Beginner Off-Road Trails
Near Ahtanum, Washington

From Washington State Highway 12, approximately 2.25 miles from the SR 410/Highway 12 junction, Oak Creek Road (FR 1400) begins traveling west. The road is primarily gravel with patches of larger rocks, potholes, and washboards. Travel speed ascending is slow-going due to the rough nature of the roa...
Learn more about Oak Creek FR 1400 to Bear Lake

Slow going over a rough road of basalt rock. This road rises steeply from roughly 1700' at the Oak Creek Wildlife office off of Highway 12 to over 4000'. There is a seasonal gate at the access point at the bottom. Bethel Ridge itself is snowbound from December to late June or early July. Check Fores...
Learn more about Bethel Ridge Tie Road

This trail is on Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife-owned land, and a Discover Pass is required to travel in the area. This is a dirt trail that is extremely dusty when dry and a muddy slog when wet. There are ruts approximately 12-18 inches deep that you must straddle, and there are areas w...
Learn more about Roza Creek Road

This trail is mostly dirt with some rock garden sections and minor wash/ruts. The trail steadily climbs to the top of a ridge with a 14 percent pitch at one point, but once you make it to the top of the ridge, the views are stunning. This trail ends at a fence row, and becomes the Skyline Trail, whi...
Learn more about Buffalo Ridge Road

Reynolds Creek Tie is a 4.5-mile forest service road that drops down from 5,400' at Divide Ridge to 3,400' at Reynolds Creek Road and then follows the creek down into Cowiche, Washington. It is semi-maintained and rocky in places. This road is snowbound until mid-May to early June.
Learn more about Reynolds Creek Tie - C1201

Newlands Road is a dusty roads with loose rocks. There are some uphill spots where loose rocks could be a problem, however for the most part it is just a dirt road. There are a few rutted areas that can be easily navigated.
Learn more about Newlands Road

Jump Off road is a 12-mile Forest Service road that crosses the Tieton River at Windy Point and climbs quickly up onto and follows along Divide Ridge to reach Jump Off Lookout. The first 3-4 miles were freshly graded and compacted but then the road devolved into the teeth-rattling basalt rock roads ...
Learn more about Jump Off - NF1302

This is a dirt-based road on State of Washington land in the Wenas unit. A Discover Pass is required to enjoy this area. The trail is narrow, one lane, and two-track in some areas. There are places to pass, and the road dead ends with no access to Highway 12, so you must backtrack to Mud Lake Road t...
Learn more about Garrett Canyon Road

This trail begins off the pavement of North Wenas Road, where you’ll find signage, a map, and posted rules. It climbs steadily into the hills, passing through a gate that must be closed behind you. Wildflowers are often abundant along the route. The trail eventually meets and follows a canyon for a ...
Learn more about Kelley Hollow Road

Jones road has a few small obstacles, most of which have been cleared, but may require caution. For the most part, this trail is pretty easy going despite the incline. Snow would make it more difficult. It is a two-way trail, but it's very narrow and only one vehicle wide, so watch out for oncoming ...
Learn more about Jones Road

Lost Lake is an easy gravel road that runs through the Wenatchee National Forest. One of the camping spots has access to a dirt bike trail and is right at Lost Lake, which offers fishing and a couple of places to camp. When I was there the lake had an off smell, maybe someone left a dead fish somewh...
Learn more about Lost Lake

Although this trail is a fairly short drive from Ellensburg, you will soon feel like you've been transported to the old west. Once you leave the paved Umtanum Road and get onto Durr Road you will find that it is unmaintained dirt with loose rock. You will have some great views of the snow-capped mou...
Learn more about Durr Road to Umtanum Creek Camp

Umtanum ridge road is a dirt road with a few deep rutted sections. There are multiple switchbacks as you continue up the hills and as you come down. There is a small bridge crossing with an excellent camping spot both to the right and the left of the bridge. Continuing up the mountains involves some...
Learn more about Umptatum Ridge Road

Gravel Forest Service Road connects down to Bear Lake from Bethel Ridge in the Wenatchee National Forest. This area ranges from 4500-6000', so it is generally snowbound from December until mid-June. This area was devasted by wildfire during the Summer of 2021, so expect a good deal of fallen trees a...
Learn more about Oak Creek - NF 1400

