Beginner Off-Road Trails
Near Gerlach, Nevada

This route takes you from the Black Rock Desert playa through the Kamma Mountain Range and the Rye Patch Reservoir. Along this route, you will find hot springs, rock-hounding spots, and old placer mines. The road is well-maintained and graded yearly. In the summer temperatures reach 100+ degrees so ...
Learn more about Kamma Mountains

This route explores the Black Rock Playa, and then exits to the north and connects to the High Rock Canyon route to the west, or the Summit Lake Reservation route that continues north into Oregon. This route explores Black Rock City, the site of the Burning Man festival, on the open playa, Black Roc...
Learn more about Black Rock Playa

Starting from the valley floor, Dry Valley Rim offers an easy and gradual 650-foot elevation climb, leading you to the top of the Smoke Creek Mountain Range and into the Dry Valley OHV area. This trail features a smooth, hard-packed dirt road with minimal rocks or water crossings, making it an acces...
Learn more about Dry Valley Rim

Perched atop the Smoke Creek Mountains, Jackrabbit Run is an unforgettable journey across the mountain's summit and back down to the valley floor, reconnecting with the main Surprise Valley Road. This trail begins with a gentle climb up the mountain range, providing a diverse and dynamic ride experi...
Learn more about Jackrabbit Run

The route starts out on the north end of the dry lake bad. The road runs alongside a high-voltage power line so it is well-maintained. However, it is built on the sandy ancient shoreline that was once Winnemucca Lake, as a result, it can be very soft in spots. 4 wheel drive is highly recommended and...
Learn more about Winnemucca Lake East Shore Caves

This rugged "Jeep Trail" cuts between the Calico Mountain Wilderness and the Black Rock Lake Wilderness in northeast Nevada. It connects Soldier Meadow Road to Black and Smokey Canyons before ultimately terminating at the High Rock Canyon route. It is an alternate adventure route used to connect Hig...
Learn more about Calico Mountain Jeep Trail

If you want to experience the Nevada backcountry at its finest, County Road 34 (CR 34) north of Gerlach is an excellent choice. This easy dirt road winds through rolling hills and wide-open stretches of the high Nevada desert, offering expansive views and a true sense of solitude. The drive is gener...
Learn more about County Road 34

Parker Canyon to Mission Wells Staging Area showcases a breathtaking high-desert ride. This route features soft dirt roads--without deep sand--guiding you through a scenic high mountain bowl, past grazing areas, and alongside the Slick Reservoir. As this area is open grazing, you must watch for live...
Learn more about Parker Canyon

This is a well-traveled gravel road. On the south end of the route, the road curves around a sand dune that can cover up the trail at times. Many of the caves on this end are overhanging. The major site is a tufa dome that is named Nicolarsen which is located near Highway 447.
Learn more about Winnemucca Lake Caves South Shore

The route takes you along the east side of the dry lake bed and up into the Nightingale Range. Up in the hills are two, 1950s school buses that were used to transport workers to the mines in the area. You will also find the foundation of an ore processing mill. Not much is left of the mill. The road...
Learn more about Winnemucca Lake School Buses

The route winds through rolling hills dotted with exposed rock formations and washes, creating a dynamic and challenging landscape. Along the way, adventurers will encounter technical segments featuring loose rock, natural ledges, and the occasional steep incline. Certain spots offer exciting rock s...
Learn more about Little High Rock to Steven's Camp Back Door

Nightingale Mine is a scenic 4.1-mile historical off-road route in Nevada's Nightingale District that offers offroaders an engaging journey through a World War II-era tungsten mining site. Climbing from an elevation of 5,325 feet to a peak of 6,296 feet, the trail features a technical rating of 3, m...
Learn more about Nightingale Mine

Little High Rock Canyon is a mix of washboard and two-track trail that travels diagonally across to High Rock Canyon and Soldier's Meadow. This trail is a better choice for those wanting a more exciting experience to the High Rock Canyon Petroglyphs and Soldier's Meadow over the repetitive Soldier's...
Learn more about Little High Rock Canyon

The Narrows is a pole line road that runs between Fernley Nevada, and Winnemucca Lake. Winnemucca Lake is a dry lake bed in northwest Nevada that features the oldest known petroglyphs in North America. It is quite remote once you get out of Fernley, cell service is spotty, and you may not see anyone...
Learn more about The Narrows

