Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Atwater, California

Red Hills Recreation (BLM) area is a scenic day use only location. There are tons of hiking trails in the area, as well as the Serpentine Loop Trail which is a mild to moderate trail…
Learn more about Red Hills Road/Serpentine loop

Discover an exciting off-road trail tailored to 4x4 vehicles, combining moderate terrain with thrilling elements. While mostly easy to navigate, you'll encounter occasional gentle inclines and 12-inch deep ruts, adding a dash of excitement without…
Learn more about High Times

This trail starts just off Highway 120, located 2.7 miles east of the Groveland District Ranger Office, and begins as a 1.5-vehicle-wide gravel trail with some sand sections. Lined with Ponderosa pine trees and bushes,…
Learn more about Boneyard Road - FS 1S07

This trail climbs over 600 feet and drops almost 1,200 feet across just over 5 miles of diverse terrain that spans BLM land and Stanislaus National Forest, though it begins on private land requiring respectful…
Learn more about Wagner Ridge Road - FS 2S08

This short but intense spur descends nearly 1,500 feet in just over a mile. The trail is narrow, rocky, and exposed, featuring loose shale and shelf sections that demand careful driving. While suitable for high-clearance…
Learn more about Low Times

This is a lightly traveled trail with a dirt floor. Uneven, rutted dirt trail with erosion. Potential water crossings up to a foot deep, in the winter, and in some spots the rut is 3ft…
Learn more about The Rut

This trail is a 3.5-mile out-and-back trail that drops almost 700 feet and climbs over 100 feet in just under 2 miles. The trail sometimes runs along shelf roads lined with trees and brush, providing…
Learn more about FS 2S37

This gravel road starts behind the Briceburg Visitor Center, across the bridge, and follows the Merced River for its entire length, providing continuous water views and sounds throughout the journey. The track maintains a width…
Learn more about Briceburg Road - Merced River

This 5-mile out-and-back trail starts at Forest Service Road 3S02 and drops over 600 feet while gaining over 300 feet in less than 3 miles, creating varied elevation changes throughout the journey. The route follows…
Learn more about FS 3S15

This trail drops over 800 feet in just over 4.5 miles, starting on Smith Station Road (FS J132). The route begins in a neighborhood area requiring respectful behavior, initially following a crushed granite gravel road…
Learn more about Jordan Creek Road - FS 2S17

This trail climbs almost 500 feet in just under 3 miles, though the entrance on the Smith Station side is now closed due to private land restrictions. Access is available behind the Groveland Ranger Station…
Learn more about Smith Peak Lookout - FS 1S16

This trail climbs over 1,200 feet and drops 100 feet across just over 4 miles, creating a sustained and challenging ascent from Smith Peak Lookout Road 1S16 to Jordan Creek Road. The sandy surface varies…
Learn more about FS 1S15

Bull Creek Road South climbs 622 feet and drops just over 300 feet in 4.4 miles. The surface is packed dirt and sand, starting off about one and a half vehicles wide before narrowing in…
Learn more about Bull Creek Road South

This trail climbs 1,450 feet and drops over 1,000 feet in just over 6 miles, creating dramatic elevation changes throughout the journey. The very sandy and dusty surface winds up and down hillsides through terrain…
Learn more about Ponderosa Way North - FS 3S02

Burma Grade climbs almost 1,400 feet in 3 miles. The trail starts at Bull Creek Road and ends at Bull Creek Road South. To access it, take Briceburg Road behind the Briceburg Visitor Center and…
Learn more about Burma Grade Road

Ponderosa Way Cutoff serves as a convenient shortcut connecting Ponderosa Way and Bull Creek Road, following a relatively flat route that still incorporates ups and downs over various hills throughout its length. The trail offers…
Learn more about Ponderosa Way Cutoff

This trail climbs over 400 feet and drops almost 400 feet across almost 3 miles of forested terrain, starting near the junction of Forest Service Roads 2S28 and 1S15 and ending at FS1S29. The sandy…
Learn more about Smith Ridge - FS 1S28

This trail starts right off Bull Creek Road and maintains a width of 1 to 1.5 vehicles throughout its length. The very sandy and dusty surface runs parallel to a creek, providing pleasant water sounds…
Learn more about FS 3S10

This trail climbs over 600 feet and drops over 450 feet across just over 5 miles, but has become a 10-mile in-and-out trail due to the closure of the north side bridge, eliminating through-passage options.…
Learn more about Moore Creek Road - FS 1S29

This 5-mile point-to-point trail runs along HWY 120. The trail runs along the ridge of the Tolumne River Valley and gives excellent views of the valley below. The trail is mostly one vehicle with shallow…
Learn more about Tolumne Road/120 Bypass

This trail begins in Bucks Meadow just off Highway 120 and ends at Bull Creek Road, covering a primarily downhill route that drops almost 800 feet while gaining only 185 feet over just under 6…
Learn more about Bucks Meadow Road

This trail starts just off the south side of Bucks Meadow Road, right after the road turns to dirt, climbing over 1,300 feet and dropping just over 300 feet across just under 6 miles of…
Learn more about Pilot Ridge - FS 1S14

This trail climbs over 200 feet and drops over 200 feet across just over 2.4 miles, starting conveniently just off Highway 120 within the Stanislaus National Forest. The first section features a previously paved surface…
Learn more about FS 1S22

This trail starts just off Briceburg Road (FS 2S05) and ends at Old Yosemite Coulterville Road. The road then becomes paved. The route climbs almost 300 feet and drops almost 500 feet over 3.5 miles…
Learn more about Bull Creek Road North

This trail starts and stops on Buck Meadows Road, creating a point-to-point route that climbs almost 800 feet and drops just under 600 feet over just under 4 miles of challenging terrain. From the south…
Learn more about FS 2S09

The original road leading into Yosemite Valley, this trail first opened in 1874. Enjoy panoramic views as you climb a well-maintained Forest Service road to Pilot Peak and follow a ridgeline towards Trumbull Peak. The…
Learn more about Old Yosemite Coulterville Road

Starting from Highway 140, this rugged track drops nearly 1,500 feet and climbs less than 300 feet in under 4 miles before connecting with Ponderosa Way at the top. The trail averages 1 to 1.5…
Learn more about Buffalo Gulch Road

This trail climbs over 700 feet and drops almost 700 feet in just under 5 miles, starting just north of the Bull Creek OHV parking lot within the Stanislaus National Forest. The single vehicle-wide trail…
Learn more about FS 2S11

This sandy and dusty trail winds through canyon terrain, dropping 1,600 feet and climbing just over 400 feet across just over 5 miles of diverse landscape. Starting at the Stairway Trail and Sweetwater Trail junction…
Learn more about Feliciana Mountain Road - FS 4S012

This trail begins at Buck Meadows Road and ends at the Pilot Ridge Road and Forest Service Road 2S33 junction, climbing over 1,300 feet and dropping almost 600 feet across just under 7 miles of…
Learn more about Moore Pilot Ridge - FS 2S14