Beginner Off-Road Trails
Near Baker, California

This short trail takes you into the middle of the Soda Mountains Wilderness. It's the only way in by vehicle. The Soda Mountains are located in the eastern Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, USA. The range lies to the north of Interstate 15 west of the town of Baker. The first spur ...
Learn more about Zzyzx Road - CL8847

This last section of the Cady Mountain Loop exits the sand wash and takes you across the desert floor northeast until you reach the railroad tracks. It then makes a sharp left turn and follows the tracks back to the train trestle and the entrance to Afton Canyon. The trail is mostly hard-packed but ...
Learn more about Cady Mountain Loop - Part 6

This is a short route of less than 9 miles. It starts out crossing under the train trestle and a shallow stream then climbs up and heads east along the train tracks. The trail is mostly hard-packed with some sections of small whoops. After traveling a little less than 3 miles, the trail makes a wind...
Learn more about Afton Canyon to the Mojave Megaphone

Part 5 of the Cady Mountain Loop continues in the twisting sand wash that runs through a narrow canyon. After about 3 miles, it widens into a wide soft sand wash. This section will require 4-wheel drive high to keep from getting bogged down in the deep sand sections. As the sand wash widens, there a...
Learn more about Cady Mountain Loop - Part 5

This section cruises nicely along the main high powerlines cutting through the area. Some sections are nice soft sand, while others are gentle rollers. Be aware of small washouts here and there, and be sure to keep your eyes out for desert wildlife, especially the desert Tortious that calls this are...
Learn more about High Voltage Powerline Trail

Aiken Mine Road offers beginner to intermediate offroaders a scenic 13.7-mile desert journey through a stunning Joshua Tree forest in the Mojave National Preserve, highlighted by historic relics and unique geological features. Ideal for four-wheel-drive vehicles, SxSs, and dirt bikes, this sand trac...
Learn more about Aiken Mine Rd

Pachalka Road starts at Valley Wells Smelter and heads Northeast to Pachalka Spring, then back to Excelsior Mine Road. Pachalka Spring is at the base of Clark Mountain at the North end of the Mojave National Preserve. This trail requires a street-licensed vehicle. The road is rocky and crosses sever...
Learn more about Pachalka Road

Southern Deer Spring Road is a scenic, entry-level off-road trail in the Mojave National Preserve, ideal for drivers of stock four-wheel-drive vehicles looking to explore historic ranching structures and unique desert landscapes. Spanning approximately 2.9 miles one-way, this out-and-back route clim...
Learn more about Southern Deer Spring Road

Valley View Ranch Road offers an easy, scenic 1.7-mile desert drive through a unique, recovery-phase landscape in the Mojave National Preserve, making it ideal for standard four-wheel-drive vehicles and street-legal off-roaders looking to explore the area's history. Connecting Deer Spring Road to th...
Learn more about Valley View Ranch Road

This corrugated road is the only access to the Owls Hole mining area, which is known for--among other minerals--ramsdellite, which is used in lithium batteries. It is perhaps the most remote backcountry road in the park, with open vistas with unusual geologic formations. Also, watch for those milita...
Learn more about Owls Hole Springs

This section of the Cady Mountain Loop starts at an old abandoned oil well and continues east, paralleling the Cady Mountains off to the left. It remains mostly hard-packed dirt but has more sections of sand, some being deep and possibly requiring 4-wheel drive. The trail gets tight in a few section...
Learn more about Cady Mountain Loop - Part 4

A little-used 18.5 mile route bisecting the East Mojave Desert along a line of old telephone poles put in place to support military training camps during WWII. The route is flat and a relatively straight line, but can be very rugged and slow going as ground conditions are subject to winter flooding....
Learn more about Pole Line Kelso Depot to Aiken Mine Road

This section of the loop starts where Loop 1 (AC9602) meets trail AC9476. Make a sharp right turn and continue southwest for 7 miles. The terrain remains mostly hard-packed but this section has some small drops in the trail and some whoops. This is again an easy track that is mostly straight with a ...
Learn more about Cady Mountain Loop - Part 2

This section of the high voltage line was a paved road at some point, but most of it has long since been reclaimed by the desert. It would be easy for one to travel it a little faster than they should and find themselves hard on the breaks at one of the more deeply washed-out transitions. Slow and s...
Learn more about Ivanpah Valley High Voltage Line

