Meet the Mapper
Feat. onX Offroad Trail Guide Travis Hoops

Tell us a bit about yourself and where it all began.

I grew up as a Jeep fan in a small town in Nebraska. I bought my first Jeep, a brand new YJ, in ’94 and began driving old logging and forest trails in Washington state while stationed there during my service in the US Navy. Even in its completely stock state, that vehicle was more capable than I had ever imagined. A couple of decades (and a couple of Jeeps) later, I was able to make it out to Moab for the 50th Easter Jeep Safari in 2016, and it instantly became an annual trip. Looking back, in the 90s, I just wanted to get my YJ off of the pavement. It was great, but nothing compared to what I do now in a newer and much more modified rig. Those early days on the backroads inspired me to explore so much farther than I’d thought before.

What do you love most about off-roading?

Some of my best friendships and favorite moments with my two sons were possible because of off-roading.

The people and the moments we get to share with them are among what I love most about this lifestyle. The scenery, of course, is something else—I’ve seen some of the most amazing landscapes and views our nation has to offer. Then there’s that feeling you get when you conquer an obstacle that you previously thought was out of reach. Something you had no business conquering.

I also love being a guide for my crew, planning a trip, selecting and mapping out trails appropriate for our rigs and drivers, finding campsites, planning meals, and even calculating how much extra gas we will need. I love helping people experience a trip like that for the first time. At the end of our first day this past spring, a first-timer gave me a bear hug and told me that no matter what happened for the rest of the week, it was life-changing for him. That’s what this is all about.

Tell us a story about your experience mapping one of the onX Offroad trails.

Prior to 2023, my crew and I used hard-copy maps to plan our annual trips. I decided to transition to GPS this past year, so I bought premium versions of three different GPS apps and then planned our trip. My goal was to try each and decide what I liked best. After the first day, I had already decided onX was the one for me. Once I met their team in Moab and learned about the Trail Guide program, I knew I had to share what my home had to offer.

Despite the fact that I seem to live in the state with the fewest accessible off-road trails in the nation, I love Nebraska. Last year, I used onX Offroad to help plan a seven-day road trip around the state, incorporating some cool scenic roads and trails that I wouldn’t have been able to find were it not for onX. As part of that trip, I was able to submit Little Wolves and Pants Butte Road as featured trails. Little Wolves is a forest service road trail in the Nebraska National Forest near Chadron, Nebraska, and Pants Butte Road is an incredible scenic dirt road that runs parallel to the Wyoming-Nebraska border.

Your rig is sweet! Tell us about it.

My current rig is a 2012 JKUR.

It’s been upgraded with 5.13 Yukon gears and Yukon chromoly axles (with a sleeved front), Adams 1350 driveshafts, a 4″ Rancho lift, and 37″ Nitto Trail Grapplers on 17″ Trail-Gear beadlocks. For armor, it has ARB diff covers, Poison Spider rock sliders, a Warn stubby front bumper, and a 12000-lb Warn winch. It NEEDS a brake and steering upgrade and a yet-to-be-determined minimalist rear bumper that doesn’t interfere with my departure angle. The lists never end, do they?

You have an unlimited budget but can only make one modification to your ride: what is it and why?

A multi-color light bar that I can control from my phone. Just kidding. A big brake kit.

There is nothing more terrifying than feeling like your brakes aren’t capable when descending down a steep hill. Having frame-mounted lights turning red as I plummet to my death wouldn’t really be worth the cost of those lights.

Ok, but what was your FIRST car?

My first car was a 1975 Ford Elite with a 351 Windsor V8.

My parents got it for me when I turned 14 (I lived in the country and had a school permit). That’s a lot of power for a 14-year-old! It had electric seats, windows, and locks, rear defrost, and cruise control. Light brown. Uniroyal Tiger Paw whitewalls. Badass American-made muscle. But fancy muscle.

You are given enough money and time to go off-roading anywhere in the world: where do you go?

Montana.

I drove across Montana this past summer to get my thankfully unharmed 18-year-old son and his totaled 2009 JKUR (my old Jeep) after he laid it on its side south of Glacier National Park. I had never been to or through Montana—but it’s absolutely beautiful, and there are a ton of trails I’d love to check out someday.