RETURN TO THE RED ROCKS

Scenes from the 2021 Moab Easter Jeep Safari

- Jered Korfhage

While 2020 left us at home reliving memories of Jeep Safaris past, the event returned in 2021 and brought thousands of Jeep fans to Moab for a week of trail riding, exciting new products, and fun in the sand and rocks. Originally run by Moab’s Chamber of Commerce, the Jeep Safari has been around since 1967 and is now coordinated by the Red Rock 4-Wheelers, a local off-road club. Jeepers were invited to sign up in advance for various daily guided trail rides designed to challenge everything from stock Jeeps to dedicated rock buggies. For those not participating in organized runs, Moab was packed with 4x4 enthusiasts and the red rock trails were the place to be. We were on the scene with cameras at the ready, to bring you a look at what went down as Jeep fans returned to the red rocks of southeastern Utah.

Clint Malburg’s Jeepster Commando came with a wonderfully patina’d body and a trashed frame, so he built a new one out of 2x5-inch rectangular tubing. He sourced a 5.3L Vortec V-8 for power and stuck a 4L65E with a manual valve body behind it. An Advance Adapters Atlas 4.3 T-case splits the power to his rear shaved 14-bolt/trussed Dana 60 combo. Gears? 5.90s. Differential? ARB Air Locker. Rolling stock? 40-inch Pro Comp mudders and 17-in KMC beadlocks.