Lake Havasu UTV Meetup Group

Hello! This is a family oriented UTV (side by side) meetup group in Havasu AZ. No membership fees, no "race speed" riding, and no consumption of alcohol or other drugs during the rides. Just fun (and safe) group rides about once a week in the Havasu area from late October through mid April on days when the forecasted high temp is in the 60's or 70's with no rain and winds below 15 mph. During the other months when it's too hot to ride in Havasu, I occasionally host multi-day trailering trips to cooler areas in northern Arizona and southern Utah. Currently over 600 members.  Maximum of 15 UTVs per ride for the one-day rides, and a half dozen or so UTVs for the multi-day trips. The one-day rides vary from 20 to 56 miles long, with most in the 25 to 45 mile range. All routes are preplanned and many include a lunch stop at a dining establishment. If you prefer riding fast or drinking and driving, then this group won't interest you. What's nice is, Havasu has many riding groups to choose from, and each one offers something different. So there is a riding group out there to match just about everyone's personal preferences.

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NOTE: This meetup group is private, meaning the event locations and descriptions can only be seen by members who are logged in. If you wish, you can download the free Meetup app (from the app store) onto your smartphone. It's the app icon that has the white cursive M inside the red blob.

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SAFETY RULES

Since everyone’s safety is the #1 priority, here are the safety rules for riding in this group:

1.  Consumption of alcohol or other drugs of any kind is not allowed during a ride. One of the reasons why so many members choose to ride in this group is because of this particular safety rule. If you observe anyone in the group consuming those items during a ride, please inform me of it.
2.  No "race speed" riding. The majority of members choose to ride in this group because we ride at a comfortable medium speed. If you wanna drive as if you are in a race, please find a different UTV group that is a better fit for your speed preference. If you observe anyone in this group driving unnecessarily fast, please inform me of it.
3.  Create plenty of space between you and the UTV in front of you.  Following too closely reduces safety. You never know when the UTV in front of you will come to a sudden stop. Also, spreading out gives trail dust a chance to dissipate, which increases safety.
4.  Run with your lights on to increase the visibility of your UTV, which is especially important in dusty conditions.
5.  Whip flags on your UTV are optional but highly recommended as they increase safety.
6.  Carrying spare fuel on your UTV is allowed, however it presents a safety risk and is therefore not recommended.  As long as you fill up your UTV's tank before every ride, you won’t need spare fuel on any of the rides in this group due to the mileages involved.
7.  Use hand signals when encountering riders in another group to indicate how many UTVs are behind you in this group.
8.  When trailering, be sure to check the trailer’s tire pressure before traveling.  If the pressure is too low, it can generate excessive heat which can cause a blowout.

Failure to comply with safety rule number 1, 2, or 3 will cause cancellation of membership.

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THE FAQs

For those of you who would like more info about this group, below is a list of FAQs that I’ve received over the years of running a meetup group. If you have a question that isn’t on the list below, please feel free to send me a message.

Q1: Do you have weather requirements for the rides?
A1: Yes. Rides in this group only happen if the forecasted high temperature for the day is in the 60's or 70's with no rain and winds below 15 mph. My sources for weather forecasts are Weather dot com, Wunderground, Accuweather, Yahoo Weather, the National Weather Service, and my iPhone's weather app.

Q2: How fast do you ride in this group?
A2: Medium speed. Not fast, not slow, just medium (see "Safety Rules" above). The goal with each UTV ride is for everyone to have lots of fun and return home safely with no injuries to people and no damage to UTVs.

Q3: Is there an easy way for me to find out when the next ride might occur and when it will get posted for RSVP'ing?
A3: Yes. Go to the Events section of my website and look for a post entitled "When is the next ride?" That post is at or near the top of the Events list. I usually update that post at least once a day with the latest info as to when the next ride might occur and when it will get posted for RSVP'ing. Please note that when I post a ride, I do not notify the members. So if you wanna keep track of when the next ride might occur and be ready to RSVP for it, please check the "When is the next ride?" post on a regular basis.

