Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Descanso, California

This trail cuts through a beautiful stretch of backcountry in eastern San Diego County and passes near hiking trailheads to three different waterfalls. The loop starts and finishes on graded dirt roads and has a…
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15S18 Sheephead Mountain Road is a 4.6-mile out-and-back trail rated 3 of 10 located within the Cleveland National Forest, Descanso Ranger District. The trail to the top is a full 6.8 miles, but due to…
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This is the main east-west connector inside the Corral Canyon OHV area and can be run in either direction. There are some gentle obstacles as this is a poorly maintained forest service road, and can…
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Wrangler Trail is part of the Corral Canyon OHV Area in the Laguna Mountains of San Diego County. Corral Canyon is one of the only remaining OHV areas in San Diego, which attracts offroaders of…
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Gunslinger Trail #11 is a 1.8-mile point-to-point trail rated 3 of 10 located in the Corral Canyon OHV recreation area. Corral Canyon OHV is located roughly 30 miles east of San Diego and it offers…
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16S08 Fred Canyon Road is a 6.1-mile point-to-point trail rated 3 of 10 located within the Cleveland National Forest, Descanso Ranger District. This trail is usually run in conjunction with Fred Canyon to create a…
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15S05 La Posta Truck Trail is a 7.6-mile point-to-point trail rated 3 of 10 located within the Cleveland National Forest, Descanso Ranger District. This trail is usually run in conjunction with Fred Canyon to create…
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Blair Valley Loop is a 7.9-mile point-to-point trail rated 3 of 10 within the California Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Blair Valley area is a collection of two small valleys with several attractions to see. The…
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This route goes up and over Otay Mountain with sweeping views over the San Ysidro Mountains, and a little bit of San Diego in the distance. The road is made up entirely of dirt and…
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This is a pretty mellow 2-track road leading to the top of Tecate Peak. The lower part of the trail is a grave road. If there has been a lot of rain, expect ruts! There…
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Scenic high desert drive with two overlooks of Carrizo Canyon. Corrizo Overlook, with picnic tables, makes great lunch spot. Take binoculars. Fun hiking trails. Overnight camping at Lark Canyon Recreation Site, fee area. Street-legal vehicles…
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Blair Valley Pictographs is a 2.8-mile out-and-back trail rated 3 out of 10 within the California Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. This short dirt track ends at a small parking area and trailhead. A BLM informational…
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This is a well-maintained road that needs high clearance just for potholes and washouts. It has some beautiful views of the Otay mountains with a lot of little offshoots to explore, given you have the…
Learn more about Otay Mountain Truck Trail (Upper Trail)

This is a well-maintained road that needs high clearance just for potholes and washouts. It has some beautiful views of the Otay mountains with a lot of little offshoots to explore, given you have the…
Learn more about Otay Mountain Truck Trail (Lower Trail)

Santa Ysabel Truck Trail is a narrow, shelf-road trail running through a section of the Cleveland National Forest in Ramona. The trail follows along Santa Ysabel Creek and offers beautiful views over the mountains, and…
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The trail is mainly hard-packed dirt and some sand once in the canyon. This trail passes through private property and has signs around the area, so just be respectful when driving through the first 4…
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Starting several miles south of Tecate near Nueva Colonia Hindu, the trail begins as a well-maintained, albeit heavily washboarded road. Consider reducing tire pressure upon leaving pavement for a smoother ride. As the route progresses,…
Learn more about Presa Las Auras Lake Loop

This trail winds its way through the Cleveland Forest from Pamo Road to the Guejito Truck Trail. The trail is not very well maintained. It is very rutted. The trail takes you up and over…
Learn more about Orosco Ridge Truck Trail 12S02

Mine Wash is a 9.6-mile out-and-back trail rated 3 of 10 within the California Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The state park is a "Stay the Trail" area and the trail is restricted to street-legal vehicles.…
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11S04 Black Mountain is a 10.8-mile out-and-back located in the Cleveland National Forest, Palomar Ranger District. This is a limited-use trail restricted to street-legal vehicles. The trail is rated 3 of 10 but has the…
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Located east of Tecate near El Hongo, this trail begins off Mexico 2. Departing from the paved road, you'll cross over the toll road and soon encounter a fork where you should veer right. This…
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11S03 Lusardi Truck Trail is an 11.6-mile out-and-back trail rated 3 of 10 located within the Cleveland National Forest, Trabuco Ranger District. Lusardi Truck Trail ascends the Carney Canyon between the Black Butte (west) and…
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Hahapa Flat Road is a 3.7-mile point-to-point trail rated 3 out of 10 located within the California Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (ABDSP). Trails within the ABDSP are restricted to street-legal vehicles. Hahapa Flat is an…
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Vallecito Creek Road is a 5.9-mile point-to-point trail rated 3 of 10 located within the California Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (ABDSP). For thousands of years, the course of the Vallecito Wash has been a refuge…
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This is an out-and-back trail to a dead-end canyon that begins off Highway 78 next to an Emergency Callbox station. It starts out as a hard-packed, narrow dirt road, which remains fairly level over the…
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This off-road route offers a scenic journey from Mexico Highway 2, meandering around the El Corizo Dam before connecting with Mexico Highway 3. Suitable for any high-clearance 2WD vehicle, the initial stretch from Highway 2…
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Arroyo Seco del Diablo is a 13.2-mile point-to-point trail rated 3 of 10 located within the California Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (ABDSP). Arroyo Seco del Diablo is Spanish for Devil's Dry Wash and lies amid…
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This trail kicks off from the Sacotone Lookout Jeep Trail, which has more steep transitions, fun boulders, and obstacles than this route. It begins wide enough for an ATV but narrows to a single track…
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Arroyo Tapiado Trail is a 9.1-mile point-to-point trail rated 3 of 10 located in located within the California Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (ABDSP). Trails within the ABDSP are restricted to street-legal vehicles. Arroyo Tapiado is…
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This is an out-and-back trail that splits from Fish Creek wash in the Sandstone Canyon area of Anza Borrego State Park. Just before the end of the trail, there is a small fork; to the…
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