Emily Miller knows a thing or two about finding your way when the technology fails. As an accomplished international rally racer and the founder of the three-year-old Rebelle Rally, she insists that dead reckoning and map reading are non-negotiable skills. I? I’m still clinging to my iPhone for comfort. But after spending days trekking through the harsh desert as a Rebelle Rally media guest alongside the competitors, I understand why Miller is so adamant.
The Rebelle Rally is an all-female off-road navigation competition that winds through some of the strangest corners of Nevada and California. We’re talking routes near Area 51. Miller launched the event after competing in the Rallye Aïcha des Gazelles, often called the Gazelle Rally, in Morocco. She wanted to transplant that specific spirit to the United States.
Now in its third year, the Rebelle has become the longest competitive off-road rally in the lower 48 states. It is also the first women’s off-road navigational rally raid in the country. Getting there takes a year of paperwork. Race coordinators have to secure permits from five Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field offices, two BLM state offices, two National Parks, and the U.S. Forest Service.
“Navigation — without GPS — is an extremely valuable skill.”
The scale of the operation is staggering. Here are the numbers behind the chaos:
- 1,600 miles (2,500 kilometers) of terrain
- 12 counties and two states traversed
- 84 female competitors in 2018
- 25 rookie teams joining the fray in 2018
- Teams from five countries: U.S., France, Canada, Japan, and Kenya
- 800 physical maps printed
- 180 checkpoints spread from day 0 to day 7
- 1,347 total points available
These aren’t just casual drives. The teams are navigating a gauntlet. The rookie teams had to prove they could handle the pressure immediately. The veterans had to rely on paper and compass. No satellite pings. Just the dirt and the directions.
The international flavor adds another layer of complexity. Drivers from Kenya, Japan, and France brought different styles to the desert. They had to adapt to American land management rules on the fly. The BBLM offices aren’t known for being lenient with unpermitted routes. One wrong turn into a restricted zone and the race is over.
I watched them struggle. And I watched them succeed. The map reading isn’t just a novelty. It’s the core of the competition. If you can’t read a contour line, you don’t finish. The Rebelle Rally forces you to look at the land. Not through a screen. But with your own eyes.
The desert doesn’t care about your destination. It only cares if you can get there. The 800 maps were their only shield against the wild. Every checkpoint was a test of patience. Every mile was a calculation.
Miller started this for a reason. To show that women can handle the toughest navigation tasks. The numbers back it up. 84 competitors. 180 checkpoints. Zero GPS.
The question isn’t if they made it. The question is
How the Rebelle Rally scoring works
The 2018 edition kicked off Oct. 12 at Squaw Valley Resort near Lake Tahoe. Day 0 was just acclimation. Drivers learned to navigate with only maps and compasses on a rally school course. They wound their way south to Kingston, Nevada. That’s the first base camp. Here, participants turn in all GPS-enabled devices. The real competition starts then.
This isn’t the Gazelle Rally. That event rewards pure speed from checkpoint to checkpoint. The Rebelle Rally favors strategy. It is by design, says Miller. She fine-tuned the scoring process. The fastest team does not necessarily win. “We had to come up with a way to separate the scores,” Miller told me while riding along. “And not just separate the scores, but separate the scores by skill.”
The result is a complex scoring system. Drivers must clear all green checkpoints daily. Blue and black checkpoints are optional. Green and most blue checkpoints are marked by flags. Black checkpoints are hidden and unmarked. Crossing more blue and black checkpoints raises your score. Some race days include Rebelle Enduro Challenges. Teams earn points for precision driving on timed courses.
Strict rules of the road
I didn’t grasp the severity of the rules until I rode with crew member and professional driver Matthew Johnson. No GPS. No cell service. No stopping for gas at unapproved checkpoints. Rally crew cannot help teams in any way. The teams are on their own.
Conditions at base camps vary wildly. One night you might enjoy glamping. Michelin-starred chef Drew Deckman prepares dinner. You get drinks at a saloon in a ghost town. Another night it is rough. Intermittent water access. A coyote for a neighbor. Drivers check out their vehicles at base camp. But they must turn in keys within an hour of arrival every night.
Winning teams are efficient. They don’t waste time. They use just the right amount of time to finish tasks. “They work together well as a team,” Miller says. “They will have the presence to foresee and prevent problems, not just solve them.”
Women’s off-road racing: Who competes?
