Beginner Off-Road Trails
Near Burns, Oregon

The Skull Creek to Horton Mill Connector is an ideal route for offroaders seeking a scenic, mildly challenging high-desert adventure with sweeping vistas of the Harney Basin. Stretching approximately 14.8 miles through the high desert of eastern Oregon near Burns, this trail features a maximum eleva...
Learn more about Skull Creek to Horton Mill Connector

This road travels mostly over bright red cinder cobbles through a large burned area from fires in 1990 and 2007. The area offers an interesting look at how Ponderosa pine forests recover after a large scale fire. This route is easy but a little bumpy and not too rugged, any 4x4 or AWD vehicle should...
Learn more about Recovery Ridge

37 Spring Trail is an ideal, short, and rugged offroad route for beginners and experienced four-wheel-drive owners seeking unmatched solitude in a beautiful old-growth Ponderosa Pine forest. Stretching approximately 0.85 miles, this path offers a quick but scenic detour that leads directly to the pe...
Learn more about 37 Spring Trail

This trail is easy and short. It is the closest and most easily accessible fire lookout from the town of Burns. The trail is dirt, with no difficult obstacles beyond some very deep ruts and water drainage ruts. There are large rocks at the top loop but are easily avoided. The only weather that makes...
Learn more about Bald Butte Lookout

This trail goes through an old-growth ponderosa pine forest above the Silvies River, near the small town of Burns. Between the river and the road are some high rimrocks, which make up the cliffs and canyons in the area. Near the end of the trail is Rimrock Springs, which goes down an interesting slo...
Learn more about Lost Creek

This trail is a unique way to access the Malheur National Forest near Riley, Oregon. The route follows Miller Canyon and has been used for around 100 years or more. There was a fire in this area and the landscape is still recovering from that. There are many side routes and interesting destinations ...
Learn more about Miller Canyon

The Myrtle Park Ice Cave trail is an ideal route for offroaders seeking a remote, lesser-known forest journey that leads to a unique geological ice cave and a scenic overlook. Covering approximately 3.9 miles through the Malheur National Forest near the Grant and Harney County line, this relatively ...
Learn more about Myrtle Park Ice Cave

This route takes you deep into the Steens Mountains to a nice viewing area. The road is easy when dry and extremely difficult when wet as evidenced by the large ruts from people getting stuck in the wet season. If the road is dry and in good condition this is an easy high clearance AWD or 4x4 trail....
Learn more about Kiger Mustang Viewing Area Road

This dirt road takes you through the basaltic lava flows and cinder cones formed sometime in the last 25,000 years. There are many side roads out to specific craters and it looks like there are several nice camp spots. The road has a couple of water crossings depending on the time of year.
Learn more about Diamond Craters Auto Tour Route

Riddle Mountain Trail reaches the top of Mountain at the BLM fire lookout. The trail crosses public land for much of the route. Please treat the private land sections with care and leave every gate as you found it. There are several fences and gates, which may be open or closed seasonally.The trail ...
Learn more about Riddle Mountain

Forest Service Road 24 in the John Day area is a quiet, backcountry forest route that cuts through the wide‑open, rugged terrain of the Malheur National Forest in eastern Oregon, just outside of town. Unlike the dense Cascades, this road runs through classic Blue Mountains country—rolling pine fores...
Learn more about FS 24

This is a 5-mile loop on state land. If the gates are closed, close them behind you, otherwise you can leave them open. The trail is rutted year-round in most places. It is muddy, with some mud holes in the winter, but solid in the spring. It goes from Virginia Valley to a cinder pit and then to som...
Learn more about Virginia valley cinder pile

This track takes you up to Moon Hill as the high point and creates a loop that is open year-round. (Some of the Steens Mountains are behind a locked gate some of the year) The track is a seldom used trail with grass growing in the tracks of the lesser visited sections. Many camping opportunities alo...
Learn more about Moon Hill to Dust Bowl Road

This route is a well maintained gravel road that accesses High Lake, as well as Indian Springs and the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness. Much of the route was burned years ago and has dangerous standing trees near the road, so keeps your eyes open and look up. The hike to High Lake is a very short hik...
Learn more about High Lake Road

