Great American Crawl Takes on Montrose, Colorado

AS SEEN IN OUR Tread Sept/Oct 2026 ISSUE – Buy Now!

Where Crawlers Create Legacy

The Great American Crawl is known, but I feel it needs more spotlight because of all that comes with it. It’s not just an off-road event. It’s a place where many like-minded off-road enthusiasts are welcomed with open arms and given an event they can honestly be open with everyone about. Whether you have a buggy, a Jeep, a Toyota, or a Suzuki Samurai—no matter what you have—you are able to go out with large names in the off-road industry and wheel, learn, and evolve with others around you. You are never left behind; you are never left out; you are equal with everyone. There are levels to both your rig and your experience and capability, from beginner to intermediate to advanced crawling. There is no shortage of fun for all no matter what.

With all of that being said, let’s jump into what makes The Great American Crawl so great.

I got to travel with Dennis and Angel from Rockstar Performance Garage to the infamous Montrose, Colorado, to be a part of the final stop on the West Coast wheeling trip until later in the year. Thank you to Nic Ashby and the team for having me out and to the fellow drivers who allowed me to grab a ride with them around the trails and welcomed me with open arms.

The first day of The Great American Crawl was eventful. I went out with Nic Ashby, Tweedy from Birdman Automotive Media, Dennis and Angel from Rockstar Performance Garage, and Robert Braun, the western region manager, to do a photoshoot for Mickey Thompson tires in the beautiful outdoors of Colorado! With beautiful weather outside, perfect road conditions, and many more amazing features along that day, we had a smooth and successful shoot that provided us with the best photo and video opportunities possible.

Next came the big day, The Great American Crawl—day two. It was an early wakeup call, and off to the trailhead in Montrose we went, meeting up with Rockstar Performance Garage ambassadors all rolling in, rigs lining up and getting warmed up, and setting up booths and flags and organizing everything to be perfect all around. With heavy snowfall and extremely cold temperatures, and most of the rigs not having a top on them, we waited a little bit before we started the trail day. That held back a few of us, but many others decided to head out regardless and do some snow and mud wheeling!

The windshield of Nic Ashby’s crawler was frozen solid, but he not only led us to the trailhead; he also drove MILES completely blind using only his Wolfbox camera on the front of his rig. That is more impressive than you will know and understand because it’s not easy driving off-road in the first place, let alone being blinded while driving a large rig perfectly with a group right behind. That’s just pure talent behind the wheel!

We ran a trail called Cactus, which starts pretty mild but gets slightly harder as you continue. With all the snow, mud, and reduced traction, making it this far was a testament to not only the drivers but also their rigs and knowledge of what they were capable of doing. Before we got onto the trail, we stopped as the sun decided to come out for the day and say hello, so we let Nic’s windshield defrost a bit, and then we had ourselves a snowball fight and photo session of the rigs before we got caked in mud and dirt. Onward we went!

The first obstacle was slippery and tricky as the line scooted past a tree. Robert’s daughter, Nicole, greeted the tree and snapped off her passenger-side mirror in the process, which made for one heck of a story that we continuously laughed about throughout the day. After everyone got through the first obstacle, it was followed shortly after with a second extremely off-camber obstacle that had a really steep side to it and nearly stood Alter Ego up. It gave a true challenge to the longer-wheelbase rigs, while the smaller rigs were able to just squeeze through the middle and continue their way up. We definitely spent some time here, as many of us started grubbing on some food and enjoyed watching other rigs give that obstacle their best to make it. Thankfully, no one broke down or had to winch at this point.

From there, we had a decision to make—either go to Cactus 1 or Cactus 2 and face even more obstacles. Cactus 2 was filled with a basic rock garden that shortly led you to one of the largest rock walls I’ve ever witnessed, which was over 6 feet tall. It had no edge or off-camber to it—just vertical and as intimidating as it gets. When we got here, Nic Ashby with Alter Ego gave it one hell of a shot before everyone saw the biggest and baddest rigs try and fail before turning around. We then backtracked over to the steep, uphill loose rock garden that offered a beautiful view of the valley behind us. The cool shading of the overhanging trees, the look of the snow, tree and rock colors, and everything else really made this beautiful to edit and experience in person. Quite a few rigs even had to winch up this portion of the trail, and we ended the day with some amazing fajitas made by Rockstar ambassador Robert Beck.

Shortly after, we all gathered in our groups and went back to trailers, Airbnbs, and hotels to rest for the night and get ready and energized for the next day of crawling. Another early morning wake-up, and I took off to the trailhead to meet up with the crew. The sun was out, the temps were already warmer, and vibes were feeling good all around. People were ready to wheel and have a good time. On this day we planned on hitting another tough trail called Topless, which got its nickname from an obstacle where Jeeps tend to lose their tops on a tree at the bottom of the trail. Nonetheless, we had an absolute blast with the small crew we had with us that day. This experience really opened the opportunity to make some great content.

On this trail, it was just me and Dennis doing the media, as Angel went with Nic onto a much more difficult trail. Tweedy was partnered with the intermediate group, and he got some amazing shots from what I’ve heard. I can’t wait to see everything the team produced content-wise! As we ended the trail, we got back a little earlier than the other groups, so we jumped right into interviews, and some people even got their Great American Crawl goodie bags filled with Baja Designs, Mickey Thompson, Yukon Gear, and Great American Crawl merch as a thank you to everyone who showed up and participated in this amazing event.

After everyone arrived, we saddled up and started loading rigs onto trailers and cleaning up, but not before we were surprised with some amazing catered food made by crawl participants who drove all the way from Utah! After we ate, event host Nic Ashby and the Rockstar Performance Garage crew held a raffle and gave away items including a free set of Mickey Thompson tires, recovery gear, merchandise, gift cards, and more.

When that was done, I wrapped up and headed back to the Airbnb where Dennis and Nic were doing more interviews and getting all the good information that they cast on their YouTube channel. Thank you to Nic and the Rockstar crew for having me out and letting me cover an unforgettable experience that I could document and share with our TREAD audience.

Until the next one, TREAD On!