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…
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…
Learn more about Hawthorne-Fletcher Rd/42028

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…
Learn more about Bodie High Desert Highway

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…
Learn more about Larkin Lake

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,…
Learn more about Rebel Canyon Loop

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…
Learn more about Dobie Meadows Road North

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…
Learn more about Masonic Mine

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…
Learn more about Microwave Road FS 42192

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…
Learn more about Bodie Ghost Town

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…
Learn more about Cottonwood Canyon Road

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…
Learn more about The Road to the Simon Lead Mine

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…
Learn more about Mina Mercury Mine Loop

This route runs parallel to Mono Lake, starting on Forest Service Road 2N43 and ending on Highway 167. The trail offers 360-degree views of all the surrounding mountains and Mono Lake throughout the journey. At…
Learn more about Wadford Springs Cutoff - FS 2N47

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…
Learn more about Desert Creek Loop

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…
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,…
Learn more about Coyote Springs Road

Adobe Ranch Road (FS 1N17) is a wide and easy route that serves as the main eastern access to Crooked Meadow East. The trail follows the gentle contours of Adobe Canyon, offering open views across…
Learn more about Adobe Ranch Road - FS 1N17

This trail is just over nine miles and climbs over 2000 feet into the Glass Mountains. It tops out at 8682 feet. The trail offers stunning views through the picturesque rock formations of McGee Canyon.…
Learn more about McGee Canyon Road

This 5-mile track begins just north of the Mono Lake Visitor Center and immediately delivers sweeping views of Mono Lake and its unique tufas. The road starts paved, but by mile 1.2, it transitions into…
Learn more about Cemetery Road

This route takes you to a Mercury Prospect. Not many remains of the old mining buildings, just a concrete floor. The main road is a well-groomed wash until it turn off onto an old mining…
Learn more about Apache Mercury Claims

This short trail looked like a great adventure to explore the Black Canyon. But it ended just over a mile due to private property. It appears a rancher bought a small section of the canyon's…
Learn more about Black Canyon Rd

This trail climbs 2,500 feet in just over ten miles. It starts at Black Canyon Road, just off the 120 highway. It is a fairly graded trail, but be cautious of ruts from rain/snow runoff,…
Learn more about Sawmill Meadows Road

This route runs parallel to Mono Lake, providing 360-degree views of all the surrounding mountains. You can see the peaks of the Sierra Nevadas, including Mount Dana, Mount Gibbs, and Tioga Peak, which form the…
Learn more about FS 2N19

The route takes you from Sand Mt. Recreational Area to the Red Ant Mine. Red Ant Mine was an old tungsten mine. Not much of the infrastructure is left. There is a head frame, a…
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Crooked Meadow East offers a scenic and varied drive through a mix of pine and aspen forest with views that open toward the valley below. Beginning from Adobe Ranch Road (FS 1N17), the trail climbs…
Learn more about Crooked Meadow Road East

This 4.6-mile point-to-point sandy trail starts off Highway 120 and ends at FS 29E104, climbing 300 feet and dropping over 450 feet. The one vehicle wide trail starts in a huge meadow lined with sagebrush…
Learn more about North Canyon / Baxter Road - FS 1S15A

Scenic Eastern Sierra route beginning 1.4 miles off Highway 395 via Dunderberg Mill Road. The trail features a packed sand and dirt surface with embedded rocks throughout. It traverses varied terrain, including dry wash crossings,…
Learn more about Dogtown Spur A

This route is accessed off Cemetery Road, just east of Highway 395, and offers some of the best views of Mono Lake and its islands, along with great views of the Eastern Sierras and the…
Learn more about Black Point - FS 2N42

This seasonally graded gravel road offers sweeping views of Mono Lake and the Eastern Sierra, with unique boulder formations, old farmhouses, and the historic Conway Ranch along the route. In season, yellow wildflowers add vibrant…
Learn more about Conway Ranch 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…
Learn more about Dunderberg Meadows