Beginner Off-Road Trails
Near Hawthorne, Nevada

This route takes you from the Mina area to Little Huntoon Valley. It is easy and can be completed in dry conditions with a 2WD full-size vehicle. You cross Garfield Flat where Aerojet General uses the dry lakebed for a test facility. After the dry lakebed, you can follow Rattlesnake Flats Road for a...
Learn more about Rattlesnake Canyon

This main trail, located alongside the East Walker River, is a well-maintained/graded road that traverses through some stunning Nevada landscape. Something this trail has to offer is the Walker River State Recreation Area, which has a seasonal campground and what the fisherman calls "The Elbow"--loo...
Learn more about Hawthorne-Fletcher Rd/42028

Ground clearance isn't much of a concern, but there are a lot of sharp rocks, so passenger car tires will not do. This is a good side trip to other trails in the area. Vehicles with better ground clearance can continue past the mine and explore trails to complete a loop back to Hawthorne-Fletcher ro...
Learn more about Masonic Mine

The road to the Simon Lead mine is traveled via a well-maintained dirt road until the last 4 miles. The road then contains washed-out areas and narrow passages. According to https://www.nvexpeditions.com, small amounts of silver-lead ore were discovered and shipped from this district as early as 187...
Learn more about The Road to the Simon Lead Mine

This is a fairly short route that takes you to Douglas Camp, an area of several mines. It loops out through Rebel Canyon. There are active mining claims if you continue up towards Thunder Mountain, please respect the claim owners and don't go beyond posted signs. The Maryann Mine is on the way down ...
Learn more about Rebel Canyon Loop

The Bodie High Desert Highway is a scenic and relatively easy off-pavement route that traverses the rolling high desert terrain just outside the historic Bodie Ghost Town area. This trail is often used to explore lesser-known mining remnants and access surrounding high desert plateaus with sweeping ...
Learn more about Bodie High Desert Highway

This route begins at the dirt section after 3.3 miles of paved road from Highway 167. The trail starts off high above Mono Lake with great views of the lake and the Eastern Sierras behind it. Within a mile, a canyon appears with tall walls filled with trees, bushes, and rocks. The trail runs along a...
Learn more about Cottonwood Canyon Road

This sand and pumice trail is one vehicle wide and lined with brush, offering 360-degree views of hills and mountains, including the Eastern Sierras and the Bodie Mountain area. The trail climbs 200 feet and drops 200 feet into a valley and meadow over just over 5.6 miles. The route leads to Larkin ...
Learn more about Larkin Lake

Incredible vistas and solitude are the rewards for choosing Microwave Road. It is passenger car friendly and rated an Easy1. Microwave Road is a wide well-maintained gravel road that allows two cars to pass. Located at the end of Microwave Road is a microwave communication station and tower. Microwa...
Learn more about Microwave Road FS 42192

The route is easy to drive and can be done with almost any vehicle. However, if conditions are wet or snowy, the route is much more difficult. This is a nice half-day trip with several other mine sites that can be visited along the way. To get to the route, take Simon Lead Road east from Mina.
Learn more about Mina Mercury Mine Loop

Short loop following Desert Creek between Smith Valley, NV and Bridgeport, CA. Several campgrounds are located along the creek, and there's good fishing and hiking nearby. The road is mostly one vehicle wide along the creek and ranges from hard packed dirt to loose rocks and gravel. There are 6 wate...
Learn more about Desert Creek Loop

The route to Bodie Ghost Town, a remarkably preserved historic mining site tucked into the Eastern Sierra backcountry, is more than just a drive--it's a journey into the past. The trail to Bodie is mostly wide and accessible, but don't let the easy start fool you. The last two miles leading into the...
Learn more about Bodie Ghost Town

This trail is located near the historic Bodie Ghost Town and starts near Bridgeport, California, climbing up almost 2000 feet into the mountains along Aurora Canyon. The route travels primarily through BLM land with some sections of private property along the way, so staying on the established trail...
Learn more about Aurora Canyon Road

This gravel road is restricted to street-legal vehicles only, with no ATVs permitted. The route is 2.5 vehicles wide and lined with short brushes along with some taller bushes and trees, providing ample 360-degree views of the Eastern Sierras and Bodie Mountain region. The trail is posted as a rough...
Learn more about Dobie Meadows Road North

