Classic Bronco fans make pilgrimage to Moab

Steve St. Clair drives a 1976 bright yellow Bronco.

All the panels have been replaced. In fact, not much about the classic is original anymore.

But it’s built for trail-riding, St. Clair said. As often as he can.

As president of the Utah Bronco Club, he plans to do a lot of that this weekend. Bronco Safari is in Moab through Saturday.

“The Bronco Safari is about Moab,” St. Clair said. “It’s about the scenery and this incredible area. My wife won’t go in my Bronco with me, but she loves the people and she loves the area. She’ll take off with the kids and go hiking and go up on the river and do float trips and such. It’s an amazing area. I just can’t say enough about it. That’s what it’s mostly about.”

About 75 vehicles are registered this year, said St. Clair of the Salt Lake City area. Most bring their families, so organizers are expecting about 250 people total.

“They come from everywhere,” St. Clair said. “As far away as Maine in the U.S. and from Canada. They make the pilgrimage. This is kind of like the holy land to the four-wheel drive community.”

Most every Bronco Safari attendee drives a Bronco built between 1966 and 1977; they are referred to as “classic Bronco fans.”

Ford no longer makes Broncos.

Most of the weekend will be spent on trail rides, St. Clair said. Drivers use existing Jeep Safari routes and are conscious of protecting the land.

“It’s a fragile area,” he said, “and in order for it to be there for future generations we have to really take care of it. The only way we can do that is through organized use.”

Spectators can check out the Broncos Friday, May 4, from 4 p.m. to 6 pm. They will be on display at Moab 4×4 Outpost, 1805 S. Hwy. 191. Awards will be given in various categories.

Otherwise, participants meet each morning at Moab Rim RV Campark and Cabins, where most are staying, before heading out to the trails. Every night, they have a campfire.

One of the major appeals of the event is the camaraderie among Bronco fans, St. Clair said.

Another plus is that families come along.

St. Clair this year is at Bronco Safari with his wife, his son, his daughter and his four grandsons. 

It’s a family affair for Josh Bryner, too.

He and his wife, of Sandy, Utah, are at Bronco Safari this weekend with their three children, ages 7, 5 and 9 months.

Everyone will strap into the family’s 1989 Bronco II and have a good time.

“We love Broncos and Fords in general and just love to get out to Moab and see the great scenery and do all the trails,” Bryner said.

He first got a Bronco after his father did several years ago.  His dad is in Moab for Bronco Safari this week, too, as are his two brothers.

Making certain to live by the Utah Bronco Club’s mantra of treading lightly is important to Bryner.

“Before we head out on any trail, that’s something we preach,” Bryner said. “We want to preserve the beauty of the land to make sure our kids are able to enjoy the same stuff we have.”

Author: Veronica Daehn Harvey

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