About 4x4 Playground
and
Abe Choe
4x4 Playground is an independent off-road planning site built and run by Abe Choe. Think of it as the version a knowledgeable friend would give you around a campfire: what actually works, what it costs, and what the brochure left out.
240+
Off-Road Trails Indexed
8,100+
U.S. Campgrounds
13
Free Tools
100%
Independent, Zero Sponsored Rankings
Why this site exists
Honestly? This whole thing started because I have a five-year-old daughter and I wanted to get her outside more. So I went looking for campsites and trails, and wow, what a mess. Everything worth reading was spread across a bunch of apps, half of it was behind a paywall, and a lot of the rest was written by folks who clearly never aired down a tire in their life. I just wanted one place with all of it. It didn't exist.
So yeah, I built it.
At first it was just a trail and campground directory, the thing I wished I had when I was planning our weekends. But the deeper I got, the more my background in the aftermarket world kept sneaking in. I spent years around wheels, tires, suspension, and overland gear, watching how this stuff actually gets built and sold. Turns out that's useful. So I started building the tools I actually use, writing about the gear I'd recommend to a buddy, and explaining the stuff the brochure leaves out.
That's 4x4 Playground today: trails, campsites, calculators, build guides, and straight-up gear coverage, all in one spot, made by someone who's out there actually trying to use it.
What we publish
Here's the short version. 240+ trails, with the stuff that actually matters: difficulty, length, season, GPS, and the build you'll want for it. 8,100+ campgrounds across all 50 states, matched up with trails nearby. 13 free calculators for tire size, gear ratio, wheel fitment, lift cost, and build budgets. Plus long-form guides and honest vehicle reviews for folks who leave the pavement.
How we make money, and how we don't
Short version: we don't sell parts, we don't take money for rankings, and no brand can buy a verdict. Period. Down the road, we'd love to earn a commission from clearly disclosed affiliate links on products we'd recommend anyway, and we might run clearly disclosed sponsored gear tests. Either way, the disclosure sits at the top of the page, and the sponsor sees the review when you do. If that ever changes, this page will be the first place to say so.
100% independent. No parts sold, no sponsored rankings. Disclosed affiliate links and disclosed sponsorships never change a verdict.
How articles get made
Every article starts with homework: manufacturer specs, owner forums with real miles on the clock, trail reports from people who ran the route this season, and straight talk with the brands and builders involved. Software helps us draft and double-check the numbers. But the judgment calls are Abe's, and he reads every piece before it goes live and puts his name on it. Spot something wrong? Email us. We'll fix it and note the correction.
Brands we write about
We write about brands we're genuinely curious about, and gear we think the off-road community would get a kick out of too, stuff that might actually make your build, your packing, or your trips better. We cover it because it's worth your attention, not because anyone's paying us. As of today, zero sponsored posts, and no brand sponsors this site. If that ever changes, the post will say so right at the top.
Contact
Found a mistake, know a trail we're missing, or just want to say hi? Email hello@4x4playground.com. Partnership inquiries welcome too.