This well-maintained, scenic trail winds through an open forest before following the edge of a marshy area. The route is comfortable to drive, with a mostly smooth surface despite some rocky sections. A few potholes are present, but nothing particularly challenging. The trail passes through areas wh...
Learn more about FS 5800800

This is a maintained road that starts with a steep climb before continuing into the forest. After a while, the route levels out and drops into a valley. The first 1.3 miles are exceptionally rocky, with enough rough terrain to make for a very bumpy ride, so take it slow through this section. Beyond ...
Learn more about FS 5870700

This maintained, rocky trail winds through a mix of open grassy areas and forest. The road climbs toward a plateau, where it opens into a valley and provides a change of scenery from the more enclosed forest sections. Despite the rocky surface, the road is in good condition and presents no major obs...
Learn more about FS 5870300

This trail starts soft and grassy, then gradually becomes rougher as you continue. The road is made up of hard-packed soil and silt rather than gravel, with sections of exposed rock and numerous ditches created by rain and erosion. The first part can be deceptive, as it initially feels like an easy,...
Learn more about FS 5870500

This trail gradually changes from a rocky, rough road into a smoother section with soft sand as it follows the ridge of the mountain. The route eventually dips down into a small valley, where the scenery becomes especially pretty. Along the way, there are areas where trees and brush have been burned...
Learn more about FS 5870000

This remote section of two tracks through the Northern Steens takes you past several old settlement cabins and along a section of the lesser traveled optional Oregon BDR route loop. The trail is beautiful and the two track is overgrown at points. The only difficult sections are possible through the ...
Learn more about Virginia Valley to Stone House Road (Oregon BDR)

The Skull Creek to Horton Mill Connector is an ideal route for offroaders seeking a scenic, mildly challenging high-desert adventure with sweeping vistas of the Harney Basin. Stretching approximately 14.8 miles through the high desert of eastern Oregon near Burns, this trail features a maximum eleva...
Learn more about Skull Creek to Horton Mill Connector

This road travels mostly over bright red cinder cobbles through a large burned area from fires in 1990 and 2007. The area offers an interesting look at how Ponderosa pine forests recover after a large scale fire. This route is easy but a little bumpy and not too rugged, any 4x4 or AWD vehicle should...
Learn more about Recovery Ridge

37 Spring Trail is an ideal, short, and rugged offroad route for beginners and experienced four-wheel-drive owners seeking unmatched solitude in a beautiful old-growth Ponderosa Pine forest. Stretching approximately 0.85 miles, this path offers a quick but scenic detour that leads directly to the pe...
Learn more about 37 Spring Trail

This trail is easy and short. It is the closest and most easily accessible fire lookout from the town of Burns. The trail is dirt, with no difficult obstacles beyond some very deep ruts and water drainage ruts. There are large rocks at the top loop but are easily avoided. The only weather that makes...
Learn more about Bald Butte Lookout

The Skull Creek to Horton Mill Connector is an ideal route for offroaders seeking a scenic, mildly challenging high-desert adventure with sweeping vistas of the Harney Basin. Stretching approximately 14.8 miles through the high desert of eastern Oregon near Burns, this trail features a maximum eleva...
Learn more about Skull Creek to Horton Mill Connector

This road travels mostly over bright red cinder cobbles through a large burned area from fires in 1990 and 2007. The area offers an interesting look at how Ponderosa pine forests recover after a large scale fire. This route is easy but a little bumpy and not too rugged, any 4x4 or AWD vehicle should...
Learn more about Recovery Ridge

37 Spring Trail is an ideal, short, and rugged offroad route for beginners and experienced four-wheel-drive owners seeking unmatched solitude in a beautiful old-growth Ponderosa Pine forest. Stretching approximately 0.85 miles, this path offers a quick but scenic detour that leads directly to the pe...
Learn more about 37 Spring Trail

This trail is easy and short. It is the closest and most easily accessible fire lookout from the town of Burns. The trail is dirt, with no difficult obstacles beyond some very deep ruts and water drainage ruts. There are large rocks at the top loop but are easily avoided. The only weather that makes...
Learn more about Bald Butte Lookout