Please Play Nice on Wet Trails!
Most people can't deny that slinging a rooster tail of mud with your 4x4 or even just hitting a water puddle in the family sedan a little fast has evoked a grin and a "yeeha" from time to time. But, for all the fun we have playing in the dirt, 4-wheeling on public land is NOT the place to exercise your "inner child"--we need to treat our public Jeep trails with respect. Splashing through puddles is not only detrimental to your equipment, but it digs deep ruts that take a long time to heal. One Jeep driving through a muddy spot unnecessarily fast will rut and tear up the terrain, making it that much more difficult for the next vehicle to come along, making it more likely that the next vehicle will use more momentum and exert more force on the terrain, and so on and so forth. Splashing and spinning wheels also displace moisture and sediment that is crucial to our fragile desert environment. The guideline we use for trails in Sedona is the one-inch rule: If your tire tread is leaving an imprint one-inch in depth or more, stay off the trail.
Leave as little evidence of your passing as possible! Take it easy on wet trails, or better yet, wait a few extra days for them to dry out.
Here is a sample video of driving in Sedona mud (warning: it's gruelingly boring! :D):
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