About The Dirty Mule
We’re an overlanding publication for drivers who measure trips in days, not miles.
The Dirty Mule covers real trails, honest gear, and the kind of stories you tell around a fire after the sun goes down and the recovery boards are dry. Trans-America Trail segments. BDR routes. The Canning Stock Route. Forgotten forest service roads in the Ozarks. The Rubicon at 6 a.m. on a Tuesday in September. Tracks the algorithm forgot.
This is editorial work, not content marketing. We publish what we’d want to read.
What we do
Build a working trail atlas. Every entry includes verified coordinates, difficulty assessments, route specs, seasonal windows, and current conditions submitted by the people who just drove it. We tag trails with the rig that made it through — so when you read “moderate,” you know whether that means a stock 4Runner or a 40-inch buggy. We’re building toward a globe-spanning reference, country by country, contributor by contributor.
Review gear like we use it. Our gear reviews come from drivers who actually mounted the bumper, ran the tires for a season, slept under the awning in a hailstorm. We don’t publish lab data unless we can verify it. We don’t pretend a sponsored install is unbiased. Where affiliate links exist, they don’t influence whether a product gets a positive or a negative review. Bad gear gets a bad review.
Document the journey. The journal is where the road stories live — the trip reports, the mechanical post-mortems, the close calls, the tribe you find at remote crossroads. This is the section that reminds you why you started overlanding in the first place.
Who we are
The Dirty Mule was started by Blake Lemmons, founder of Gorilla Dirt. The team has expanded to include contributors from across North America, Australia, southern Africa, and parts of South America — drivers who care about the craft of writing and the discipline of route research.
We’re independent. No private equity, no media conglomerate, no investor deck. The site is funded by a small set of affiliate partnerships, the occasional clearly-labeled sponsorship, and the team’s day jobs. That’s it. We answer to readers, not advertisers.
Why “The Dirty Mule”
A mule covers ground that a horse can’t. Carries more, complains less, picks better lines through bad terrain. The mule isn’t glamorous — but it’s the animal you actually want when the trail gets long and unforgiving. That’s the publication we wanted to read, and didn’t see, so we built it.
Plus, we like getting dirty.
Contribute
We’re growing the contributor roster. If you’ve got trail knowledge, gear opinions, or expedition stories worth telling — and the writing chops to back them up — we want to hear from you. We don’t pay yet. What we offer is editorial care, a real audience, and a rugged author card at the bottom of every article you publish, with your photo, bio, social links, and website. You keep your voice. You build your platform.
Read the contributor guide or email hello@thedirtymule.com with a pitch and a writing sample.
What we’re not
We’re not the AAA of overlanding — we don’t tell you to bring a satellite phone and a sat communicator and a backup PLB and a flare gun. We’re not the gear-review site sponsored by every brand in the industry. We’re not the trail directory that lists every dirt road in the world without ranking which ones are worth your weekend.
We’re picky about what gets published. That’s the whole bet.
Editorial principles
A few things we hold to:
Verify what we publish. Trail data gets cross-referenced against official sources. Conditions get timestamped. Coordinates get checked against the managing agency’s maps when one exists. Where we’re uncertain, we say so.
Be honest about risk. Overlanding kills people. We don’t sugarcoat difficulty, we don’t hype obstacle videos, and we don’t omit the part where the contributor got stuck for six hours and had to be winched out by a stranger. The mistakes are the lesson.
Respect the land. Tread Lightly principles aren’t optional. If a trail is closed for revegetation, we don’t publish a workaround. If a route is contested by indigenous groups or land managers, we say so. We’d rather lose pageviews than lose access for the next driver.
Credit the contributor. Every article has a named author. Every photo carries a credit. AI assistance gets disclosed. If we’re wrong about something, we correct the article and note the change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who runs The Dirty Mule?
The Dirty Mule was founded by Blake Lemmons, who also runs Gorilla Dirt LLC, an outdoor and overlanding brand based in Murphys, California. The publication has expanded to include contributors across North America, Australia, southern Africa, and parts of South America. Editorial decisions are made by the Dirty Mule team independently of any outside investor, sponsor, or media company.
How is The Dirty Mule funded?
The Dirty Mule is independent and reader-supported. The site is funded by a small set of affiliate partnerships, occasional clearly-labeled sponsorships, and the team’s day jobs. There is no private equity, no media conglomerate, and no investor deck. Affiliate relationships do not influence whether a product gets a positive or negative review. Sponsored content, when published, is clearly marked.
How does The Dirty Mule verify trail information?
Every trail entry includes verified coordinates, difficulty assessments, route specs, and seasonal windows. Trail data is cross-referenced against official land manager sources where they exist. Conditions submitted by contributors are timestamped. Coordinates are checked against managing agency maps. Where information is uncertain or unverified, we say so explicitly in the entry rather than guess.
Does The Dirty Mule use AI to write content?
Yes, in part. AI assists with research, drafting, and structuring some content — particularly factual entries in the trail atlas. All AI-assisted content is reviewed by a human editor before publishing, and AI use is disclosed in editorial principles. Journal posts and editorial features are primarily human-written. Where AI involvement is significant, we note it on the article.
How can I contribute to The Dirty Mule?
We’re growing our contributor roster. If you have trail knowledge, gear experience, or expedition stories worth telling, email hello@thedirtymule.com with a pitch and a writing sample. We don’t pay yet, but contributors get full editorial care, a real audience, and a complete author profile at the bottom of every article — including photo, bio, social links, and personal website.
Is The Dirty Mule affiliated with any vehicle manufacturer or media company?
No. The Dirty Mule is editorially and financially independent. We have no affiliation with vehicle manufacturers, OEM accessory brands, or media conglomerates. Affiliate links and sponsorships are clearly disclosed where they appear. Our reviews and trail assessments are not influenced by commercial relationships. We answer to readers, not advertisers.
What kinds of trails does The Dirty Mule cover?
We cover overland routes, off-road trails, and vehicle-accessible backcountry roads worldwide. Coverage includes BDR (Backcountry Discovery Route) sections, Trans-America Trail segments, international routes like the Canning Stock Route and Cape to Cairo, and lesser-known regional trails. We prioritize routes with documented history, distinct character, or unique terrain over generic dirt roads.
How often is the trail atlas updated?
The atlas is updated continuously. We’re currently adding approximately 100 new trails and destinations per week. Condition reports are added by contributors in real time. The sitemap reflects updates within hours, and search engines are notified via IndexNow when content changes. The atlas is in beta, and feedback from active users shapes what we prioritize.
Blake Lemmons is the founder. He runs Gorilla Dirt LLC from Murphys, California, in the Sierra Nevada foothills, and has been overlanding the American West for over a decade. He writes the bulk of the journal, builds the trail atlas, and is reachable directly at hello@thedirtymule.com.
Get in touch
Editorial pitches and corrections: hello@thedirtymule.com General hello: hello@thedirtymule.com Press and partnerships: [add an email or remove this line if you don’t want it] Privacy questions: hello@thedirtymule.com
You can also follow our work on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok — links you’ll find in our footer.
Have a dirty day.