Beginner Off-Road Trails Near East Sonora, California

This is a super pretty drive as it descends into the canyons and back up to the mountaintops. On your way to the lookout, you will drive through the Italian Bar/Lost Dutchman Mining Camp, which…
Learn more about American Camp Lookout

This trail is steep, overgrown, and narrow. Typically home to lots of poison oak and fallen trees but the reward at the end is totally worth it! Keltz Mine road takes you down to the…
Learn more about Keltz Mine

This trail is a connector between the American Camp Lookout and the Forebay trail. Connect all these 3 trails for a fun weekend or day trip full of adventure and fishing/exploring! There is a creek…
Learn more about Forebay to American Camp

This a very easy trail and is mostly forest roads that zig-zag up the hill to the Forebay. This can be accessed from many ways whether it be from Columbia, Twain Harte, or Camp 9.…
Learn more about Stanislaus Forebay

Lug Nut Ledge is a short but fun trail with moderate obstacles, including rocky sections, rutted sections, and water crossings. The namesake Lug Nut Ledge features a mild rock step that requires good tire placement…
Learn more about Lug Nut Ledge

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

This is a short dirt bike only trail that connects the ATV trail 16EV223 with the singletrack 16EV407, near the Deer Creek Staging Area. Taking this trail cuts off having to go back to Italian…
Learn more about 16EV243

This is a short spur off of 16EV223. It winds through the forest, and has a couple of downed logs on the trail. It probably doesn't get ridden as much since it's just a short…
Learn more about 16EV251

This trail starts right near the Deer Creek staging area, behind a gate that gets closed for seasonal use. It starts off pretty easy, being a decently wide single track, weaving between tons of cut…
Learn more about 16EV407

This is a quarter-mile-long spur that starts and ends off of the ATV trail 16EV223. The north end starts out in a dry grassy hilltop, then it descends through a forest of tall pines, manzanitas,…
Learn more about 16EV249

This short trail goes into a thick forested corridor as it departs from trail 16EV407. The trail is covered in a lot of bony and sharp loose rocks, climbing up a dry and sun-exposed hillside,…
Learn more about 16EV258

The east end of this trail starts on the forest road 3N63, and it goes west for 1.5 miles, meandering through gradual hills and descents in a pine forest. There are a lot of downed…
Learn more about 16EV257

This is a short and easy trail that is easily accessible near the Deer Creek Staging Area, making it a good option for beginner riders not too far from the staging. It's only .6 miles…
Learn more about 16EV272

This trail starts on the west side with a semi-steep hill climb up into the forest, then winds on a narrow path between a tight corridor of manzanita trees. It turns right at an intersection,…
Learn more about 16EV136

The east end of this trail starts at the end of 16EV133 as more of a continuation of the trail, and it goes through a tight tree corridor on a ridgeline with a bit of…
Learn more about 16EV247

This trail starts on FS 3N35, climbing up onto a hill of tall pine trees on a narrow path that is a mix of loose rock and soft dirt. There are lots of small, loose,…
Learn more about 16EV236

This short and easy trail starts on the Forest Service Road 4N16 and goes north, passing the intersection with 16EV136 in a dry and grassy meadow with loose rock. It continues into the forest of…
Learn more about 16EV244

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 is a short and easy dirt bike trail that winds through a dry forest of pine trees, on a smooth dirt path covered in pine needles. There aren't many rocks, and it is consistently…
Learn more about 16EV141

As of May 26, 2023. This road is accessible by vehicles of higher clearance than sedans. This is because the fire roads are not as flat and maintained as Google Maps makes them out to…
Learn more about Candy Rock Road P.2

The north end of this 1.9-mile-long trail starts out climbing up from the Forest Service road, up a steeper slope with loose rock, narrowing up between lots of scrub oak and manzanitas. There are several…
Learn more about 16EV101

As of May 26, 2023. This road is accessible by vehicles of higher clearance than sedans. This is due to the fire road are not as flat and maintained as Google Maps makes it out…
Learn more about Candy Rock Road

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 is a short and easy singletrack that makes a loop with 16EV178 and 16EV176. It's a narrow trail that weaves through the pine trees and evergreen shrubs, gradually descending from north to south. It…
Learn more about 16EV177

This is a short trail near the Crandall Peak system of trails, that winds through a dry and sparse pine forest. It goes through a dry and grassy hillside on a section of trail that…
Learn more about 17EV235

This is a short and easy single track that makes a loop with 16EV177 and 16EV176. It weaves along an easy forested path, through a wide corridor between pine trees. The dirt is smooth and…
Learn more about 16EV178

This trail is a great spot to retreat for the weekend. The trail follows the South Fork of the Stanislaus from 4N01 (Frasier Flat) to the inlet of Lyons Reservoir. You can no longer get…
Learn more about South Fork Stanislaus River Trail (4N90)

This is a short but easy single track that is less than half a mile long and stays a gradual grade the whole time. The north end starts out at a trail sign next to…
Learn more about 16EV268

This is a scenic trail with views looking back towards Highway 108. The trail follows along the ridge and has smaller rock obstacles that shouldn't be much of an issue for most 4x4 vehicles. This…
Learn more about Dodge Ridge

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