Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Furnace Creek, California

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West Side Road - DVNP

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…
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Total Miles
34.1
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Fa / Wi / Su

Rhyolite Ghost Town

This is a fairly easy trail with the exception of Secret Pass, which can be bypassed easily with other trails nearby. Secret Pass has short, steep grades that are rocky and tight in various sections.…
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Total Miles
48
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Fa

Dunes Poll Line Road

A pretty straight, pretty flat rip from the Amargosa Dunes over to the access trail to get to Blackmarble Mountain and other trails in the area. There are a few spots where it gets rutted…
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Total Miles
7
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Sp / Wi

Pole Line Road

This trail is the main Pole line heading south out of town from Beatty and its more local dirt trails. This road takes you along the power lines and down toward two interesting abandoned mining…
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Total Miles
6.6
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Wi / Fa / Sp

Black Marble Mountain Truck Route

The first half of the trail is relatively easy; most high clearance 4x4 will have no issues. There are a few dispersed camping spots and a few old mining areas to explore with a vast…
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Total Miles
1.6
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Wi / Fa / Sp

Old Railroad Grade Road

The Western section of the road is well-graded and more than two cars wide. Once one transitions onto the two-track near the airport the trail gets rocky with a few washout transitions. One specifically is…
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Total Miles
3.9
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Wi / Fa / Sp

Butte Valley

Street-legal vehicles and a Death Valley National Park pass are required for this route. Begin on a wide road across open desert land and then pass through Warm Springs Canyon. You'll pass by talc mines…
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Total Miles
24.2
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Wi / Sp

Gold Bar Road

This trail starts out easy with a graded two-lane washboard dirt road by the private Big Red Art Barn. Look, but please don't touch. It also appears people camp in the parking lot by the…
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Total Miles
5
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Wi / Fa / Sp

Bullfrog Historic Mining Distric

A great day trip out of Beatty, NV. Explore a ton of mines and a ghost town. This loop is approximately 50 miles, and you'll pass some really unique geological formations. There is one section…
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Total Miles
82.9
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Fa / Wi

Rainbow Mountain Road

A mostly east trail that begins or ends at the Rhyolite ghost town on the western end of the trail. The ghost town is somewhat preserved with many structures still standing and lots to explore,…
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Total Miles
3.8
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Wi / Fa / Sp

Mud Springs Road

This easy two-track trail takes you along the edge of the valley and to the mud water springs. There are lots of Burros in the area and even a falcon. The Mud Springs are just…
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Total Miles
6.3
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Wi / Sp

Harry Wade Exit Route - DVNP

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…
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Total Miles
30.1
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Fa / Wi

Pioneer Road

A mostly easy trail, except for the last 100 yards that complete the trail to the mine. There is plenty of room for oncoming traffic, and the trail is well graded. 2 bars LTE at…
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Total Miles
3.8
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Wi / Fa / Sp

Phinney Canyon Road

This easy, graded trail takes you from Highway 95 into the vast trail networks in the valley. Continuing past the recorded turn will take you all the way to the Death Valley park boundary. The…
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Total Miles
3.5
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Wi / Fa / Sp

Darwin Canyon

This trail is easy to complete in almost any vehicle. Along the way you'll encounter the Darwin Falls trailhead, various side trails, and some interesting abandoned structures. There are some spots with loose sand and…
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Total Miles
11.7
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Saline Valley Road

Death Valley is famous for its barren valleys and soaring vistas, but few people wander into its more remote regions like Saline Valley. The road into this area is dirt, and often heavily corrugated and…
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Total Miles
74.5
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Fa / Wi

Sperry Wash

Total Miles
27.4
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Wi / Sp

Straight Shot to the White Fluffy Stuff

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…
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Total Miles
7
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Wi / Fa / Sp

Saratoga Springs

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…
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Total Miles
3.8
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Fa / Wi

552 Mining Entry Road

552 Mining Entry Road drives through the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and Bureau of Land Management Government Lands, it is a easy gravel road with sections of loose rock, and spots that have been washed out…
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Total Miles
8.4
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

The Easy Route to Trona Pinnacles

The main (occasionally) graded route to get to Trona Pinnacles. This hard-packed washboard road takes you across the desert and across the shortest operating railroad in America. Be sure to stop and check for trains…
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Total Miles
4.4
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Fa / Wi

Noides Road

Noides Road drives through the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and Bureau of Land Management Government Lands. It is a semi easy road with sections that take a 4x4 vechile and good line placement to navigate loose…
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Total Miles
8.1
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Powerline Trail

This trail continues from Higley Trail in Pahrump farther up into the mountains. We saw several homeless campers with dilapidated RVs and trash everywhere nearby these camps (sad!). There are also lots of weekenders boondocking…
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Total Miles
5.4
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Fa

Wheeler Pass

Starting in Cold Creek, the Wheeler Pass trail takes you up and over the Spring Mountains. The trail used to be the main way to travel from the Indian Springs area to Pahrump in the…
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Total Miles
24.8
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Sand Wash Road

At the intersection with Hemlock Road, take Sand Wash Road westbound towards Pahrump. This trail is comprised mostly of gravel and is relatively level the whole way. It follows Sand Wash through Blackbrush, Joshua Tree…
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Total Miles
4.6
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Higley Road/Trail - Powerline Road

This trail starts just outside of a housing development in Pahrump and ends in the foothills (or vice versa). The trail is partially a gravel road nearby the town and becomes a powerline trail shortly…
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Total Miles
4.6
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

"Just Found It" Trail

Leisurely gravel and dirt trail that meanders in and out of a wash. Good views of Pahrump, Nevada, and the surrounding valley. Joshua Tree forest with nice stands of Yucca, Barrel, and Cholla Cactus. Spring…
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Total Miles
3.2
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Hughes Cabin-Horse Springs Road

Wide and well-maintained gravel road crosses BLM land, steadily climbing from valley floor at approximately 2,900ft to an elevation of 4,500ft. A locked gate with a "no trespassing" sign marks the end of the line…
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Total Miles
5.9
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi

Another Way Around

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…
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Total Miles
2.2
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Wi / Fa / Sp

Trona Pinnacles Scenic Loop East (Easy)

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…
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Total Miles
1.7
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Fa / Wi