From Reno, take Pyramid Highway north for about 17 miles and turn left onto Winnemucca Ranch Road. Follow Winnemucca Ranch Road to a large parking/staging area to your left (Moon Rocks Recreation Area). This parking area has plenty of room for even the largest of trailers. You will find the start of...
Learn more about Jumbo Ranch Run

This is an out-of-the-way off-road area that is not well known to the general public, but it has marked trails spanning 28,598 acres, with newer facilities and plenty of privacy. Most of the trails are sandy but fairly easy, with perhaps fewer bumps than your typical desert trails, but still, enough...
Learn more about Fort Sage

Route is an off-road alternative that takes you between Rye Patch Reservoir and Pitt-Taylor Recreation area. Gold was first discovered in the Rye Patch area of Pershing County, Nevada, in the 1860s. Known for both lode and placer gold, the region’s dry, rocky terrain is particularly famous among mod...
Learn more about Gold Digger's Trail

This is a single-track dirt trail with consistent switchbacks, shelf sections, and a constant climb up from the valley below. Easily accessible from CA 395, high clearance vehicles with 4x4 are recommended on this route. There are a few mild off-camber sections and a few small water crossings create...
Learn more about Crofts Follie Trail

The trail takes you by some of the sites in the Hot Springs Mountains. These sites include Eagle Rock, Eagle Salt Works site, an abandoned telecommunications building, Airway Beacon site, and a few mine sites. Spend some time exploring along the way, as well as enjoying the views of the 40-mile dese...
Learn more about Hot Springs Mountains

This flat gravel road is well maintained. Lovelock Cave was in use as early as 2580 BC but was not intensively inhabited until around 1000 BC. People occupied Lovelock Cave for over 4,000 years. The initial discoveries of artifacts and excavations, in the early 20th century, were not very well execu...
Learn more about Lovelock Cave

This route takes you from the Black Rock Desert playa through the Kamma Mountain Range and the Rye Patch Reservoir. Along this route, you will find hot springs, rock-hounding spots, and old placer mines. The road is well-maintained and graded yearly. In the summer temperatures reach 100+ degrees so ...
Learn more about Kamma Mountains

Starting from the valley floor, Dry Valley Rim offers an easy and gradual 650-foot elevation climb, leading you to the top of the Smoke Creek Mountain Range and into the Dry Valley OHV area. This trail features a smooth, hard-packed dirt road with minimal rocks or water crossings, making it an acces...
Learn more about Dry Valley Rim

Perched atop the Smoke Creek Mountains, Jackrabbit Run is an unforgettable journey across the mountain's summit and back down to the valley floor, reconnecting with the main Surprise Valley Road. This trail begins with a gentle climb up the mountain range, providing a diverse and dynamic ride experi...
Learn more about Jackrabbit Run

The route starts out on the north end of the dry lake bad. The road runs alongside a high-voltage power line so it is well-maintained. However, it is built on the sandy ancient shoreline that was once Winnemucca Lake, as a result, it can be very soft in spots. 4 wheel drive is highly recommended and...
Learn more about Winnemucca Lake East Shore Caves

This route takes you from the Black Rock Desert playa through the Kamma Mountain Range and the Rye Patch Reservoir. Along this route, you will find hot springs, rock-hounding spots, and old placer mines. The road is well-maintained and graded yearly. In the summer temperatures reach 100+ degrees so ...
Learn more about Kamma Mountains

Starting from the valley floor, Dry Valley Rim offers an easy and gradual 650-foot elevation climb, leading you to the top of the Smoke Creek Mountain Range and into the Dry Valley OHV area. This trail features a smooth, hard-packed dirt road with minimal rocks or water crossings, making it an acces...
Learn more about Dry Valley Rim

Perched atop the Smoke Creek Mountains, Jackrabbit Run is an unforgettable journey across the mountain's summit and back down to the valley floor, reconnecting with the main Surprise Valley Road. This trail begins with a gentle climb up the mountain range, providing a diverse and dynamic ride experi...
Learn more about Jackrabbit Run

The route starts out on the north end of the dry lake bad. The road runs alongside a high-voltage power line so it is well-maintained. However, it is built on the sandy ancient shoreline that was once Winnemucca Lake, as a result, it can be very soft in spots. 4 wheel drive is highly recommended and...
Learn more about Winnemucca Lake East Shore Caves