjoy a trail ride, Washington County, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Desert Roads and Trails Society, St. George News
2022 Winter 4x4 Jamboree participants enjoy a trail ride, Washington County, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Desert Roads and Trails Society, St. George News
2022 Winter 4x4 Jamboree participants enjoy a trail ride, Washington County, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Desert Roads and Trails Society, St. George News
2022 Winter 4x4 Jamboree participants enjoy a trail ride, Washington County, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Desert Roads and Trails Society, St. George News
2022 Winter 4x4 Jamboree participants enjoy a trail ride, Washington County, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Desert Roads and Trails Society, St. George News
Desert Roads and Trails Society presents $43,000 check to Utah Public Lands Alliance, location unspecified, Feb. 23, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Desert Roads and Trails Society, St. George News
2022 Winter 4x4 Jamboree participants enjoy a trail ride, Washington County, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Desert Roads and Trails Society, St. George News
Desert Roads and Trails Society presents $43,000 check to Washington County Search and Rescue | Feb. 23, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Desert Roads and Trails Society, St. George News