Event Recap | Trail Hero 2023, Day Five (2024)

Saying Goodbye Is the Hardest Part

The Grand Finale of Monster Energy Trail Hero 2023 Was an Explosion of Fun, Sun, and Sand

Sunrise today brought about excitement. That isn’t anything unusual at Sand Hollow, let alone at Trail Hero, but today marked the climax of a lively week of riding, ruckus, crawling, consuming (…snacks), and rocking out. The coming day was filled with opportunity – planned or unplanned – with participants once more venturing into the crimson sandstone playground in Hurricane [pronounced hurri-can, not hurri-cane].

Polaris’ annual trail ride had set off in the morning, the group working their way up the dunes. The colorful herd of RZR’s weaved in and out of the dune highway, surfing their waves like a collective of dolphins on their way up to the Double Sammy. An early glow glimmered off the lake in the distance. With just enough of a breeze to make things comfortable in the open desert, the trail was quickly flooded by side-by-sides boasting drivers of all skill sets making the great ascent to their final destination through a chute at the top of the hill.

An adult jungle gym, the terrain here hosts a variety of obstacles, revealing themselves with every few tire rotations. It came to an impasse when the group met head-on with a train of Jeeps vying for the same route. Guides considered taking Triple 7 to bypass the rival caravan, but this was quickly shot down after evaluating the capabilities of all the utility models in tow. Plus, this particular excursion welcomed a full range of drivers, many who were still novices behind the wheel. And there just wasn’t a clear, safe place for a spotter along the rough climb to the summit. They carried on as planned.

The same symphony of turbo spool and anti-lag thundered through the air with minimal incidents. One rollover was observed at the start, causing a short delay but no injuries were sustained besides, perhaps, a bruised ego and whatever damage the vessel endured itself. In a startling display, before the dust even settled from the incident, the pilot jumped out of the cockpit and made a mad-dash to the sidelines, laughing after the fact that he needed to reassure his wife that he was unhurt. Aside from this initial affair, no more (wo)men or machines were harmed in the making of this head-to-head heat.

With only a fraction of space to observe the missile-like acceleration of these vehicles, the bewildering spectacle of horsepower and traction sent massive clouds of sand into the sky. As racers’ continued their battles side by side in SXS’s, Vendor Row also offered yet another lively program. The scale of what was available there is yet another baffling realization, with the Monster Energy stage forming the end cap to the exploits which ran the length of the double-length parking-lot-come-makeshift-bazaar. Settled across a large footprint – better seen from height than ground level – booths were bulging out of the perimeter of the venue, fan favorite brands swelling with products and limited-time deals.

Later in the afternoon, the yearly charity raffle granted many amazing prizes generously supplied by vendors in a variety of values and functions for its winners. New this year, a system was put in place to allow ticket holders to claim their victory remotely, which grew the fundraising potential to a whole other level. With night looming, sellers began to fatefully wind down in preparation for the evening’s celebrations. Sunset transitioned the focus from consumerism to consumption – eating up all the colorful sights and sounds to be had at Trail Hero Music Fest, where melophiles gathered for one last fix of tunes at the base of the Monster stage in 2023.

Headliner POD, and the similarly demanded opening acts, built anticipation in the audience at a surprising rate. With the biggest night of the festival in-development, spirits were high. Dancing and drinking could be observed between shadows when stage lights scanned the front of the house, and a bonfire just beyond the ticketed areas provided even more party options in which attendees could partake.

As the speakers belted out the deafening roar of each band, varieties of light whips and colorful vehicles could be seen ascending and descending the dunes in the distance in the waning hours of Trail Hero. The desert was alive with rhythms rattling through the earth like little tremors, which escalated to a magnitude 6 earthquake as soon as the final act wandered onto the dimmed platform. Smoke from the burn pit floated above all the smiles and outstretched fingers, with a wide assortment of lights – both natural and artificial – dancing over the spectators, using their dark silhouettes as a canvas to paint a colorful masterpiece.

POD hit hard. Giving beyond an impressive performance, leaving us to wonder where we’ve been all of their career? And when’s the next release date? With such a booming conclusion (get it?), there was much to look back on from this exhilarating occasion in southern Utah. So many different activities for riders of all skill levels, as well as entertainment in abundance.

With an endless network of trails to explore, events to watch, not to mention the concert, this week seems like merely a moment, gone by far too fast for our liking. Leaving us battered and bruised in the best of ways, floating adrift in its wake. It’s difficult to not feel as though something important was missed somewhere along the way. And that’s all the more testament to why Trail Hero has been such a popular event, drawing hordes of off-road enthusiasts from across the country, year after year. With all the challenges we’ve faced in this small window of time, the hardest one is goodbye.

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