Phoenix to Vegas – A UTV Adventure for the Books

Filming Off-Road Odyssey with BeFree Off-Road

BeFree Off-Road was at it again — another unforgettable UTV adventure from Phoenix to Las

Vegas took place last week. This wasn’t just about the miles or the views. We had one mission: to film an episode for the TV show Off-Road Odyssey and show the world what a true UTV adventure feels like!

Our handpicked crew consisted of

16 people

9 UTVs — seven Polaris and two Speed UTVs

A mix of past riders, close friends, professional Baja racers, and even a former NASCAR crew chief.

Altogether, this UTV adventure covered about 579 off-road miles from Wittmann, Arizona to Las Vegas, and another 322 miles back to Phoenix on Day 4 — more than 900 miles of dust, desert, rescues, and memories.

Day 1 – Wittmann, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada

Our UTV adventure began in Wittmann, Arizona with Off-Road Odyssey host Alexa Score and photographers Peter and Parker capturing everything from the start. They quickly meshed with our group and we had the absolute best time working with them.

We stopped for breakfast at Coyote Den Café in Aguila before heading north. We passed Alamo Lake and stopped at the old rusted desert bus — sun-faded, quiet, and iconic.

From there, we dropped into Maggie’s Wash, an incredible slot canyon with twisting sand trails and steep canyon walls. It’s the kind of trail that makes you remember why you love the desert.

Almost 250 miles later, dusty and sunburned, we arrived in Laughlin and stayed at the Aquarius Hotel and Casino.

Day 2 – Laughlin to Sandy Valley Ranch, Sandy Valley, NV

We hit the trail around 8 a.m., crossing through one of our most senic trails, Christmas Tree Pass and stopping to take in the calm water at Lake Mojave. It is soooo spectacular. The high moutain peaks that stretch up to the sky in the most amazing formations. We are in so in awe of the landscape along this trail, it truly takes our breath away. It's not a trail where we like to pick up speed, as the sights are so amazing you want to go slow to take it all in.

Rick, our chase truck driver for the week, met us on-trail with In-N-Out Burger. There’s nothing like sitting on a cooler, helmets off, eating burgers fries in the middle of a UTV adventure.

About 27 miles before Sandy Valley Ranch, we stopped in Primm, Nevada — home of Pinkbox Doughnuts. We fueld up the UTV's, grabbed a dozen doughntus and sent them ahead in the chase truck for the ranch staff, something we always do on our trips.

Arriving at Sandy Valley Ranch felt peaceful and familiar. Hosts Rob and Sandy greeted us warmly. Riders settled into their spaces — tiny houses, covered wagons, tipis, and casitas — and we ended the night with a fully belly and under a sky full of stars.

Day 3 – Sandy Valley Ranch to Las Vegas

After hearty breakfast at the ranch, the UTV adventure continued toward Las Vegas.

We rode through Dumont Dunes in California, crossed wide desert valleys, and stopped at China Ranch Date Farm for cold date shakes.

About 27 miles outside Las Vegas, we found a crate in the desert with two abandoned puppies. No water, no food, no shade — just heat. We quickly pulled over, scooped them up, collapsed the crate, and carried them into Las Vegas in the Polaris Razors — riding on our laps the entire way. The crazy thing is that we had not even intended to take the trail we found them wandering on. We had rerouted ourselves to cut off about 30 miles to get us into the hotel earlier. The new trail was rough but we proceeded on and I am so glad we did as otherwise we would have never come across them! The pups were in separate UTV's on the way to Vegas and Adam and I contemplated keeping the little one who was on my lap. (We know we didn't need yet another dog, but how could we NOT). Upon reuniting the pups in the parking lot at the hotel, the second they saw each other they were filled with pure happiness...tails wagging like crazy and licking each others faces, we knew they could never be separated as they had already endured significant trauma together, having been abandoned to survive on their own in the desert. Thankfully, they didn't have to be!

One of our riders, Travis, aka Beaver, had just lost his dog two weeks earlier. His wife said, “You won’t pick the next dog — the dog will pick you.” And it did. Travis and his wife adopted both puppies. They are now named Vegas and Razor and live happily on six acres in Arizona.

We finished the day at The M Resort in Henderson and had dinner together at Anthony’s Steakhouse. What an amazing way to end this trip after this pup rescue!

Day 4 – Las Vegas to Phoenix (322 Miles)

The fourth day started early. Filming was finished. Alexa, Peter, and Parker returned to Minnesota with cameras packed with digital gold — sunrises, dust clouds, laughter, and the essence of trail life. After an incredible UTV adventure, it was certainly was the most memorable experience.

Five of the Polaris UTVs were trailered home.

The final trail group included:

Adam and me in the green car, Mike in our camo car — normally our chase truck driver, but thrilled to finally drive the trail with us on this trip, and both Speed UTVs

Somewhere along the trail, one of the Speed UTVs broke a drivetrain. Fortunately, its driver — our former NASCAR crew chief — diagnosed and fixed it trailside in minutes.

We arrived back home dusty, tired, sunburned, and completely fulfilled.

From Wittmann to Las Vegas and back again.

From Maggie’s Wash slot canyon to Pinkbox doughnuts.

From two rescued puppies to NASCAR-level repairs in the desert.

579 miles there. 322 miles home. Over 900 miles of an epic and unforgettable UTV adventure.

This is why we ride — for the places only dirt can take you, for the people, and for the stories you can’t make up.

Our episode of Off-Road Odyssey will air this April on the Outdoor Channel and the FanDuel Network. And yes, we've already been picked up to film a second episode of Off-Road Odyssey, except this one will be even more epic as we will head south of the border to Baja!

Thank you for following along on our journey!

BeFree Off-Road

Liberate Your Life.