For the 52nd year the Tierra Del Sol Four Wheel Drive Club of San Diego, California hosted its annual Desert Safari on March 1-2, 2014 in Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area (SVRA). More commonly known as “TDS,” the Desert Safari is a major date on the off-road event calendar for Southern California. The well-attended event also brings in off-road enthusiasts from many surrounding states.

With roots going deep into the history of off-roading, the Tierra Del Sol Four Wheel Drive Club is an integral part of the landscape. Roy Pruitt and Bozzy Willis started the club as a way to get out, enjoy and explore the desert east of San Diego. In 1962, the club incorporated into a non-profit organization and is now made up of 50 families.

Trails in Ocotillo Wells SVRA range from easy to advanced so there is something for everybody to test their skill level and have fun.

Some of those families consist of original founding members. “We get together with several thousand of our friends every year for this event,” says Joe Smith, Desert Safari Chairman. “The club raises money to assist in land use issues in the region, as well as projects in the Ocotillo Wells SVRA.”

The club comes together to build a city in the desert, setting up a massive vendor display area, a stage, food court and bounce houses with slides. Sixty-five vendors were on-site for this year’s event, including companies such as Polaris, BFGoodrich, Currie Enterprises, Poison Spyder, Clayton Off-Road, ICON Vehicle Dynamics.

More than 1,500 vehicles registered for the 2014 event. Registration gains vehicle owners access to the organized runs on the famous Ocotillo Wells trails, a coveted ticket to the main raffle, that this year included more than $103,000 worth of donated products, as well as a goodie bag and participation stickers. Five-thousand more people were estimated to have joined the event this year as riders, campers, vendors or spectators.

Vehicular Recreation Area

Ocotillo Wells SVRA is made up of more than 85,000 acres or varying types of desert terrain. The area is loaded with 200+ miles of designated trails and an abundance of amazing scenery. There are many natural wonders such as the Pumpkin Patch, Devil’s Slide and the Badlands. Deep notches, sandy hills, and a 30-acre obstacle course are just a few of the types of four-wheeling adventures available in Ocotillo Wells.

Room for camping is spacious. Many dirt roads surround the area with easy access for RVs, trucks and SUVs, so campers can easily set up a centralized base station. All types of camping can be done. Tents, tent trailers, full-blown RVs, and everything in between are a regular sight in Ocotillo Wells.

The main TDS trail changes a little each year. Some of the more fun areas to go through are known as “Obama’s Notch” and “Chuck Norris’ Playground.” The Truckhaven training grounds are chock-full of natural and man-made obstacles. Specific courses have been designed to test driver skill and vehicle boundaries for the beginner up through professional.

Ocotillo Wells SVRA is a safe haven for the off-road community. Bringing all walks of life in, Ocotillo Wells offers up many adventures. Bone-stock pickups, SUVs and Jeeps can enjoy some fun just as easily as a heavily modified and dedicated off-road machine. Trail ratings go through the full range from very easy to extremely difficult, so there is something for everyone. Rock crawlers, sand blasters, mudders and high-speed desert race rigs can all find a happy home.

Ready For Action

To join the organized trail runs, each vehicle has to go through a technical inspection. To ensure the safety of participants, TDS requires that each vehicle have various safety requirements. Roll bars or a metal roof, seat belts for each occupant and fire extinguishers are just a few of the mandatory items. Additional recommended items include a first-aid kit, CB or HAM radio, and a spare tire that measures within 2-inches diameter of the tires on the vehicle.

Vendors from all over the country donated gifts to the cause. Some of the many donated items were a RZR 170 UTV from Polaris, a Dana 44 differential housing from Dynatrac, off-road tires from Falken and BFGoodrich, and so much more. Each registrant gets only one ticket to the main raffle. Also on hand to help boost the chance of cruising away with some off-road loot were Bucket Raffles.

Each Bucket Raffle was geared toward a specific prize with no limit on ticket purchases. Superwinch, Off Road Warehouse, Rock Hard 4×4, and many others were among the Bucket Raffle donators. Friday night featured a live band, and Saturday night after the big raffle for the third year running, a huge fireworks display lit up the desert sky.

Some of the best fun at TDS was climbing on the man-made obstacles in the main compound area.

The Southern California desert can be unpredictable. Most years at TDS, the weather cooperates and is perfect for off-roading. Sunny and warm days, with a light breeze, are typical. Occasionally a storm comes through, but the event is to be held “rain or shine, snow or blow” according to the TDS website.

This year, a small storm sat right on top of the entire area. The rain was hit or miss, but it was the wind that caused the most issues. Regardless of the weather, most attendees hung through it. Grinning faces were seen everywhere, despite the occasional mouthful of sand.

The Good Fight

The Tierra Del Sol Four Wheel Drive Club uses all the proceeds of the event to help fight land closures. The club is a member of many larger organizations such as the BlueRibbon Coalition, California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs, Tread Lightly!. The family oriented club pushes personal responsibility with slogans like “pack it in, pack it out” and it values the protection of our natural eco-systems and environments.

Ocotillo Wells is currently an open-riding recreational area. With open-riding areas, it is important that special care is taken to ensure public and environment safety. Tierra Del Sol recently hired the law firm EcoLogic Partners to help defend open-riding in Ocotillo because two groups, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) and Desert Protection Squad (DPS) filed a joint lawsuit against California’s State Park system, claiming Ocotillo Wells SVRA has not been following its own rules.

These two groups seek to reduce Ocotillo Wells SVRA to a trails-only system that will drastically reduce the amount available legal off-roading in the area. The SVRA has many official trails to ride, though there are many more trails that are not deemed official on state maps. “In the past, the extent of TDS’ involvement in land use was to give money to the groups that specialize in OHV advocacy.” Says Meg Palazzolo, TDS Land Use Chairman. “Since this was occurring in our park, we felt the need to be directly involved.

Extensive research and independent studies are being conducted by TDS, EcoLogic and the teams they hired to aid in the upcoming decisions to be made. As of this writing, California State Parks filed a Demur to say they are following the rules and the plaintiff has no grounds for the lawsuit. The fight isn’t over though. Be sure to work with your local off-road clubs as well as the larger groups to help work against wrongful closures.

After 52 years, there is still a major calling to go to the Tierra Del Sol Desert Safari. Off-roading at its finest, incredible people and memories to keep forever. Make sure to put it on your list of must-do off-road events. It’s the first weekend of March, every year. For more information about the Tierra Del Sol Four Wheel Drive Club and the annual Desert Safari, head over to www.tds4x4.com. And be sure to check out the Gallery of images from this year’s event below >>>