What’s it like to compete in the longest US off-road rally with no GPS?

I’ve been involved with the Rebel Rally since its inception in 2016, either as a competitor or live show host, and over the past 10 years, I’ve seen it grow from a scrappy rally with big dreams to the world-class event it is today.

In short, the Rebel Rally is the longest competitive off-road rally in the United States, covering over 2,000 kilometers, and it’s just for women. Over eight days, teams of two must plot coordinates on a map, trace their route, and find several checkpoints – both marked and unmarked – with no GPS, cell phone, or pursuit team. This is not a race for speed, but a rally for navigational accuracy in some of the toughest terrain in California and Nevada. There are two categories: 4×4 with vehicles like the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco and X-Cross with cars like the Honda Passport and BMW X5. Heavy modifications are not required, and many teams compete for the coveted bone stock prize.

For this 10th anniversary, I got back behind the wheel of the 2025 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness as a driver, with Kendra Miller as my navigator, so I could defend my many podium finishes and stage wins and get reacquainted with the technique, or lack thereof, that makes this multi-day competition so special.

hi-tech rally

In the morning, while the center uses a scale ruler to mark more than 20 coordinates on the day’s map, a laborious task that requires intense concentration, I have time for a little wonder at base camp. We emerge from our cozy sleeping bags and tents in the pitch darkness of 5am, but thanks to renewable innovation and its mobile microgrid the main tent is brighter than ever.

The system combines solar and hydrogen fuel cell systems for up to 750 kilowatts of power. In the early morning, multiple batteries in both systems power the bright lights that sailors need to see their maps, and Starlink units send commentary shows to YouTube and Facebook Live. Competitors and staff can take hot showers, morning tater tots are fried in the kitchen – literally, they are the best – and the day’s drivers’ meeting begins over the PA system. We’re 100 miles from nowhere, and it feels like home.