Rising Sun was founded by a few guys that had Land Cruisers and belonged to other 4 wheel drive clubs that were mostly Jeep owners. They got tired of the ridicule and all the "special deals" on parts that only pertained to Jeeps, and nothing for the FJ-40's and pickups they drove. So enough was enough, and in March 1981 The Rising Sun 4 Wheel Drive Club of Colorado, Inc. was born.

Our membership requirements are simple: you must be a Toyota 4x4 owner, come to one meeting, and one event, be a TLCA member, write a short bio about your vehicle, be voted in, and pay our annual dues of $50. Our meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30 PM at Stevinson West Toyota, located at 780 Indiana St near Colorado Mills Mall between 6th Ave and Colfax. Please park on the south side. Meeting in the 2nd floor conference room.

Most of our members live in the Denver Metro area, although we do have a few members scattered in the smaller towns of Colorado and a handful that live out of state. Our membership is 75% Land Cruisers (various models) and some pickups and 4Runners, etc. The vehicles range from stock to heavily modified. We do trails that range from easy and scenic to wild and crazy. There's something for everyone.

The Rising Sun 4 Wheel Drive Club of Colorado is a family oriented, conservation-minded organization, devoted to several goals:

Link to: Rising Sun Bylaws

HAVING FUN: 4 wheeling and getting together with people who all have a common interest.

VEHICLE INFORMATION: Using, maintaining and modifying our Toyota 4x4's. We share information on the latest products, and how to keep our vehicles going.

SAFETY: Traveling in numbers is safer, not only as far as breakdowns go, but in case of emergencies. Being aware of things like safety maintenance, first aid kits, fire extinguishers and necessary 4 wheeling equipment is stressed.

CONSERVATION/KEEPING LANDS OPEN: We believe in protecting public lands for the public, and not from the public. We believe in trail preservation, treading lightly, staying on designated trails, and leaving the areas we visit cleaner than when we got there. We also have our own Adopt-a-Trail (Argentine Pass and Jenny Creek) that we visit and do maintenance at least once a year.

CLUB RUNS: We have several annual runs that the club does each year. We do Moab, a Ghost Town Run, Ouray-Silverton-Teluride, the Triple Bypass (3 passes in a day). And a few day trips that are organized during the year. Our other annual event is our wheel bearing packing party. We all get together a few weeks before Moab to repack the front ends, change 90 wt, fix other small things, and make sure everything is tight. We get a substantial discount from one of our club sponsors, Larry Miller Toyota, on the clubs' parts order.

So what are the advantages of membership?

You'll learn to drive safely and responsibly off road. Safety of having others to help you on club sponsored trips. Discover new places to 4 wheel in Colorado and Utah. Community service through the Adopt-a-Trail program. Work cooperatives on member vehicles. Technical help from members. Discounts on new parts through club sponsors. Used parts through the membership network. Annual wheel bearing packing party with HEAVY discounts on parts, grease and oil. Informative monthly newsletter. Membership in Colorado Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs, Incorporated. Membership in United 4WD Association. This is our voice in Washington DC. You get a quarterly newsletter with both.