By Cody Hooper
The first UTV Invasion brought hundreds of side-by-sides to Idaho’s St. Anthony Sand Dunes over Labor Day weekend in 2014. UTVGuide.net joined Idaho Dunes RV, Fullerton Sand Sports, Supercross.com and a long list of sponsors and vendors to create four days of group rides, games, dyno testing, hill shooting, a poker run, a show and shine, raffles and live music.
This trip report captures the beginning of an event that would return to the Idaho dunes in the years that followed.
UTV Riding at the St. Anthony Sand Dunes
The St. Anthony Sand Dunes Recreation Area covers more than 10,000 acres in eastern Idaho. Its long, irregular layout offers everything from small, flowing dunes to enormous bowls and steep climbs around landmarks such as Devil’s Dune, Choke Cherry Hill and Thunder Mountain.
Located at more than 5,000 feet above sea level, St. Anthony also provides a serious test of engine performance. Naturally aspirated machines feel the effects of the thinner air compared with lower-elevation riding areas such as Glamis and the Oregon dunes.
The riding area is bordered by farmland, lakes and vegetated terrain, creating scenery that is quite different from many desert dune systems. The western dunes offer relatively approachable riding, while the terrain becomes larger, steeper and more technical as riders travel east.
One of our favorite areas was The Staircase behind Thunder Mountain. Appropriately named for its series of dune steps, the area included several natural transitions and fast floater jumps. Even after seven days of riding, we continued to discover new bowls, climbs and places to play.
The scale changes dramatically beyond Thunder Mountain. Huge bowls rise hundreds of feet above the surrounding terrain, making even the largest sand cars look small from across the dunes. For a closer look at the riding destination itself, see our tour of the St. Anthony Sand Dunes.
Idaho Dunes RV Becomes UTV Invasion Headquarters
The event was based at Idaho Dunes RV near St. Anthony. At the time of the inaugural UTV Invasion, the campground offered 56 RV sites with concrete patios, water and power, with sewer service available in select sites. Another 25 acres were available for dry camping.
Direct dune access, a general store, restrooms, showers and easily accessible trash facilities made it a convenient headquarters for a multi-day riding event. The hard-packed sandy ground was also easy to navigate with trucks, trailers and motorhomes.
We arrived Tuesday to set up, photograph several feature vehicles and get in some early dune riding. As Labor Day weekend approached, hundreds of UTVs began appearing throughout the campground. Participants registered at the store and received wristbands for the weekend’s activities.
Teeter-Totter Challenge and Friday Group Ride
By Friday, the first UTV Invasion was in full swing. One of the opening competitions was the teeter-totter challenge. Contestants had two minutes to drive onto a pivoting ramp, find its balance point and keep the UTV level for as long as possible.
The challenge was much harder than it looked. Even a driver shifting position in the seat could cause one end of the ramp to touch the ground and end the attempt.
Local rider Doug Tolbert recorded the longest time in his Polaris RZR and won a set of STI HD5 beadlock wheels.
A large group ride later departed for Thunder Mountain, where participants gathered for informal hill shooting. A natural launch area gave high-horsepower cars enough room to build speed before attacking the climb. Turbo UTVs from K&T Performance and Packard Performance delivered some of Friday’s most impressive passes.
Supercross.com Poker Run
Saturday morning began with the Supercross.com Poker Run. Five stops were required, while a sixth location inside Devil’s Dune gave participants an opportunity to collect an additional card.
Despite windy conditions, many participants made the trip into the large eastern dunes to reach the bonus stop operated by Starting Line Products.
The first card was issued at the registration booth by Team Meyer Media. The second stop took participants to Egin Lake, where Devious Powersports greeted riders with its customized Arctic Cat Wildcat. TMW Off-Road hosted the third stop at Thunder Mountain, giving participants another opportunity to make a few hill climbs along the way.
HCR Racing and MCX USA managed the fourth stop near the flagpole at the dune entrance. Muzzys Performance handed out the final card along vendor row before participants turned in their completed poker-run sheets. Hundreds of riders completed the course.
Portable Dyno and Thunder Mountain Shootout
Dobeck Performance brought a portable chassis dyno to the event and offered complimentary runs during Friday and Saturday. The vehicles ranged from youth-size Polaris RZR 170s to Can-Am Mavericks and heavily modified, Hayabusa-powered turbo RZRs. Dobeck’s crew also helped owners with tuning and troubleshooting throughout the weekend.
The National Guard set up a climbing wall, while food vendors kept participants supplied with burgers throughout the weekend.
Saturday’s approaching thunderstorm forced organizers to postpone the show and shine, but it did not end the riding. UTVGuide.net, Fullerton Sand Sports, Muzzys, K&T Performance, TMW Off-Road, Starting Line Products and other vendors headed into the dunes with event participants.
Thunder Mountain soon became an informal test of straight-line performance. After repeated runs involving machines from Boondocker, Packard Performance and K&T Performance, the K&T and Supercross.com turbocharged Polaris RZR XP 900 emerged as the fastest combination during Saturday’s unofficial shootout.
Sunday Group Ride to Devil’s Dune
Another large group ride departed Sunday morning with dozens of UTVs. The route passed Thunder Mountain and Egin Lake before continuing into the big dunes, down Choke Cherry and toward Devil’s Dune.
During a break at Devil’s Dune, organizers held a small raffle and handed out shirts from Ragged Edge, Fullerton Sand Sports and UTVGuide.net. The two top raffle winners received KC HiLites LED lights.
2014 UTV Invasion Show and Shine Winners
After the morning ride, owners cleaned their UTVs and prepared for the postponed show and shine. Rigid Industries hosted the competition and provided prizes for the winners.
The judges selected winners in the primary show class along with Best in Show and Best Daily Driver:
- First place: The Muchmore family and K&T Performance’s turbocharged Polaris RZR XP 4 1000, finished in custom light-blue metallic paint.
- Second place: QuickSand Motorsports’ K1, a heavily fabricated RZR XP 900 with HCR long-travel suspension and a turbocharged Yamaha Apex engine conversion producing more than 300 horsepower.
- Third place: Travis Gardner’s Kombustion Motorsports RZR XP 4 900, known as Blue Knight, featuring custom graphics, cage and door fabrication and an extensive audio system.
Tim McCollister earned Best Daily Driver with his patriotic 9/11 Tribute RZR XP 900. The build honored the men and women who serve and protect the country.
Jon Wolf of Wolf Designs won Best in Show with a green metallic RZR XP 1000. Its large-flake metallic wrap stood out in the bright Idaho sun and quickly caught the attention of both spectators and judges.
Raffle and Closing Concert
The earlier rain left the sand damp and produced excellent traction for another round of dune riding. Back at camp, organizers prepared for a large prize raffle that included jackets, communications equipment, LED light bars, harnesses and a Polaris RZR XP 1000 roll cage built by Buckshot Racing.
The Arachnaphobia monster truck also offered rides to participants willing to climb aboard.
Sunday night concluded with a live concert presented by Wolf Designs. Kole Moulton and Lonely Road performed on the outdoor stage in front of a crowd gathered on foot and in UTVs.
The inaugural event was made possible by Idaho Dunes RV, Fullerton Sand Sports, UTVGuide.net, Rigid Industries, Supercross.com, Wolf Designs, Muzzys Racing, Vent Racing, Dobeck Performance, HCR Racing, Starting Line Products, Devious Powersports, TMW Off-Road and the many other vendors, sponsors and riders who participated.
Photos were provided by Jon Crowley of UTVGuide.net, Danny Adair of Paydirt Media and Cody Hooper of Redline Marketing and Media.
