These days, public land often feels more like a bustling city park than a peaceful escape from urban life. To truly experience the wild and remote places we crave, you need to get farther into the wild. Simply purchasing the latest truck or side-by-side and hitting the trails can lead to disaster or, at the very least, a hefty recovery bill. Ford Motor Company has recently unveiled its latest addition to the Bronco Off-Roadeo properties in the Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee.
This course offers an unparalleled off-road learning experience, equipping you with the knowledge and confidence to navigate the backcountry safely, hopefully avoiding costly repairs or recovery charges.
The Off-Roadeo Adventure Begins
My adventure began with a drive down a winding road to the Ford Base Camp facility. At just one year old, this site is Ford's newest addition to its off-road school lineup, which already features state-of-the-art facilities in Nevada, Moab, New Hampshire, and Texas.
Nestled in the tranquil Smoky Mountains on a private farm, the campus is located just a 100 yards from a picturesque pond teeming with catfish, bluegill, and largemouth bass. Surrounding the main building are 1,000 acres of land offering over 20 miles of trails with various obstacles designed for the latest Ford Bronco models.
What makes the Bronco Off-Roadeo particularly accessible is the range of difficulty levels of its trail systems, catering to everyone from beginners to advanced drivers.
The experience kicks off with a mini-course and a brief overview that covers the fundamentals of off-roading. It features basic obstacles that allow instructors to teach foundational skills before tackling more challenging terrain.
The introduction emphasizes the importance of driving position, throttle and brake control, sight lines, and situational awareness. Students learn about basic obstacle avoidance, the significance of two-foot driving, and key concepts such as torque, traction, momentum, and ground clearance.
The half-day experience can accommodate up to three guests, complete with personalized instruction, access to world-class trails, and state of the art basecamp facilities. Better yet, a portion of the proceeds goes towards Ford’s Bronco Wild Fund, created out of a deep appreciation and respect for public lands.
With proceeds going to organizations that help connect people with outdoor initiatives as well as conservation groups who aim to preserve and protect our wild spaces. Are you already a Bronco, Bronco Sport, or Raptor owner? If so, the cost of a full-day course is included with your new vehicle purchase.
Hitting the Bronco Off-Roadeo Trails
The 2025 Bronco Sport
We began by signing our lives away with a waiver, followed by a quick introduction and overview of the day before we headed outside. Once we had covered the basics and addressed any questions, we were introduced to the beautiful Ford Bronco Sport that we would be driving for the day.
Our instructors explained the exciting new features of the 2025 Bronco Sport and how it was redesigned for outdoor adventures in mind. This update features an improved dashboard and display, a newly designed console, full metal skid plates, upgraded suspension, and enhanced bumpers with recovery points, plus many other essential features to assist you on your off-road adventures.
The standout feature is the remarkable G.O.A.T. (Go Over Any Type of Terrain) system, which is a terrain management technology from Ford that optimizes the vehicles settings depending on the surface you are travelling on; automatically optimizing the traction control, transmission, and throttle.
Obstacles Overcome
It was finally time to put the Bronco to the test, and we set off on the trails, guided by the radio chatter of experienced instructors. As we navigated various paths, we were serenaded by the soothing southern drawl of our instructors, who explained the reasoning and logic behind each piece of advice or strategy they provided.
When we encountered obstacles, the instructors would exit the vehicle and provide clear verbal commands as well as hand signals to help us tackle even the most challenging boulders. They frequently reminded us that, “Broncos don’t get stuck; they lose momentum”.
We began navigating the narrow forested trails, avoiding logs, boulders or in many cases going right over them. We crawled up steep inclines, over logs and even through streams which our guides expertly explained how to navigate safely.
As if to further enhance the wild experience, while out driving we came across a whitetail deer and even a mother black bear and her cub. We concluded our circuit after a few hours and began the trek back to basecamp to debrief the mornings lessons as well as enjoy the provided lunch.
Learning Off-Road Technical Skills and On-the-Trail Repairs
The first half of the driving experience at Off-Roadeo focused on the technical skills necessary for off-road driving, applicable and important skills that could be used while driving any off-road vehicle from grandpa’s beat up farm truck to a fancy side by side.
Angles of attack, the importance of maintaining momentum, tire placement and two peddle driving. The second half of our day would showcase the impressive new features of the Ford Bronco Sport that can make even the most novice off-roader feel like an expert.
To further demonstrate the authenticity of the environment and driving conditions, one of the vehicles in our convoy sustained damage and required repairs when a driver miscalculated a turn around a large oak tree, resulting in a broken fender. After a quick repair everyone was back on the trail, ready to tackle our next hurdle.
Our journey was more than just a slow crawl through the terrain; at one point, we arrived at a stunning mountain meadow where we gathered for instruction. Our facilitator explained that this area, while much flatter and more open, presented its own unique set of challenges and dangers.
Rally Mode
We activated Rally Mode, a new feature for the Bronco Sport Badlands and Sasquatch packages, specifically designed for high-speed off-roading in sand, mud, or loose gravel. This mode enables the vehicle to hold gears longer, enhancing power response, providing sharper throttle control and increased steering feedback.
It also prioritizes rear-wheel power for improved handling in the all-wheel-drive system. Additionally, Rally Mode turns on the Ford’s high-speed Trail View that features tire overlays on the display which works well for obstacle avoidance.
To take full advantage of the vehicle's suspension and features, we engaged Rally Mode and sped through the relatively flat course, adding to the excitement was the fact that each vehicle was eating the dust from the vehicle ahead, which at times obscured our views entirely.
The course included a few sharp turns and steep declines which provided plenty of space to let the Bronco truly perform.
Before the final leg of our journey back to basecamp, our instructors pulled off to the side to give us an informative session on off-road recoveries with a heavy emphasis on safety.
We discussed the use of traction boards, the differences between hard and soft tackle, angles of approach, and essential equipment such as chainsaws, winches, and shovels.
All very useful information whether you drive in the great snowy north, the sandy south or anywhere in between. With that concluded, we hopped back into our dusty, dirt smeared Bronco’s and drove back to Basecamp for the final debrief and departure.
The Bronco Off-Roadeo provides an engaging and informative driving experience and a great opportunity to test drive all the latest features that make the Bronco a standout in its class.
The hands-on lessons and experienced instructors will impart the knowledge and confidence to help you go further into the wild no matter what vehicle takes you there.
Related Articles