This road starts off as gravel-based and transitions to dirt-based. The trail runs from State of Washington land in the Wenas Unit to the National Forest. A Discover Pass is required to use the state land, and there is a Winter closure from December to April. Once the trail transitions to dirt, ther...
Learn more about Chinook Pass

The twenty-five miles of Bethel Ridge Road climbs up and over Bethel Ridge from Highway 12 to State Route 410 just to the East of the William O Douglas Wilderness. This road is also part of Section Two of the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route (WABDR). In addition to accessing Bethel Ridge, it l...
Learn more about Bethel Ridge Road - NF 1500

Very easy dirt and gravel trail. This is a connector trail from Bethel Ridge and Pinehuas that leads you to Tieton Pond and Campground. From the Bethel Ridge side, it is a gradual ascent that has a creek running along one side. There is one small area where there is a wash section, but it is very mi...
Learn more about Tieton Pond

Meloy Canyon Road offers a scenic and approachable climb for drivers of all skill levels, delivering panoramic views of the rugged Washington foothills. Starting near the community of Nile off Highway 410, this well-maintained forest service route winds its way up toward Bethel Ridge, providing an e...
Learn more about Meloy Canyon Road

Fish Creek is an overall easy gravel road, that runs through the Wenatchee National Forest. A section of it has been blocked off for larger vehicles as there is a short section that gets tight and off-camber that is recommended for a four-wheel drive high clearance vehicle only. The road has access ...
Learn more about Fish Creek

Milk Creek is an easy gravel road that runs through the Wenatchee National Forest, some sections of the road has spotty cellphone service. There are a couple of camp spots, and some even are big enough for large RV's. Lost lake is also close by which also has camping and fishing right on the lake.
Learn more about Milk Creek

From Washington State Highway 12, approximately 2.25 miles from the SR 410/Highway 12 junction, Oak Creek Road (FR 1400) begins traveling west. The road is primarily gravel with patches of larger rocks, potholes, and washboards. Travel speed ascending is slow-going due to the rough nature of the roa...
Learn more about Oak Creek FR 1400 to Bear Lake

Slow going over a rough road of basalt rock. This road rises steeply from roughly 1700' at the Oak Creek Wildlife office off of Highway 12 to over 4000'. There is a seasonal gate at the access point at the bottom. Bethel Ridge itself is snowbound from December to late June or early July. Check Fores...
Learn more about Bethel Ridge Tie Road

This trail is on Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife-owned land, and a Discover Pass is required to travel in the area. This is a dirt trail that is extremely dusty when dry and a muddy slog when wet. There are ruts approximately 12-18 inches deep that you must straddle, and there are areas w...
Learn more about Roza Creek Road

This trail is mostly dirt with some rock garden sections and minor wash/ruts. The trail steadily climbs to the top of a ridge with a 14 percent pitch at one point, but once you make it to the top of the ridge, the views are stunning. This trail ends at a fence row, and becomes the Skyline Trail, whi...
Learn more about Buffalo Ridge Road

From Washington State Highway 12, approximately 2.25 miles from the SR 410/Highway 12 junction, Oak Creek Road (FR 1400) begins traveling west. The road is primarily gravel with patches of larger rocks, potholes, and washboards. Travel speed ascending is slow-going due to the rough nature of the roa...
Learn more about Oak Creek FR 1400 to Bear Lake

Slow going over a rough road of basalt rock. This road rises steeply from roughly 1700' at the Oak Creek Wildlife office off of Highway 12 to over 4000'. There is a seasonal gate at the access point at the bottom. Bethel Ridge itself is snowbound from December to late June or early July. Check Fores...
Learn more about Bethel Ridge Tie Road

This trail is on Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife-owned land, and a Discover Pass is required to travel in the area. This is a dirt trail that is extremely dusty when dry and a muddy slog when wet. There are ruts approximately 12-18 inches deep that you must straddle, and there are areas w...
Learn more about Roza Creek Road

This trail is mostly dirt with some rock garden sections and minor wash/ruts. The trail steadily climbs to the top of a ridge with a 14 percent pitch at one point, but once you make it to the top of the ridge, the views are stunning. This trail ends at a fence row, and becomes the Skyline Trail, whi...
Learn more about Buffalo Ridge Road