The Overlanding YouTube Channels Actually Worth Your Time

The channel bio is one line, “I explore the Mojave Desert,” and that’s the whole pitch. It’s the closest match to our own corner of the map and a steady source of places worth going to see.

Brent Underwood bought the ghost town of Cerro Gordo, California in 2018 and has documented its restoration ever since, including rebuilding the hotel after a 2020 fire. Cerro Gordo is private property, so check the town’s website before visiting.

TVR Exploring documents abandoned mines and ghost towns “before they are gone forever,” so much of the footage is underground. We watch for the mining history, and we don’t recommend following anyone into a mine.

A family of three exploring the Southwest’s highways and byways, with new episodes every week. The name says it: they get off the main road, and it works as a discovery channel for places you didn’t know existed.

Brad Kowitz started TrailRecon in 2015 and makes trip, vehicle, and gear videos, mostly from Southern California and Southwest trails, with long runs into Canada, the Yukon, and Baja. Very good production, and he often teams up with other overlanders.

Dustin Porter is a filmmaker who used to produce video for Princess Cruises, and it shows: the production value and storytelling are top tier. His expedition truck takes him across North America in search of stories and exceptional places.

XOVERLAND has been making high-end overland films for years, and the big group expeditions, like South America to Alaska, are the draw. It’s polished and dramatic. Uploads have slowed, but the back catalog is deep.

Off-road adventure, camping, snow wheeling, and overlanding, shot well. The host runs a nice rig with good equipment and has teamed up with TrailRecon on a couple of big trips, so the two make a good pairing.

“Cinematic overland films about the road, the quiet, and everything in between,” as the channel puts it, and it delivers. We’re newer to this one. The desert Southwest shows up often, and the slow pace is the point.

Family-driven overlanding with real miles behind it: remote trails, hidden campsites, and a long list of rigs and setups they’ve tried. Heavy on gear and vehicle evaluations, and simply fun to watch.

The van Stralen family sold everything except their Jeeps to drive around the world, and the kids have grown up along the way. The back catalog covers every U.S. state and Canadian province, plus humanitarian projects.

The creator spent years living full-time in a Jeep Wrangler and follows random tracks deep into the backcountry to see where they lead. Uploads have slowed, but the back catalog and the solo, unhurried style hold up.

A community more than a channel: a forum, its own app, and tools for planning trips, finding a crew, and organizing meetups. Members run Mojave Road trips and twice-yearly Trail Guardian cleanups in Mojave National Preserve.

Not an overlanding channel, and we want it here anyway. Matt’s crew does off-road towing, recoveries, and rescues out of southern Utah near Zion, and also works Nevada and the Arizona Strip. We’ve wheeled plenty of trails they’ve recovered on.

Not overlanding, and here on purpose. Russ is a full-time RVer who favors small towns, back roads, and ghost towns, telling each town’s story as he drives through.

Ronny Dahl runs long-distance trips across the Australian outback, where fuel, water, and repairs matter when help is far away. It isn’t Mojave content, but the self-reliance mindset carries over, and he tells a good story.