The Rock Crawlers 4WD Club of northwest Arkansas traditionally hosts Rocktoberfest around Halloween, and it usually turns out to be cold, or wet, or both. It is normally held on the same weekend as the University of Arkansas' homecoming, and there isn't an open motel room within a hundred miles. For 2003, the Rock Crawlers rescheduled Rocktoberfest for late September, and the weekend weather turned out to be perfect.
In recent years, the Forest Service has closed many of the challenging trails in the Ozark National Forest that the Rock Crawlers traditionally ran during Rocktoberfest. The lack of challenging trails led to a stronger partnership between the Rock Crawlers and Byrd's Adventure Center and Campground.
The Adventure Center is surrounded by the Ozark National Forest and has always been base camp for Rocktoberfest. Nestled beside the Mulberry River, between Ozark and Fayetteville, the Adventure Center caters to canoers, kayakers, rock climbers, and campers. Rocktoberfest is the Center's biggest and most profitable event. The campground didn't want to lose the four-wheeler's business for lack of a challenging trail. To keep the 4x4 event, the Byrds asked the Rock Crawlers to develop a series of looping trails on its spacious property.
Using backhoes, dump trucks, and a rented crane, the club built a small, challenging course on Byrd's property adjacent to the campground. Each year, the club has expanded the course, and also provided labor and some materials to greatly expand the campground's bathhouses.
With the enhanced course and better facilities, the Rock Crawlers have hosted several national rockcrawling competitions, drawing competitors from many states. The course has been laid out so that spectators can view the whole event. Now other ORV groups use the course as well. It's amazing to watch little four-wheelers and mountain bikes trying to get through the boulders, ledges, and mud.
Rocktoberfest began as the Rock Crawler's autumn trail-ride weekend, and it still is. The club's trip leaders guide four-wheelers on the scenic and moderately challenging Forest Service trails that remain open. Still, many groups run these trails independently during Rocktoberfest. The Rock Crawlers wanted to allow more drivers and the wider Midwestern rigs to be contenders in the King of the Rocks competition, while also making the event faster moving and more entertaining for spectators. For Rocktoberfest 2003, there were two classes of competition: a class for drivers with 35-inch-or-smaller tires, and a big-tire class. Drivers with 35s could run in either class. The event was simplified, so it's more about getting from point A to point B quickly, with fewer cones and penalties. The water hazard was drained, so there's mud, but no need for snorkels.