Off-Road Adventure at Gulches Off Road Vehicle Park, Waterloo, SC

Great destination! Enjoyed the open trail and peaceful outdoor atmosphere.

Awesome place and great staff.

Great destination! Enjoyed the open trail and peaceful outdoor atmosphere.

Cool spot with some great off-roading trails for all sorts of vehicles. I went here with my Jeep Gladiator, and unfortunately it was raining, leading me to have a very short trip since everything was so slick. They were nice enough to give me a coupon to come back for free when it's dry.

I really wanted to give Gulches a much higher rating because, up until the very end of our visit, we had an amazing time. I recently spent countless hours restoring and modifying my Jeep TJ, and I couldn’t wait to finally get my family out on the trails to see what it was capable of and become part of the off-roading community. This was our first visit to an off-road park, and we spent the entire day exploring the trails and relaxing in the river between rides. The park is beautiful, the trails are a lot of fun, and it was easy to see why so many people speak so highly of this place. On our last ride, while heading back on one of the easier trails, I chose a muddy line and got stuck. Getting stuck didn’t bother me at all—that’s part of off-roading and honestly just became another adventure. What disappointed me was how the recovery was handled. A park employee came out, hooked up a strap, and had me out in about two minutes. At no point before the recovery was I told there would be a recovery fee. I couldn’t find any mention of one on the website, and nothing was said during check-in. It wasn’t until after I was pulled out that I was told to follow back to the office, where I was informed the recovery fee was $100. The employee also came across as frustrated or annoyed about having to recover us, possibly because it was close to closing time. I can’t know what they were thinking, but that was the impression we were left with. Combined with the unexpected fee, it made us feel more like an inconvenience than welcomed guests. What makes this especially disappointing is that I chose Gulches because of its reputation as a family-owned park with a great off-roading community. I was excited to become part of that community, and if I had come across another off-roader who was stuck, I would have gladly taken a few minutes to help pull them out. That’s the kind of camaraderie I expected to find. Instead, I left feeling like the recovery had become more of a business transaction than an opportunity to help a fellow off-roader. I’m not saying recoveries shouldn’t have a fee. My disappointment is that the fee was never disclosed beforehand. Had someone simply said, “Our recovery fee is $100. Would you like us to recover your vehicle?” I would have appreciated the honesty and the opportunity to make an informed decision. It’s unfortunate because this one interaction overshadowed what had otherwise been a fantastic day. After all the time and effort I put into getting my Jeep ready for this trip, I couldn’t wait to share the experience with my family. We genuinely enjoyed the park and were already planning to come back. I sincerely hope the owners reconsider how recovery fees are communicated to guests, because I’d much rather have been writing the five-star review I expected to leave.