Who are these women navigating U.S. deserts with a compass? They aren’t all experts. “Women don’t need to be professional drivers or navigators to compete,” says Kirsten Tiegen, the rally’s media coordinator. The rally uses unmodified, mostly-stock vehicles. This makes the competition accessible to a wide variety of competitors across the globe.
Jeep is the most represented manufacturer in the 2018 race. Teams from the United States, Canada, and France drive Wranglers. A handful of Subarus competed in the crossover class. Their route is modified to accommodate all-wheel-drive systems and lower ground clearance. Honda sponsored corporate employees driving new Pilot SUVs and Ridgeline trucks. There was even a Mercedes G-Wagen. Not just any G-Wagen. A 4×4(2) model selling for approximately $250,000.
The oldest vehicle was Team 149’s 1969 Jeep Wagoneer. Driver Courtney Latter purchased and built it specifically for the 2017 Rebelle Rally. “I wanted to make the Jeep a lot more reliable than a ’60s Jeep would be,” Latter says. “So the motor is actually out of a 2010 Suburban.” They wanted it to look old from the outside. Everything else is new, for the most part.
Women are responsible for their own spare parts. A small mishap can throw a team out of contention. Latter kept her spare parts simple. No drivetrain parts. Just U-joints, belts, electrical supplies, zip ties, duct tape, and fuses. “Everything has gone great,” Latter says. “We can’t stop smiling.”
The Logistical Nightmare Behind the Scenes
Setting up an eight-day rally that straddles two states and stays mostly off pavement? That is a massive undertaking. It’s not just about driving fast. It’s about permits. Specifically, the Bureau of Land Management in California and Nevada has a permitting process that is extensive. Then some.
“It’s not easy,” Miller said. “Also not impossible. Just a lot of sleepless nights.”
But here is the real question. How does Miller map out a course with 180 checkpoints? She didn’t do it alone. She brought in Jimmy Lewis. He is a well-known motorcycle racer. She called him a “legend.” A “trail savant.”
“He knows every single trail out there,” Miller said. “He totally got it.”
Who Wins When Women Tie
The 2018 Rebelle Rally had a first. There was a tie for first place in the overall standings. Michelle Laframboise and Elise Racette of Team Clearwater Design tied with Emme Hall and Rebecca Donaghe of Team 140.
Hall and Donaghe were in their third year. They had narrowly missed the trophy in the first two years. Now they shared the top spot.
The Cost of Entry and the Confidence Gap
Miller wants more Rebelle Rallies in the future. The goal is growth. She wants to make it more accessible. But the price of entry is a significant roadblock. It costs about $12,000 per team. That money is one problem. The bigger problem is confidence.
“Women don’t have confidence to try new things,” Miller said.
She pointed out a specific mindset. Women want to be experts before they even try something. The lack of confidence is just telling yourself you can’t do it.
To fix this, Miller plans to expand Rebelle U. This is a series of one-day workshops. Women can learn navigation and rally skills from experts like Miller.
“For people who aren’t seasoned competitors, it’s about them learning and growing… I think it really helps lift women up and validate [them], by making it tough.”
Why Analog Skills Still Matter
What did I learn during those days with Miller and her team?
Navigating without GPS is definitely hard. But it is not impossible. Some argue that analog skills are obsolete. Miller disagrees. Her reverence for the skill is inspiring. It is about lifting women up. By making it tough, the rally validates their growth.
The Rebelle Rally Prize: Why It’s More Than Just a Trophy
Winning a class in the Rebelle Rally isn’t just about the hardware. It’s about the Rebelle Rally class winner prize that keeps on giving. The top spot in any category nets you a free entry into next year’s event. That’s not a discount. That’s a full waiver.
You also get a custom trophy. It’s not mass-produced. It’s made for the winner, etched with their name and class. The bragging rights last longer than the metal though. Being a Rebelle class champion is a badge of honor in off-road navigation circles.
The real currency here isn’t the trophy. It’s the access and the reputation.
Why does this matter? Because entry fees aren’t cheap. Saving on next year’s fee changes the math for many independent drivers. It turns a one-time adventure into a recurring habit. Or maybe it’s just the chance to prove yourself again. Either way, the stakes feel higher when the reward is a return ticket.
Which class are you eyeing? The production cars? The modified rigs? Or the pure navigation challenge? The path to free entry is narrow. But the view from the top? That’s what you’re really after.