Q4: Are there any membership fees to be a member of this group or to attend rides?
A4: No. Your only expenses are for your own gas and food.

Q5: Do you ride on weekdays only? Or weekends only?
A5: Rides happen on weekdays and weekends. It all depends on the weather forecast and my availability.

Q6: What type of routes do you take the group on?
A6: I try to select routes that are safe, fun, and moderately easy.

Q7: Do you limit the number of UTVs per ride?
A7: Yes. The maximum is 15 UTVs per ride for the one-day rides. Groups larger than that get too difficult to park at restaurants and gas stations and are more difficult to manage while en route. Also, since many UTVs can carry up to four people, 15 UTVs could potentially (although unlikely) translate to 60 people, and that is an overwhelming impact on dining establishments. I like to keep the headcount for the one-day rides to somewhere between 15 and 25 people, so 15 UTVs per ride is the limit for the one-day rides. For the multi-day trips, I usually limit the number of UTVs to a half dozen or so.

Q8: What is the farthest distance between fuel stops on rides? Do I need to carry spare fuel?
A8: The farthest distance between UTV fuel stops on the one-day rides is 56 miles. That's the ride that goes around the east side of Crossman Peak. The farthest distance between UTV fuel stops on the multi-day trips is 64 miles. That's the ride to Alstrom Point which is part of the Page/Lake Powell trip. All of the other rides, including one-day rides as well as multi-day trips, have fewer miles between UTV fuel stops. So as long as you top off your UTV's fuel tank before every ride (which you should always do), there is no need to carry spare fuel. Carrying spare fuel is a safety risk, which is why I design all of the ride mileages so that carrying spare fuel is unnecessary (see "Safety Rules" above).

Q9: Do you vary the distance of rides based on the time of year?
A9: Yes. The lower mileage rides are usually within one month of the winter solstice because there are fewer daylight hours that time of year.

Q10: What is your process for posting rides?
A10: I don't post the one-day rides for the current riding season any farther than three days in advance. The reason for that is, I don't trust the accuracy of the weather forecast any farther in advance than that. So what I do is, I post my entire menu of rides in the Events section using *fake* dates that are a year (plus or minus) into the future. Those dates don't mean anything. It's just a way for me to create and maintain a menu of rides on my website (the meetup software requires every event posting to have a date, so I just use fake dates). Then, as good weather days come up in the short-term forecast (usually three days out) during the *current* riding season, I will copy one of the one-day rides from that menu and post it for the current riding season for RSVP'ing. Doing it that way allows all members to scroll through the menu of rides that I offer. It also makes it easy for me to just copy and paste a ride from that menu to the current riding season since all of the ride descriptions and maps are already created.

Q11: What information do you usually include in the ride postings?
A11: The total mileage, the mile markers for fuel stops, a description and map of the route, morning meetup location, meetup time, departure time, lunch location, and a rough estimate of when we can expect to return home. I also include a link to the gpx track file for those of you who wish to download the track for your GPS (see FAQ 43 for more info on gpx track files).

Q12: Are all of the rides local one-day rides in the Havasu area? Do you host any same-day or multi-day trailering trips to other areas?
A12: Most of the rides are local one-day non-trailering rides in the Havasu area. I have some same-day trailering trips that are local (see my menu of rides in the Events section). During the months when it's too hot to ride in Havasu, I occasionally host multi-day trailering trips to cooler areas in northern Arizona and southern Utah. Those are also posted on the menu of rides in the Events section (toward the bottom of the list). For the Utah trips, be sure to first obtain the required Utah Off-Highway Vehicle Education Course certificate for the UTV driver. It is free and it lasts a lifetime. You can get it here:
https://recreation.utah.gov/off-highway-vehicles/ohv-education-course/

Q13: For the multi-day trips, do you post those in advance to allow time to make lodging reservations?
A13: I used to schedule the multi-day trips and make lodging reservations months in advance. I no longer do that because more often than not the trip would end up getting cancelled or rescheduled due to weather. So what I do now is, I monitor the 15-day forecast on weather dot com, and when I see a "good weather window" starting to form in that forecast, about a week prior to the targeted trip dates I will post the trip and make my lodging reservations. The only exception to that is the trip to Moab as that is a "high demand" location which requires making lodging reservations much farther in advance. But for all of the other multi-day trips, hotel rooms are almost always available a week in advance.

