Madras — Travelrags

OutsideOct 20, 2026

Beater Cars, Beer Bellies, and Trash By the Ton. Welcome to Gambler 500.

Just how far can a $500 car make it in the off-roads of Oregon? We hitch a ride at Gambler 500 in Oregon, where 4,000 drivers in modified beater cars haul out 391,000 pounds of trash from public lands.

9 things in this story

Gambler 500 Off-Road RallyFestivalmovement to clean up trash-filled public lands
GamblertownNeighborhoodweekend Gambler 500 event location
Sons of SmokeyPlaceGambler 500's nonprofit wildlands cleanup arm
Sons of Smokey appPlaceapp to mark public-land dump sites
Elsewhere
Bureau of Land ManagementPlaceUnited Statesoversees about 245 million acres
Gambler 500FestivalPortland, United Statesborn in an Oregon bar in 2014
Edward AbbeyPlaceUnited Statesauthor of "The Monkey Wrench Gang"
The Monkey Wrench GangPlaceUnited States
Willow Creek CanyonSightUnited States

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