13th
Annual Truckhaven Challenge ready to roll! 
RAIN or SHINE
NO PRE-REGISTRATION This Year, Pay at the Event
ATVs
are required to have whips with flags
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Printable Event Flyer (pdf format)
M/C and ATV riders Helmets mandatory !!!
ATVs are required to have whips with flags
4X4's, Buggies & Baja's Metal tops or roll bars mandatory !!!
TRUCKHAVEN CHALLENGE XIII 2008 UPDATE
By Rick Fisher
Truckhaven Challenge XIII is alive and well and taking place at a new location. As you probably know, the 2007 Challenge was canceled to avoid a lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) against the state and CORVA. The state became involved when it purchased about 3200 acres of land in the Truckhaven Hills area where our event has been held for twelve years. When this land was un-posted private property it was perfectly legal to enter and recreate.
However the state is obligated to file a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) document before issuing permits for events when environmental damage is possible. Although the Challenge route was approved by state archeologists and biologists, a formal document was not completed and CBD took this opportunity to sue. Rather than risk an injunction or worse, CORVA pulled its permit request. CBD recently settled the suit with terms very favorable to motorized recreation but a full CEQA document cannot be prepared in time for our event.
Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area (OWSVRA) is located south of S22 and contains some of the same geologic features that make the Truckhaven Hills a great motorized recreation area. Geoff Teare and I spent two weekends touring the area with the help of a park ranger and Ed Stovin and decided we could put together a very good course for the 2008 Challenge.
Although the route has not been finalized and will need to be approved by the park, I can tell you that you will experience deep canyons, narrow twisting passages, rocky sections and fun mud hills as well as sandy washes. This challenge will introduce segments new to you and rarely driven by anybody. As usual I do not recommend this route to larger or stock vehicles. Please read the article on the flyer elsewhere or on the web at CORVA.ORG.
The entrance to the camping area is on Holly road off S22 2.5 miles west of route 86. A detailed map will be on the web site. This area has ramadas and a permanent toilet.
13th Annual Truckhaven Challenge is Coming!
January 26-27, 2008
By Geoff Teare, VP Administration
Once again, the Truckhaven Challenge crew is planning to put on another great event in the desert!
As most of you know, we had to cancel the 2007 event at the last minute due to legal action from the Center for Biological Diversity. Many folks had driven a long distance to get to the event and were understandably disappointed, yet everyone understood that we had to cancel to prevent possible closure of the whole area. Well, we are going to do our darndest to make up for that cancellation this coming January!
As of press time, we have 2 options we are working on. One is that we hold the event in our traditional area off of North Marina Drive. Due to recent court action (which resulted in good news for us!), the CBD has agreed to cease their legal action against the acquisition of the area (by State Parks), and our events, as long as the proper CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) procedures are followed. Due to the time constraints involved, CORVA would have to commission the CEQA study and have it completed in time for the event, as State Parks would not be able to get it done in time. Although the cost of the study may be prohibitive, we are investigating this possibility.
Our other option is to hold the event “a stone’s throw away” in Ocotillo Wells SVRA just south of Hwy. S-22. We already have explored the area, have a good campsite and trail network (the terrain is much like our traditional area just north of Hwy. S-22!) in mind, and have begun the permit process.
Since we are working on these two options as this issue of ORIA goes to press, we have not included a map of the camping area in the event ad. Instead, we request you go to our website www.corva.org after November 1, 2007 for the latest info.
The 2008 Truckhaven challenge will essentially be the same as in years’ past, with the only noticeable exception being that we won’t be having an advance registration this time. We have had advance registration for several years now, but it has been used by few attendees and is a lot more work for event staff. We have no limit set for the amount of attendees and have been able to accommodate everyone in the past, so don’t worry about showing up and the event being sold out. Not gonna happen! Just come on out and have a great time!
CORVA has gained a lot more members in the past year so for those that have not participated in this event before, here is an overview.
The Truckhaven Challenge is held in late January each year just west of Salton City, California. The terrain is primarily decomposing, dry mud hills with some sand washes and rocky sections thrown in for good measure. The area is laced with trails ranging from tight and twisty to steep and hairy. In other words, great off-roading!
It is in this ever-changing terrain that we mark an approximately 20 mile course (changing it each year) for the Saturday Poker Run. There will be several checkpoints. At each checkpoint you will draw a card to assemble a poker hand, and also participate in a “game of skill”. The top three winners of both the poker hands and game scores will all win great prizes! There will also be marked “Alternate” routes which will be much more difficult than the main route. These are for those folks really keen on abusing their vehicles! After the run we will have a BBQ dinner prepared by the Trailmasters Four Wheel Drive Club, and a drawing for great prizes donated by the off road industry!
The event is open to all Off Road vehicles, but please remember not all four wheel drive vehicles are suitable for off road use. Stock SUV’s with novice drivers run the biggest risk of getting stuck/damaged. Similarly, young children on 50cc- 60cc bikes and ATV’s may have a problem with some hills and technical spots. While we test the course with a high-clearance Jeep in 2 wheel drive and open differentials, this does not mean the run will be easy. We do this so we feel the course “should” be navigable by most 4 wheel drives and other OHV’s. Since there is no way we can anticipate the experience level of every rider/driver, please consider this paragraph as a “heads-up”!
We promise you will be kept busy all day and boredom will not be an option!
The Satellite Safari is for those people who have jumped on the hot GPS (Global Positioning System) bandwagon and are having fun utilizing orbiting satellites to determine their position in the backcountry. Using your portable or built-in GPS units, you will be sent on a “treasure hunt” into the hills to find………….something. You will have no course markers or maps, but will follow only the directions on your GPS screen. Objects will be hidden near established routes in order to keep the Safari time frame manageable. This is great fun!
The Satellite Safari will be held on Sunday, January 27 between 9:00 AM and Noon. Participants will have enough time to run the Safari before they need to pack up and head for home.
And, as usual, we will have our Sunday morning kid’s games, so the younger ones not out on the Satellite Safari will have their own little “treasure hunt” near camp!
We have already started putting together the vendors row and an area set aside for clubs to set up a booth and promote their membership. If you own an off road business or have a club which you would like to promote, please contact CORVA Vice President Sales & Marketing Terry Work (terry@corva.org or 800.42-CORVA x513) for
further info!
As always, all proceeds from this event will go to CORVA’s Land Use Fund to help keep our OHV areas open. We’re going to have a great time! Hope to see you there!
M/C and ATV riders Helmets mandatory !!!
4X4's, Buggies & Baja's Metal tops or roll bars mandatory !!!
This page last updated December 27, 2007