Q14: Do you participate in special events, fundraisers, volunteer activities, ride for special causes or purposes, or have monthly dinner or club meetings?
A14: No. All this group does is ride UTVs for fun. Some of the members indicated to me when they joined that they chose to join this particular group because we don't do those other activities, so it would be inappropriate for me to ask them to do something other than simply ride UTVs for fun.

Q15: What is the typical age of members in your group?
A15: There is no typical age. This group is comprised of people of all ages.

Q16: Can we bring our kids as passengers in our UTV?
A16: Of course!

Q17: Can we bring our dog(s)?
A17: Yes, as long as they are friendly.

Q18: Where do we meet in the morning for each ride?
A18: We always meet at a gas station so everyone can top off their UTV tank, use the restroom, grab a bite and/or morning beverage, etc. The meetup location for each ride is listed in each ride posting (only members who are logged in can see the meetup location and event description).

Q19: When do we meet in the morning?
A19: Usually anywhere between 9am and 11am depending on the weather, the time of year, and the length of the ride. The meetup time for each ride is listed in each ride posting.

Q20: What time do we return home in the afternoon?
A20: Usually anywhere between 2pm and 5:30pm, depending on the ride.

Q21: Do you have any rides at night?
A21: No, I only ride during daylight hours.

Q22: If I don't live in Havasu and I need to trailer my UTV to the meetup location in Havasu, is there a place where I can park my tow rig for the day?
A22: Yes. The meetup location for each ride is listed in each ride posting. Using the address, you can use Google maps satellite view to zoom in and look at the layout of the meetup location and adjacent area to determine where to park your tow rig.

Q23: Do you require participants to wear helmets?
A23: No. It's your choice. Based on what I have observed, most people in my group do not wear helmets. Please note that Arizona law requires minors to wear helmets. It's up to you to choose whether or not to comply with that law.

Q24: Are whip flags required on our UTV?
A24: Although whip flags are a very good idea to increase visibility of your UTV (see "Safety Rules" above), they are not required by law anywhere in the Havasu area. The off-road riding areas around Havasu are either on BLM land or State Trust land, neither of which require whip flags.

Q25: Do you ever host rides on the California side of Lake Havasu?
A25: No.

Q26: Can I ride a quad (ATV) or motorcycle in this group?
A26: No. This particular group is for UTVs (side by sides). You might wanna do a Google search for groups that ride your type of vehicle. You can also go to www.azstateparks.com/join-an-ohv-club and scroll down to Mohave County.

Q27: Can other non-UTV off-road vehicles (eg, Jeeps, Broncos, sandrails, etc.) join?
A27: Only if they can keep up with UTVs on the trails. Most can't due to suspension limitations. There are other off-road groups in Havasu that might be a better fit for you. Go to www.azstateparks.com/join-an-ohv-club and scroll down to Mohave County. Or you can do a Google search for groups that ride your type of vehicle.

Q28: If I don't have a UTV but would like to ride along as a passenger in someone else's UTV, how would I go about doing that?
A28: Post in the "comments" section of the particular ride you are interested in going on expressing your interest in riding as a passenger. Then wait to see if someone replies to that request. Please do not RSVP for the ride as RSVP spots are for UTVs.

Q29: Does my UTV need to be street legal to ride in this group?
A29: No. It is helpful if your UTV is street legal because we usually drive on public streets to get from the gas station meetup location to the trailhead. If you choose to operate a non-street legal UTV on a public street, I won’t care, but be aware that doing so is at your own risk.

