Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Fort Irwin, California

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…
Learn more about Cady Mountain Loop - Part 1

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…
Learn more about Cady Mountain Loop - Part 2

This secluded route is perfect for a day trip or a dispersed overnighter. You'll explore lava flow regions, an opal mine, the Tuffa Cave House, and Inscription Canyon filled with petroglyphs. The route (clockwise) starts…
Learn more about Black Mountain Wilderness Route

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…
Learn more about Owls Hole 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…
Learn more about Cady Mountain Loop - Part 3

This trail begins off a nice paved highway and can be somewhat easy to miss at first glance. There is an established campground a couple of miles off this trail with pit toilets, pergolas for…
Learn more about Rainbow Basin Loop

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…
Learn more about Afton Canyon to the Mojave Megaphone

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…
Learn more about Cady Mountain Loop - Part 4

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…
Learn more about Cady Mountain Loop - Part 6

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,…
Learn more about Zzyzx Road - CL8847

A historical route at the southern end of Death Valley National Park. The route is 32 miles in length through one of the most remote and arid parts of Death Valley - be prepared. The…
Learn more about Harry Wade Exit Route - DVNP

This is short spur trail off of the Harry Wade Exit Route. Expect similar conditions to what has been experienced on HWER albeit with a bit more washboard and cross-graining. There are a few washes…
Learn more about Saratoga Springs

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…
Learn more about Cady Mountain Loop - Part 5

This track starts at the Base Camp Sawtooth Canyon Camp Grounds located 15 miles south of Barstow California. You run the gas line road East to Pipkin Cindercone Road to the Volcano. There are lots…
Learn more about Pipken Cindercone

This is the trail that takes you to the Hinkley Desert Lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in 2017 by artist Daniel Hawkins. The entire Lighthouse is lit at night. The route is an easy dirt…
Learn more about Hinkley Desert Lighthouse

A sandy run from the central valley to the northern open section. The wash is wide and allows for oncoming traffic to pass. The sand is generally more on the coarse side, lending to an…
Learn more about The Main North to South Access Wash

This is the main graded trail into the OHV area. It is mostly well-graded with plenty of washboard bumps and mild transitions to make life easier for those towing trailers. There is a pit toilet…
Learn more about Stoddard Mountain Road

Easy route around the west side of the dry lake bed in Death Valley. This route offers a different, and remote, perspective of the Devil's Golf Course and Badwater Basin. The route starts about 11…
Learn more about West Side Road - DVNP

This is a mostly straight trail with some sandy sections and deep washouts. The trail ends at the military border in the lakebed. The lakebed may be impassable when wet. There seems to be some…
Learn more about Straight Shot to the White Fluffy Stuff

A quick pop around the side of pinnacles out to the network of trails beyond. The trail is somewhat sandy with a few small steep hills, washouts, and very sharp rocks. One should take care…
Learn more about Another Way Around

This is an easy trail if you do not want to get out taking the same popular trail and getting into Trona Pinnacles. It is easy for off-road beginners with almost all stock 4WD and…
Learn more about Teagle Wash Road

This trail takes you from the Soggy Dry Lake in Johnson Valley to Cougar Buttes. It's a fun ride for the whole family. It's all dirt and two-track, with some sand and some rocks that…
Learn more about Soggy Dry Lake to Cougar Buttes

This short trail leads up to Russel Camp, which is an old mining cabin that you can stay at when visiting Death Valley. It has a honeymoon suite (not recommended), a kitchen, a solar shower,…
Learn more about Russel Camp

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…
Learn more about Chappo Spring (BLM AR2350)

An easy scenic loop around and through the Trona Pinnacles National Landmark that is accessible by passenger car with careful tire placement (easy trail, just be careful of your sidewalls on sharp rocks). This trail…
Learn more about Trona Pinnacles Scenic Loop East (Easy)

A sandy and bumpy dirt road with frequent washouts and whoops. This is a direct dirt route connecting the Trona Pinnacles area to the edge of the Spangler Hills OHV Riding Area. There are more…
Learn more about Pinnacles to Spangler Hills OHV Area

Located in California's Mojave desert just outside Death Valley is the otherworldly Trona Pinnacles. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the 3,800 acres here feature more than 500 odd-shaped tufa towers. The Trona Pinnacles…
Learn more about Trona Pinnacles Scenic Route West

This is the main (occasionally) graded route to get to Trona Pinnacles. This hard-packed washboard road takes you across the desert and the shortest operating railroad in America. Be sure to stop and check for…
Learn more about The Easy Route to Trona Pinnacles

Starting near Highway 247 and Pony Road, your adventure likely took you deep into this expansive desert playground, known for its diverse terrain. While Johnson Valley is famous for the extreme rock-crawling "Hammers," the northern…
Learn more about Sand Dune Expedition

The Fish Head Rocks were originally painted in the late 1930s or early 1940s, a beloved and unexpected desert sight. The route to Trona Pinnacles passes through "Poison Canyon" because the small stream at its…
Learn more about Fish Head Rocks to Trona Pinnacles