Testing Toyota’s Off-Road Offerings in the West Virginia Mountains

I was incredibly fortunate to receive an invitation from Toyota to hang out at what the company affectionately calls Camp Toyota. At Camp Toyota, I tested the most off-road capable Tacoma and Land Cruiser models in the mountains of West Virginia while enjoying the scenery, the trails, and, of course, the vehicles themselves.

The Vehicles

Through all the fun on the West Virginia trails, I was going to test out an impressive lineup of the Tacoma Trailhunter, Tacoma TRD Pro, Land Cruiser First Edition, standard Land Cruiser, and a Land Cruiser 1958. I actually drove the Land Cruiser 1958 from my home in southern Pennsylvania to the trail/camp location of Twin Mountain Off-Road Adventure located at Old Fields, West Virginia.

The drive from my home to the location was about three hours and was delightful on its own. With each mile of that three-hour drive I got even more used to the Land Cruiser 1958 on pavement before having some fun with it off the pavement.

The Off-Road Fun

Arriving with the Land Cruiser 1958 at Twin Mountain Off-Road Adventure I was happy to learn that my old friend Jackson Philby from Off Road Logistics and Training (OLT4X4) was going to be my lead guide for my off-road fun.

I have worked with OLT4X4 folks a few times in the past and a lot of them, including Kurt Williams and Scott Smith, are Land Cruiser connoisseurs and actually run the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum in Salt Lake City\. If there were going to be some people to help guide me on not bending the metal of the Land Cruisers or any other vehicle on the trail, I’d want it to be them.

On the land of Twin Mountain Off-Road Adventure, you’ll find plenty of natural technical situations. After driving the Land Cruiser 1958 for a handful of hours, I really wanted to test it out on the trails fresh after coming off the pavement, so I hit the trails with it first.

The trail route we had was about 45 minutes from start to finish. While I started in the Land Cruiser 1958, I also tested out the Tacoma Trailhunter, Tacoma TRD Pro, standard Land Cruiser (as if a Land Cruiser is standard by any means), and Land Cruiser First Edition on the trail throughout the many hours of the day.

 On the trail route, there were many spots for articulating the suspension (in fact, I three-wheeled in a few spots), a lot of interesting Z-turns, and spots intended to test the traction and differentials to the max.

After having to be pulled away from the trail to make camp for the night, we drove about a half- mile on the property to our camp location. No cabin, no glamping, just a legit tent on the ground and a campfire to go with it.

It was an amazing time experiencing the crisp mountain air, light pollution-less star viewing, fun camping atmosphere, the sounds of nature, and falling leaves all night.

Experiencing the National Parks Along the Way

After a great day of hitting the trails and a night of camping, my group hit some unpaved roads with the goal of pit stopping at a small-town inn.

Hitting the trails and all is fun, but it is exponentiated when you are riding in a caravan of serious off-road vehicles and having fun banter over walkie talkies along the way.

After closing up our campsite we hit the road to experience national parks and beautiful views.

Our first stop was at a location called Dolly Sods, which is part of the Monongahela National Forest. It had some very dusty unpaved roads to make use of the Tacoma Trailhunter’s snorkel. The star of the day’s trip was driving down to Blackwater Falls State Park to see its namesake waterfall.

After spending time at the falls of Blackwater Falls, we hit the road to end up at Staunton, Virginia, to stay the night at the Blackburn Inn. A fun fact about the Blackburn Inn—back in the 1970s it was the Western State Hospital for mental healthcare, a.k.a. an insane asylum. Fortunately, no one in my group experienced any paranormal situations during our stay, but we did notice a few of the doors in the building had old slide latches that locked from the outside to keep people inside. Creepy.

After an uneventful night in an ex-insane asylum, my party and I all shuffled vehicles. While I started my trip with the Land Cruiser 1958, I would be driving a Tacoma Trailhunter for my ride home.

From Staunton, we headed for the Shenandoah National Park for some final beautiful outdoor views. Through our park entrance, the anticipation was building alongside the elevation. We had so many options of stopping at overlooks and there was no wrong with any choice. I recommend trying them all, but our group stopped at the Thorofare Mountain Overlook, which provides an amazing view of Pinnacle Ridge, Hazel Mountain, Old Rag, Robertson Mountain, and of course, Thorofare Mountain.

Final Thoughts

I’ve been known to fall in love with a vehicle after driving it on the trails, which then leads me to purchasing said vehicle. That is pretty much what sealed the deal for me to get a ‘22 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro, which ultimately became our current family hauler. While I knew it was very unlikely I would be instantly purchasing one of these machines, that didn’t stop me from loving one more than the others. I found myself particularly drawn to one vehicle just a little bit more than the rest.

The Tacoma Trailhunter definitely has the most toys in terms of performance parts and likely gets the most attention since it looks like it can move the mountain you are driving on. While I spent the most time in the seat of the Land Cruiser 1958, and even though I am a lover of the TRD Pro-trim level, the vehicle that gets my seal of approval would be the standard Land Cruiser.

It has all of the off-road readiness of the 1958 version, but with the luxury dial turned up a bit. You get the perfect blend of off-road performance and a high-end experience to go with it.