Q30: What are the requirements for a UTV to be street legal in AZ?
A30: Always confirm with the AZMVD as to what the latest requirements are. There are three options for registration: fully street legal (like your family car/truck), mostly off-road, and strictly off-road. The fully street legal registration allows unlimited use of all public streets in AZ except Federal Interstates such as I-40 (UTVs are never allowed on Interstates).  The mostly off-road registration only allows crossing a public street or taking the shortest route on public streets between your house and the trailhead. The strictly off-road registration only allows off-roading. The fully street legal registration is priced similar to a typical family car (based on valuation of the vehicle). The other two options are minimal cost. As a side note, having a street legal UTV in AZ allows you to ride your UTV in Utah on public streets and off-road as long as you have the free, one-time, good-for-life off-roading certificate that Utah requires, which you can get here:
https://recreation.utah.gov/off-highway-vehicles/ohv-education-course/ As for what equipment is required for your UTV to be street legal in AZ, the following items are required as far as I know:  brakes, brake lights, headlights and taillights visible at 500 feet, license plate light, horn audible at 200 feet, muffler that prevents sound above 96 decibels, spark arrester, rear view mirrors, eye protection (either a windshield or goggles or helmet with face shield), and liability insurance.  Turn signals are not required in AZ unless you drive your UTV on public streets at night (I believe UT requires turn signals day or night).  DOT tires are not required in AZ. In addition, since many of the trails in the Havasu area traverse State Trust Land (STL), I recommend that all off-roaders obtain an Arizona STL Recreation Permit which costs $15 per year for an individual permit or $20 per year for a family permit. You can obtain that permit at: https://azland.my.salesforce-sites.com/recreationalpermit/

Q31: With such a large number of members and a limit of 15 cars for the one-day rides and a half dozen or so cars for multi-day trips, how do you decide who gets to go on any given ride?
A31: It's not my decision to make. It's on a first come, first served basis. Whoever RSVP's for the first 15 spots for one-day rides (and around six spots or so for multi-day trips) gets to go on that ride.

Q32: How does RSVP’ing work?
A32: Whenever I post a ride for RSVP'ing, it is up to each member to RSVP for the ride. You must be on the RSVP list for a ride in order to attend that ride. If you are on the RSVP list for a ride and later determine that you will be unable to attend, be sure to un-RSVP to open up that spot for others since there is a limited number of spots available. Do not leave your RSVP intact and just not show up for the ride (known as a “no show”) as that inconsiderately steals that spot from someone else who wanted to go. Please note that the RSVP count is a car count, not a head count. You are welcome to bring as many passengers in your UTV as you wish.

Q33: What if a ride that I want to attend is already full?
A33: Once a ride fills up, I close RSVP'ing. I do not use meetup's waitlist feature. If you wish to attend a ride that is full, you can send me a private message letting me know that you would like to attend the ride. If someone cancels, I can add you to the RSVP list.

Q34: What if I have a friend who has their own UTV and wants to attend the ride with me but isn’t a member of your group?
A34: Please have them join this group as a member and then have them RSVP for the ride. That helps me maintain an accurate car count for each ride.

Q35: What should I bring on rides?
A35: I recommend bringing drinking water, food snacks, cash, cell phone, spare wheel/tire, tire plug kit, tire sidewall patch kit, portable air compressor, tire pressure gauge, a jack, tools for changing a wheel (including a torque wrench), spare CVT belt, tools for changing a CVT belt, portable 12v jump starter, stretchable tow rope, fire extinguisher, gaffer tape, electrical tape, spare hose clamps, spare fuses, zip ties, lip balm, visine, hat, a first aid kit, and some form of dust mitigation (race air unit with forced air helmet or a bandana that covers the nose and mouth). Spare fuel is not needed on my rides as long as you top off your tank before the ride (see FAQ #8 and the "Safety Rules" above).

