Fall Getaway in Utah With Kawasaki and Jeremy McGrath

The last of the twilight was melting away on the horizon. Our engines rumbled in the darkness while the light bars on our Kawasaki KRX1000s illuminated yet another rock wall coated in black streaks. I’d stopped asking the names of the obstacles at this point. The only name I wanted to see was a bar tap reading “Modelo.”

When you’re the weak link on a trail ride—especially when that ride includes the likes of seven-time AMA Supercross champion Jeremy McGrath, Maxxis’ Mike Farmer, and Kawasaki’s four-wheel marketing team—the going will get gnarlier until you say when. Only it doesn’t do any good to bow out when you’re in the thick of Sand Hollow’s infamous Maze and it’s already after dark. Write that down.

“The only way out is through,” I told myself as I made my approach, wishing I hadn’t opted for my darkest tint goggles for what I assumed would be a daylight UTV adventure. Full disclosure, this was only my third time behind the wheel of a UTV, but I was learning fast, thanks mostly to Jon Rall in the passenger seat, and “Maxxis Mike” Farmer, who was leading the way. Also thanks to the fact that I didn’t have much of a choice at this point.

On the trickier obstacles (all of them), Maxxis Mike hopped out and coached me through with hand signals.

The engine surged as the KRX pitched itself vertical. “You’re fine, you’re fine. That’s perfect,” came Rall’s gentle Southern drawl from the passenger seat. I stared at the blackening sky and felt the bumps and clacks from below that I couldn’t see.

“Driver, driver,” Maxxis Mike called out. I tipped the steering wheel to the left. “Straight!”

I stayed in the power and felt the KRX lurch even more vertical, then tip diagonal to a sharp drop. Crack!

“You’re good. That’s just fine,” Rall’s calm tone was diametrically opposed to the anxiety welling up in my gut as we scraped our way across whatever the hell I just crested. Maxxis Mike came into view as the KRX leveled out at the top.

“Awesome!” he said.

This ride had turned into the ultimate trust exercise, both from me in their training, and from them in my ability to not send the KRX into a ditch on its roof. But that’s the thing about a true adventure—if it doesn’t scare you a little, can you really call it an adventure?

“If I wad up, it’s kinda their fault. And their problem,” I thought. “I’ll get out and walk to the nearest Mexican restaurant while they figure that out.”

But with each obstacle cleared, every rock face crawled over, every boulder conquered, it built more confidence. I’d like to say it was confidence in myself, but really, it was in the 2021 Kawasaki Teryx KRX 1000. There’s not much to it, actually. Just point it at a wall and give it a little gas; the Kawasaki will grunt its way up and over just about anything. Breakover is no problem; the beefy skid plate has all the important bits protected, and of course, the Maxxis meats were sticking like Velcro to the Utah rock. Not much else to worry about aside from my own lack of skill.

Now, I’m not totally out of my element here, as an experienced dirt biker I have spent many long hours wrestling bikes through this kind of terrain. But transitioning to an all-new machine was the tricky part, and sometimes it was straight-up counterintuitive. Fortunately for me—and for my inner fangirl who still squeals at the sight of my all-time favorite Supercross racer—I had motocrosser-turned-UTV-racer Jeremy McGrath there to give me some key pointers, such as to override my “moto eyes” and see obstacles with “four-wheel eyes.”

The day began in another region of Utah’s stunningly beautiful southwest corner. The Hurricane area has seemingly endless opportunities for all things off-road, from mountain bikes to dirt bikes and, of course, UTVs. Our day started out on a drive to Toquerville Falls, crisscrossing La Verkin Creek as we splashed our way up along the river, through boulders and rock faces and under canopies of fall’s bright orange leaves. This slow-going trail was no piece of cake, either, but at least there wasn’t as much skill involved. Simply bumble along through the knee-high water, enjoy the breathtaking views of Utah’s canyons, and let the KRX do the work.

A few stretches of double-track trail in between the technical parts allowed us to toggle the three preset suspension settings on the KRX 1000, which is as simple as flipping a switch on the dash. Its location between the driver and passenger seats is handy when you’re in a position such as mine, where my passenger knows far better than I do when to use each one. All I know is that I was super comfortable all day. Like, incredibly comfortable. As in, I wish I could somehow put one of these seats in my F-150.

The power steering is also a revelation. Zero kickback from all the rock gardens and boulder crawling meant that my arms and hands weren’t getting a beating, as they usually are on a dirt bike. Going on hour seven of our adventure, while I was mentally exhausted and my hands were shaking (from nerves, not fatigue), I wasn’t the least bit tired.

From boulder-crawling through La Verkin Creek to Toquerville Falls in the morning to our shift over to the sand dunes and rock obstacles of Sand Hollow in the afternoon, we packed a lot into our Utah UTV adventure. And I’m proud to say that I made my way through all of Double Sammy and nearly all of the Maze without copping out (I was over it by the time we got to You Gotta Be Nuts, and I took the chicken line).

It was well past dark by the time we got back. And watching the rest of the crew high-five each other on our epic day, I knew that I had just endured a pretty gnarly ride.

Again, I’m not sure how much credit I can give myself, as most of it belongs to the Teryx KRX 1000 side-by-side. The capabilities and the rugged beefiness of the Kawasaki are pretty mind-boggling to me. Once you learn to trust it—and if you’re as fortunate as I am, trust the experienced friends guiding you through—it is simply incredible where it can take you. As long as you have the intestinal fortitude, the KRX will provide everything else you need for the adventure of a lifetime.