Desert Season Is Here: The Best Time of Year for Off Roading

For off road enthusiasts across the West Coast, cooler temperatures mean it is time to start heading back into the desert for weekends filled with trail riding, camping, racing, and exploring. From Southern California to Arizona, Nevada, and Baja, the desert becomes one of the best places to enjoy your Jeep, Toyota Tacoma, Ford Bronco, 4Runner, full size truck, or UTV.

But what exactly is desert season, and why does everyone get so excited when fall arrives?

What Is Desert Season?

For those who spend their weekends off roading in the Southwest, desert season is the time of year when temperatures finally become comfortable enough to spend an entire day exploring the trails.

During the summer, desert temperatures can easily climb above 110 degrees. Spending an entire day crawling through rocky trails, navigating sand, or pushing your truck through high speed desert terrain is simply not enjoyable when temperatures reach those levels.

Instead, many off road enthusiasts spend the summer months enjoying the mountains, lakes, and rivers. Boats and jet skis come out, and off road vehicles head into cooler elevations to explore destinations like the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Popular trails such as the Rubicon Trail, Fordyce Trail, and Dusy Ershim Trail offer challenging terrain, cooler temperatures, and incredible scenery. Big Bear is another popular Southern California destination for four wheeling during the warmer months.

Once fall arrives, however, the desert starts calling.

When Does Desert Season Start?

There is no exact start date for desert season. It really comes down to the weather.

In Southern California, desert season can begin as early as late September, but October is typically when you start seeing more off road vehicles returning to the desert. Depending on temperatures, the season can continue through May or even June.

Cooler temperatures make it possible to spend all day on the trail without being overwhelmed by the heat.

This is also when you start seeing everything from mildly built daily drivers to heavily modified rock crawlers, prerunners, UTVs, Trophy Trucks, and Ultra4 race cars filling the desert.

For suspension enthusiasts, this is one of the best times of year to put your setup to the test.

What Happens During Desert Season?

Some of the biggest off road events in the United States take place during desert season. From grassroots trail rides to some of the most demanding off road races in the world, there is no shortage of action.

King of the Hammers

One of the most famous off road races in the United States, King of the Hammers, takes place in Johnson Valley, California, every winter.

Although the race takes place during the cooler months, desert weather can be unpredictable. Temperatures can change dramatically, and teams may have to deal with rain, snow, extreme heat, high winds, and everything in between.

That unpredictability is part of what makes desert racing so challenging.

The Ultra4 cars competing at King of the Hammers combine high speed desert racing with extreme rock crawling. These vehicles have become incredibly sophisticated, with massive suspension systems designed to survive some of the harshest terrain imaginable.

Large coilovers, bypass shocks, air bumps, long travel suspension, and 42 inch tires are becoming common on top level Ultra4 cars.

Brands such as Fox Shocks and King Shocks are heavily involved in off road racing, supplying suspension components and supporting teams competing at the highest levels of the sport.

AccuTune Offroad has been involved with King of the Hammers and off road racing for years, helping teams prepare their suspension systems before race day. Shock tuning is especially important as teams prepare for the unique combination of high speed desert terrain and technical rock sections found at King of the Hammers.

Teams may be fine tuning an existing setup or dialing in new Fox or King shocks installed on a new race vehicle.

Proper shock tuning can make a significant difference in how a race vehicle handles bumps, whoops, G outs, jumps, and rough terrain. The right combination of coilover and bypass shock valving can help improve control, consistency, and overall suspension performance.

The Baja 1000

Another legendary off road race takes place just south of the United States in Baja California, Mexico.

The Baja 1000, organized by SCORE International, is one of the most recognizable desert races in the world. The event attracts race teams and competitors from around the globe and is known for its brutal terrain, long distance, and demanding conditions.

The Baja 1000 also highlights just how diverse off road racing can be.

You can see everything from million dollar Trophy Trucks to relatively simple Class 11 Volkswagen Bugs competing on the same race course.

The difference in suspension technology between these classes is incredible.

A modern Trophy Truck can feature multiple large diameter shocks at each corner, including massive coilovers and bypass shocks designed specifically for high speed desert racing. Depending on the build, it is possible to have thousands of dollars invested in shocks at a single corner.

At the other end of the spectrum, a Class 11 Volkswagen Bug is limited by its rules and typically runs a much simpler suspension setup with a single shock per corner.

This is one of the things that makes off road racing so interesting. There is no single definition of an off road vehicle. The suspension requirements for a rock crawler, prerunner, UTV, Tacoma, Bronco, Jeep, Ultra4 car, and Trophy Truck can be completely different.

Why Shock Tuning Matters During Desert Season

Whether you are building a race truck or simply upgrading the suspension on your weekend adventure vehicle, your shocks play a major role in how your vehicle performs.

Coilovers, bypass shocks, air bumps, and properly matched springs all work together to control the suspension and keep the vehicle composed over rough terrain.

Brands such as Fox Shocks, King Shocks, and Ride Shocks offer a wide range of suspension options for everything from daily driven trucks and SUVs to dedicated off road race vehicles.

However, simply installing an expensive set of shocks does not automatically mean your suspension is properly tuned.

Shock valving should take into account the vehicle’s weight, suspension geometry, spring rates, tire size, accessories, intended use, and how aggressively the vehicle is driven.

That is why professional shock tuning is such an important part of building a high performance off road vehicle.

For a daily driven Toyota Tacoma, Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler, or 4Runner, the goal might be improved ride quality and control on the street while still providing better performance on the trail.

For an Ultra4 car or Trophy Truck, the priorities are completely different. High speed control, heat management, bottoming resistance, suspension travel, and consistency over long periods of hard use become much more important.

Get Ready for Desert Season

For off road enthusiasts, desert season is one of the best times of the year.

The temperatures are more comfortable, the trails are calling, and some of the biggest off road events in the country are right around the corner.

Whether your plans involve exploring a local desert trail in your Jeep, Toyota Tacoma, Ford Bronco, or 4Runner, heading out in a UTV, competing in an Ultra4 race, or watching the Trophy Trucks tear across Baja, now is the time to make sure your suspension is ready.

Check your shocks, inspect your suspension components, verify your spring rates, and make sure your vehicle is prepared for the miles ahead. If you need your Fox Shocks, King Shocks or Ride Shocks rebuilt or repaired, contact AccuTune Offroad to get a quote. [quote request]

Desert season is here. It’s time to get out and explore.