Types of Off-roading Terrains: Light Trails, Dunes, & More

Offroading is a highly popular activity in the UAE – all thanks to the vast desert that offers the perfect terrain for dune bashing. However, offroading activities aren’t limited to the sandy trails. There are different types of offroading terrains across the world and adventure-seekers often travel across the globe to experience it all.

That said, every terrain comes with its own challenges and a different skill set is required to traverse different types of trails.

If you too want to travel for a more diverse offroading experience, this is the guide for you. We will take a look at different types of offroading terrains and what challenges they pose.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF OFF-ROADING

If you are interested in 4-wheel drive vehicles and plan to explore various offroading opportunities, then it’s good to learn more about offroad terrains. You can find different types of off-roading trails in the UAE that are perfect for beginners and experienced adventure seekers. Aside from challenging tricky dunes, you can find many light trails that don’t require high-level skills.

However, there are some types of terrain that you won’t find in this region like snowy mountains or river crossings. If you plan to travel outside the UAE to traverse a different type of terrain, you should learn more about that as well.

Let’s explore different types of off-roading in the UAE and around the world, and take a look at the kind of experience they offer.

LIGHT TRAILS

The light trails are ideal for beginners at off-road driving. It is the simplest option for off-roading out of all. This type of off-roading terrain includes gravel roads, dry dirt land, or grasslands which are easy options unless you try to drive on steep climbs or descents. Novice off-roaders can begin with light trails to get comfortable with them and further increase the difficulty.

Light trails are comparatively easier to traverse. You can find this type of off-roading trails in the UAE, for instance:

Wadi Asimah, a lush green valley for green laning
Wadi Shawka, a dry dirt land for off-roading in the UAE
Khatt Mountains, a dusty gravel road with few challenging rocks and stops

DUNES AND DESERT

It is one of the most common off-roading types in the UAE. For instance, many tour companies offer dune bashing in Dubai. The dunes and deserts are for intermediate off-roaders. One can expect less traction and grip on sands. Therefore, it is essential to have traction control in your 4WD vehicle and set the correct tyre pressure for off-roading.

HOW TO DRIVE ON DUNES

Since traction is not acquired easily on the sand trails, professionals recommend driving slowly on this type of off-roading. If your tyres get stuck in the sand, move your wheel right and left continuously to get your car out of the sand. Moreover, keeping momentum at a slow pace is the key to driving safely on this off-roading track.

Off-roading on dunes and deserts becomes difficult when you drive on steep climbs or descents. This type of off-roading requires additional preparation and equipment such as tyre gauge and air compressors. Drivers need to deflate the tyre pressure to 15 to 20 psi to drive smoothly, and tyres don’t get bogged in sand.

MUD TRAILS

The mud trails are for experienced and trained off-roaders. This type of off-road terrain might excite you but it can be extremely challenging. Constant slipping and sliding of wheels on the mud trails is the toughest part of driving on this off-road track.

Only experienced drivers know how to control their vehicles when stuck in the mud. If you don’t have that kind of experience, it is best to hire an expert to accompany you.

HOW TO OFF-ROAD ON MUD TRAILS

Almost the same tactics and principles apply to the mud trails as the sand tracks. One needs to hold on to momentum for more safety and avoid spinning. If your wheels get stuck in the mud, repetitive right and left turning of the steering wheel will help you get out of the sludge. Moreover, if your 4×4-vehicle has bogged in the mud, get out of your car to assess the situation. Then try moving your car back and forth at low RPM to escape this mud without slipping.

Always carry towing rope as your group members can help you tow out your vehicle from the mud. Moreover, using wheels with tyre tread patterns for driving safely specially designed for off-road terrains or mud terrains can prove worthy while driving on off-road terrain types such as mud trails.

ROCK CRAWLING

It is another of the challenging and adventurous types of off-roading. You need sound experience of driving over smaller or larger rocks and mountainsides. It doesn’t always have to be steep, but inclination further adds to the challenge.

Some of the rock crawling trails for off-roading in the UAE are Wadi Sal, Fossil Rock in Sharjah and Hatta hiking.

HOW TO DRIVE THROUGH ROCK CRAWLING TRACKS

One needs to maintain a safe and slow speed. Moreover, it is essential to know the angles of your car to turn and move over the rocks safely. You can cope with the challenge of driving on the rocks by aligning your tyres with the rock and slowly moving over it. Besides, a spotter alongside can guide the driver to pass through on these off-roading trails. You have to drive carefully and make sure you replace your normal bumpers with off-road bumpers to limit the damage to your car.

SNOWY TRAILS

You can’t find the snowy trails in the UAE but you can surely look out for these off-roading tracks in other parts of the world. For instance, California and Arizona states in the USA have snowy off-road trails. Snowy trails are slippery and handling becomes tricky. You can follow the same driving tricks for off-roading on the snowy trails as on dunes or mud trails.

Therefore, if you are an off-road enthusiast, you can look out for some of the top 4WD vehicles in the used cars for sale in the UAE with adequate safety features suitable for different types of off-roading terrains. Having said that 4-wheel drive vehicles are suited for off-roading, you can find the following cars with substantial off-roading capabilities.

Keep reading your favourite cars blog for more information on different driving conditions and terrains.