Another trail we had never tried before Winter 4x4 Jamboree 2025? The Ledges. We had watched some videos, and heard the stories of steep drops, and some off camber sections that make you question how stable your vehicle really might be. We wanted to find out for ourselves though.

The Ledges is rated an 8, and it's recommended that you bring front & rear lockers along with 35" tires at a minimum. Tyler brought his "Little Willy" (Willys Edition JL 2 Door) on 35" tires and we were about to find out what it was made of.

Before you get to any rock crawling however, you want to be prepared to traverse the sand dunes!

Once you find the trail head, you'll want to throw your vehicle in 4-low, as you'll immediately take your first steep drop into the trail; the drop in is sandy, and bottoms out on rock so you'll want to start in slow!

After that, you're into the rocks for most of the trail. The trail has incredible views that you'll only find of the edge of a mountain cliffside.

The next descent relieves you of any doubt as to how this trail got it's name. If you're in a stock wheelbase 2 door, this feels really sketchy. If you're in a 4 door like I was, it's still probably going to give you that nose dive feeling as you stare at the ground coming slowly down the first ledge. If you're in a JT Gladiator, you're probably going to drag your rear bumper (or factory hitch if it's there) but the angle might not feel as extreme as your shorter wheelbase counterparts so long as you've got the breakover angle for it.

Above: Tail Gunner and Winter 4x4 Jamboree Volunteer Massey in his JT made this trail look easy!

The rocks don't let up after that, but the drops are a little more gradual for most (not all) of the trail as we continued. Things level out for a minute, and lead into a couple of climbs. It reminds us just how much more comfortable we are going up, then going down 😅

The trail continues with some fun technical driving, and then spirals up a really unique rock formation. First you climb....

...and then you drop in again! Tyler opted to be let down gently in 2 door with a winch cable. Was it necessary? Probably not. Short wheelbase vehicles in a descent certainly bring stronger feelings of unease than the 4 door wheelbase in situations like this, so he was only lightly heckled for this. The pictures don't do the drop justice, and I highly recommend seeing it yourself!

Your next obstacle is a gentle descent, however it tries to lean you into your passenger side; so keep an eye out on your doors and hardtop! The closer you stay to the rock on your right, the closer to level your vehicle stays; however you're also navigating a turn into a bowl of sand at the same time. Once your front tires are out of the rock and into the sand, steering and slipping are a little less predictable. Turning towards the bottom and giving it some gas and momentum kept the direction of the Jeeps in check. From there, you're 2 climbs from the end of the trail, where you can choose to take dirt roads or the dunes out!