For the last decade, Rally On The Rocks has been one of the most-loved side-by-side events in the country. It drew thousands of off-road enthusiasts to Moab, Utah—the rock-crawling Mecca—every May for guided rides, gorgeous vistas, and great community.
At least, it used to.
Unfortunately, Rally On The Rocks 2022 has been canceled. To be a bit more precise, Rally On The Rocks will no longer be held in Moab, Utah.
But why did it get canceled, and what does this mean for future events? Let’s take a look.
There’s one main issue that led to the cancellation of Rally On The Rocks 2022, and that’s UTV restrictions. In 2020, Grand County voted to give side-by-side events the boot and severely limited road use for UTVs.
Rally On The Rocks organizers chose to adapt for 2021, holding the event in the neighboring San Juan County. However, this forced attendees to trailer their rides between trailheads and led to a situation where most people had no reason to head back to the ROTR staging area. With attendees scattered, ROTR felt less like an organized event, and more like a busy weekend in Moab.
On top of that, fewer folks showed up and fewer vendors set up shop. Altogether, Rally On The Rocks 2021 just wasn’t what the organizers wanted it to be.
Fast forward to November 19th, and they’ve announced that the 2022 rendition of Rally On The Rocks in Moab, Utah has been canceled.
Sean Reddish and Lanse Chournos, co-owners of Rally On The Rocks, released a brief statement announcing the cancelation. Once again, they weren’t able to get an event permit in Grand County, and faced with the prospect of another trimmed down event, they decided to end it.
It’s not all doom and gloom though—Sean and Lanse are directing fans to something new.
Instead of throwing the entire event in the trash, Rally On The Rocks is teaming up with SXS Adventure Rally to bring double the action to Sand Hollow State Park. The organizers promise “two great rallies rolled into one epic week!”
Sand Hollow might not have the Colorado River cutting canyons through it, but it does feature world class rock crawling, otherworldly vistas, and the Sand Hollow Reservoir. If you’ve never been there, consider this a great excuse to check it out. This version of Rally On The Rocks 2022 is going to be a treat even if it’s a little different.
Rally On The Rocks has been a staple of the side-by-side event circuit for over a decade, and its impact has been enormous. From the very first ROTR in 2010, the goal of the Rally has been to share one of the most beautiful places on Earth with more riders.
The event attracted thousands of riders every year for scenic riding on dozens of trails you can’t get anywhere else. Each year’s 4-day event included guided rides through technical and casual trails, loads of vendors, and various games and giveaways.
In 2014, Rally On The Rocks kicked things into overdrive when they scored Polaris RZR as the title sponsor.
With the event fully legitimized by the biggest name in the side-by-side industry, it grew into the number one annual excuse to head to Moab. In fact, SuperATV has been a vendor at ROTR for the last 6+ years. It’s given us a sweet spot for Moab that will stay with us for years to come.
It’s an awesome event and we’re sad to see it go, but maybe it’ll be back in a few years when Moab, Grand County, and ROTR can find some common ground. Until then, we all have endless fond memories to share and plenty of new trails to experience in Sand Hollow.
