For motorsports enthusiasts, Glamis Imperial Sand Dunes is the off-road mecca of the southwest. Located two and a half hours east of San Diego, it is the largest dune complex in California and one of the largest in the country. It’s also the second home of off-road specialist Polaris, which hosts a gigantic annual gathering of enthusiasts called Camp RZR.
Polaris’ RZR, of course, is the company’s best-selling side-by-side, whether it’s incredibly fast or incredibly agile. Driving over sand and giant hills is easy in cars like this because they are smooth and agile. Camp RZR celebrates those cars with a family-friendly occasion that has been a staple of the company’s annual calendar since New Year’s Eve 2012.
According to the Bureau of Land Management, the Glamis dune formula is a long strip that extends more than 40 miles and has an average width of five miles. Some dunes reach a height of three hundred feet in the sky. The RZR camp is built here and it’s a festival of epic proportions.
Think of it as the family’s off-road Burning Man, since Polaris is necessarily a city in the desert.
Throughout the Glamis Dunes domain, drivers of side-by-side vehicles, buggies, and sand handrails roam the sand mounds in search of laughs. I’ve been training at the Glamis domain to prepare for the eight-day Rebelle Rally off-road sailing festival in a Hyundai Santa Cruz and a Ram 1500 RHO, and it’s kind of an exclusive laugh. It’s especially fun if you know how to drive through the dunes.
Off-road expert and trainer Nena Barlow teachers her students to “read” the dunes. The windward side of the dunes are sloping and gentle, but you must pay attention to the steep slipface on the backside. Failing to do so in any vehicle can mean a difficult extraction from a swirling “witch’s eye” hole or even worse, a rollover. Safety first.
Tens of thousands of off-road fans sign up at Polaris for this loose dune event, which features a Ferris wheel, RZR demonstrations, an RZR vehicle service center, a kids zone, a vendor row, drone display and live music. Last year, attendees were treated to performances by notable rock band Everclear, who performed hits such as “Wonderful,” “Santa Monica” and “Father of Mine. ”
Family at Camp RZR.
This year, Polaris and Call of Duty have teamed up to showcase their partnership with a “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Gaming Lounge. ” Participants can enter the living room to immerse themselves in the virtual battlefield. Guests also have the chance to meet top Polaris RZR drivers and ambassadors like Tanner Foust, RJ Anderson and Casey Currie and Polaris Factory Racing’s Cayden MacCachren and Brock Heger.
Along with the festival atmosphere and activities, Polaris aims to keep riders safe and happy by providing an on-site service garage. Following vehicle inspection, Polaris representatives may provide owners select parts and labor complimentary. Last year, over 700 Polaris vehicles stopped by to check out this service before heading back to the dunes for more fun.
Do you have a trailer and a Polaris RZR? Head to the arena!
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