This route starts at Cottonwood Canyon Road and ends at Highway 167 near the junction of Highway 395. The sandy graded road runs parallel to Mono Lake and offers good views of Mono Lake and its islands, as well as 270-degree views of the Eastern Sierras and the Bodie Mountain area. The trail is line...
Learn more about Goat Ranch Cutoff

Starting from the Bodie Rd, this route drops almost 900 feet and climbs over 300 feet in just over 6.5 miles. The trail immediately starts cutting through the canyon with low brush and rolling hills, and the area is used for grazing so watch out for cattle. At mile 1.8, you reach the summit where yo...
Learn more about Coyote Springs Road

This twelve-mile sandy graded road travels from north to south from Hwy 395, near Bridgeport, down to the Virginia Lakes Road. It is an easy trail that offers beautiful views of the Eastern Sierras to the West and Bodie Mountain and Mount Biedeman to the East. It's a great easy day.
Learn more about Dunderberg Meadows

Cool dirt trail running slightly parallel with 395. A nice place to pull off the pavement for a side mission if traveling the corridor. A few good spots to glass deer and elk in the meadows and across the valleys. The northern part is essentially a wide dirt road but toward the south it gets into so...
Learn more about Dunderburg Mill

This 16-mile out-and-back trail starts on Dunderberg Mill Road, one mile from Highway 395. The sand and gravel trail begins very wide with stunning views from the beginning of the Eastern Sierra mountains, including various peaks. There is a one-lane bridge 1.5 miles in as it crosses Green Creek; yi...
Learn more about Upper Summer Meadows Road - FS 32144

Wilson Spring Arch is a good-sized natural arch. This route leads you into the Pine Nut Range. Besides the arch, you can reach sites like Pine Grove and Rockland. The trail starts following a creek bed, which is dry most of the time. After the creek bed, you climb over the hills into the next valley...
Learn more about Backway to Wilson Spring Arch

This route takes you from the Mina area to Little Huntoon Valley. It is easy and can be completed in dry conditions with a 2WD full-size vehicle. You cross Garfield Flat where Aerojet General uses the dry lakebed for a test facility. After the dry lakebed, you can follow Rattlesnake Flats Road for a...
Learn more about Rattlesnake Canyon

This main trail, located alongside the East Walker River, is a well-maintained/graded road that traverses through some stunning Nevada landscape. Something this trail has to offer is the Walker River State Recreation Area, which has a seasonal campground and what the fisherman calls "The Elbow"--loo...
Learn more about Hawthorne-Fletcher Rd/42028

Ground clearance isn't much of a concern, but there are a lot of sharp rocks, so passenger car tires will not do. This is a good side trip to other trails in the area. Vehicles with better ground clearance can continue past the mine and explore trails to complete a loop back to Hawthorne-Fletcher ro...
Learn more about Masonic Mine

The road to the Simon Lead mine is traveled via a well-maintained dirt road until the last 4 miles. The road then contains washed-out areas and narrow passages. According to https://www.nvexpeditions.com, small amounts of silver-lead ore were discovered and shipped from this district as early as 187...
Learn more about The Road to the Simon Lead Mine

This route takes you from the Mina area to Little Huntoon Valley. It is easy and can be completed in dry conditions with a 2WD full-size vehicle. You cross Garfield Flat where Aerojet General uses the dry lakebed for a test facility. After the dry lakebed, you can follow Rattlesnake Flats Road for a...
Learn more about Rattlesnake Canyon

This main trail, located alongside the East Walker River, is a well-maintained/graded road that traverses through some stunning Nevada landscape. Something this trail has to offer is the Walker River State Recreation Area, which has a seasonal campground and what the fisherman calls "The Elbow"--loo...
Learn more about Hawthorne-Fletcher Rd/42028

The road to the Simon Lead mine is traveled via a well-maintained dirt road until the last 4 miles. The road then contains washed-out areas and narrow passages. According to https://www.nvexpeditions.com, small amounts of silver-lead ore were discovered and shipped from this district as early as 187...
Learn more about The Road to the Simon Lead Mine

This is a fairly short route that takes you to Douglas Camp, an area of several mines. It loops out through Rebel Canyon. There are active mining claims if you continue up towards Thunder Mountain, please respect the claim owners and don't go beyond posted signs. The Maryann Mine is on the way down ...
Learn more about Rebel Canyon Loop