This is the first section of a loop that takes you from the Mojave Trail near Afton Canyon Campground around the Cady Mountains. This is an easy loop that can add another day of riding in the Afton Canyon area. Each part connects at sections of the trail that merge with another trail or make an obvi...
Learn more about Cady Mountain Loop - Part 1

This trail is a nice easier cut across from White Eagle Road to Paved Cima Road. There are many Joshua Trees in very dense forests. Other desert plants and evidence of Wild Burros, but none were seen at the time of recording. No dispersed camping spots were noticed; those seemed to be closer to the ...
Learn more about Eastern Zinc Mine Road

This route begins at Kingston Wash Road and ends at Mesquite Valley Road, following a mix of aging, broken pavement, gravel stretches, and sections of loose rock. Much of the drive is easy, making it an enjoyable run across varied terrain. Sweeping desert vistas are the norm on this route as you cli...
Learn more about Excelsior Mine Road

Saratoga Springs is an accessible yet remote desert route ideal for stock four-wheel-drive vehicles, SxSs, and high-clearance rigs looking to discover an unexpected wetland oasis in the southernmost reaches of Death Valley National Park. Spanning approximately 4 miles with a minimal elevation gain o...
Learn more about Saratoga Springs

Part 3 of the Cady Mountain Loop begins after you make the hard left turn from AC9476 (Loop 2) onto BI9470. It continues for about 11 miles east on a hard-packed trail with some fun S-Turns and a couple of soft sections but a minimal amount of whoops. It ends near an old abandoned oil well which mak...
Learn more about Cady Mountain Loop - Part 3

This trail connects Chappo Spring, California, to California Highway 127 near Tecopa Hot Springs. It covers some unique terrain, including gravel washes and loamy soils. Since this route follows desert washes, the trail can be hard to follow at times. It is clearly marked with BLM signs about every ...
Learn more about Chappo Spring (BLM AR2350)

This short trail takes you into the middle of the Soda Mountains Wilderness. It's the only way in by vehicle. The Soda Mountains are located in the eastern Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, USA. The range lies to the north of Interstate 15 west of the town of Baker. The first spur ...
Learn more about Zzyzx Road - CL8847

This last section of the Cady Mountain Loop exits the sand wash and takes you across the desert floor northeast until you reach the railroad tracks. It then makes a sharp left turn and follows the tracks back to the train trestle and the entrance to Afton Canyon. The trail is mostly hard-packed but ...
Learn more about Cady Mountain Loop - Part 6

This is a short route of less than 9 miles. It starts out crossing under the train trestle and a shallow stream then climbs up and heads east along the train tracks. The trail is mostly hard-packed with some sections of small whoops. After traveling a little less than 3 miles, the trail makes a wind...
Learn more about Afton Canyon to the Mojave Megaphone

This corrugated road is the only access to the Owls Hole mining area, which is known for--among other minerals--ramsdellite, which is used in lithium batteries. It is perhaps the most remote backcountry road in the park, with open vistas with unusual geologic formations. Also, watch for those milita...
Learn more about Owls Hole Springs

This short trail takes you into the middle of the Soda Mountains Wilderness. It's the only way in by vehicle. The Soda Mountains are located in the eastern Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California, USA. The range lies to the north of Interstate 15 west of the town of Baker. The first spur ...
Learn more about Zzyzx Road - CL8847

This last section of the Cady Mountain Loop exits the sand wash and takes you across the desert floor northeast until you reach the railroad tracks. It then makes a sharp left turn and follows the tracks back to the train trestle and the entrance to Afton Canyon. The trail is mostly hard-packed but ...
Learn more about Cady Mountain Loop - Part 6

This is a short route of less than 9 miles. It starts out crossing under the train trestle and a shallow stream then climbs up and heads east along the train tracks. The trail is mostly hard-packed with some sections of small whoops. After traveling a little less than 3 miles, the trail makes a wind...
Learn more about Afton Canyon to the Mojave Megaphone

Part 5 of the Cady Mountain Loop continues in the twisting sand wash that runs through a narrow canyon. After about 3 miles, it widens into a wide soft sand wash. This section will require 4-wheel drive high to keep from getting bogged down in the deep sand sections. As the sand wash widens, there a...
Learn more about Cady Mountain Loop - Part 5