Q36: Do you use a battery maintainer for your UTV?
A36: Yes. Whenever my UTV is parked in my garage, I always have the battery connected to a maintainer/desulfator. The desulfator feature is the key. It prevents sulfate from building up on the battery's internal plates. Sulfate buildup is what chokes the life out of a battery. The longer a battery sits without being used or maintained, the more sulfate buildup there is on the internal plates which increases the chance of experiencing a dead battery while out on a ride.

Q37: How far apart should we ride in this group?
A37: I recommend spreading out far enough from each other to try to allow dust to dissipate between vehicles (see "Safety Rules" above).

Q38: How do we keep the group together while en route on the trails without some riders missing turns?
A38: We use the breadcrumb method. You are responsible for making sure that the car behind you knows which way you went at each decision point along the route.  You need to remain visually connected to the car that’s behind you.  You are the tour guide for them as they are depending on you to show them which way to go at each decision point, so you need to be the visual marker (the "breadcrumb") at each decision point.  Don’t leave them behind!  As long as every driver keeps track of the car behind them, the group will never get severed.

Q39: Do we use hand signals when our group encounters vehicles from another group to let them know how many remaining UTVs are in our group as we pass each other?
A39: Yes. Holding up all five fingers means there are five or more UTV’s in our group behind you. Four fingers means four UTVs behind you, three fingers means three UTVs behind you, two fingers means two UTVs behind you, one finger means one UTV behind you, and a fist means you are the last vehicle in our group. Please use those hand signals as that increases safety (see "Safety Rules" above).

Q40: Do we ride with our lights on?
A40: Yes, including a chase light bar if you have one. Riding with your lights on helps increase safety by increasing visibility of your car for other drivers to see you, especially in dusty conditions (see "Safety Rules" above).

Q41: What do you use for navigation?
A41: A Garmin Tread (8" screen version) with external dome antenna, a Lowrance HDS-7 Live with external dome antenna, and an iPad Mini A17 Pro with GAIA GPS with a Garmin GLO2 external antenna. All three nav devices have preloaded satellite imagery and the preplanned gpx track. All three nav devices plus the GLO2 antenna are connected to vehicle power so I'm not relying on each device's internal battery.

Q42: Do you require everyone to have GPS?
A42: No. It’s your choice.

Q43: For those of us who use GPS, do you post the gpx track file for each ride for downloading?
A43: Yes. The link to access the gpx track file is contained in each ride posting. That link will take you to my Google Share drive where you can download the gpx track file for the ride.

Q44: If you had to select only one GPS device to use for UTV'ing, which one would that be?
A44: Out of the three devices I mentioned above, the Garmin Tread (8" or 10" screen) is my favorite. It's very physically robust. It has a high definition color screen, 3D terrain, 10Hz locator refresh rate, built-in inReach technology (subscription required if you want that feature activated), free Birdseye satellite imagery that's downloadable directly to the device via wifi, and it's a breeze to transfer gpx track files to the device by sync'ing the device to the Tread app on a smartphone via bluetooth.

Q45: Do you use a two-way radio for communications while en route?
A45: Yes. The Nationwide VHF channel I usually use is Checkers2 which is usually channel 9 on a Rugged Radio and channel 6 on a PCI radio. The frequency is 151.505 MHz.

Q46: Do you require everyone to have a two-way radio?
A46: No. It’s your choice. It is helpful for the sweep rider (the last vehicle in the group) to have VHF two-way radio comm so that I can occasionally confirm with that driver that the group is still together. It is also helpful if the sweeper has GPS, but it isn't necessary. Prior to the morning departure, I usually ask for someone to volunteer to ride sweep for the day.

Q47: What happens if someone experiences a mechanical issue or gets injured during a ride?
A47: If the mechanical issue is less than a one-hour fix (such as changing a wheel, plugging a flat tire, or changing a CVT belt, for example), the ride will continue after it’s fixed. If the mechanical issue is not fixable in the field or if the fix will take more than an hour, then the group will discuss options. We will never just leave someone stranded by themself out in the middle of nowhere. In the event someone gets seriously injured during a ride, then the ride is over and we will all work together as a team to transport the injured person(s) to a medical facility as soon as possible. In the event of an extreme injury, we can use my Garmin inReach SOS function to summon an emergency response team to our location if necessary.

Q48: What would you say contributes most to the likelihood of experiencing a mechanical issue or becoming injured while UTV’ing?
A48: Over-confidence in operator ability and/or vehicle capability. Fortunately, we do not ride at race speed in this group (see "Safety Rules" above), so the likelihood of breakdown or injury is reduced considerably. It can still happen of course, it’s just less likely at speeds below race speed. Lack of proper vehicle maintenance is also a common contributor to experiencing a mechanical issue.

Q49: Does the Meetup software reveal our email address to you or to other members?
A49: No. The only thing I (and other members) can see is the name you used when you joined, along with whatever info you provide in your profile.

Q50: Is there somewhere on the internet where I can view a map that shows off-road trails in any particular area that I'm interested in?
A50: Yes. Go to ridecommand.polaris.com/en-us/app/map or https://www.onxmaps.com/offroad/trails/us/arizona

Q51: Is there a place in Havasu where I can rent a UTV?
A51: Yes. Paradise Wild Wave Boat Rentals located at 1685 Industrial Bl. Their phone number is (928) 854-4214. I have no affiliation. I just happen to know that they rent UTVs. They usually have rental UTVs parked along their frontage on Industrial Bl.

Q52:  Can I delete my membership anytime I wish?
A52:  Yes. You can do it yourself, or you can send me a message requesting that your membership be deleted and I will delete it for you.

Q53: Tell us about you.
A53: I’m in my 60’s and I’ve been an off-roader for over 50 years. I raced motocross and competed in desert enduros back in the 70’s. I continued to ride off-road motorcycles and street bikes for most of my life. For many years I was the organizer of a meetup dot com group for motorcycle rides. I now only ride with four wheels under me. I’ve been a UTV’er since 2015 and I've been running this particular meetup group since Jan 2021.

Q54: Do you make any money by running this UTV meetup group?
A54: No. I run this UTV meetup group purely for fun. That's why I don't charge any membership fees or anything like that. Riding UTVs is my hobby, and I enjoy designing routes and leading group UTV rides. The annual fee that I pay to the meetup dot com company for this website is simply part of the cost of enjoying my hobby of UTV'ing.

Q55: If I have something I wish to sell (usually utv-related), will you contact your members to let them know what I'm selling?
A55: No. I did that once and I suddenly received requests from other people to do the same thing. My meetup website is for organizing rides, not for selling stuff, and I have to respect the fact that people joined my meetup group to go on rides, not to receive "for sale" messages. People usually have pretty good luck selling stuff on facebook, craigslist, or ebay, so I recommend any of those options.

That’s it for the FAQs. Here are a couple of other items:

RESTRICTIONS: I prohibit any form of political or religious commentary on my website. I also prohibit any commentary on my website that contains foul language or finds fault with others. I also prohibit anyone from attempting to use my website (that I pay an annual fee for) to create and/or lead their own rides (believe it or not, that actually happened once in my previous meetup group). Violation of any of the above restrictions will cause cancellation of membership.

DISCLAIMER: Like many forms of recreation, operating or riding in a UTV has its risks. By you choosing to operate or ride in a UTV on any of the rides in this group, you assume full responsibility for your choice in doing so, and you agree to hold me (the organizer) and my family members harmless with respect to any and all occurrences while participating in any of the rides in this group. Also, by you choosing to be a member of this meetup group and attend rides, you accept and agree to everything written in this "what we're about" section of this website.

Welcome to the Lake Havasu UTV Meetup Group. Let’s get out and ride, and see the countryside!