Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Thornton, California

Latrobe Road is a scenic dirt road that passes through the rolling foothills outside the Sacramento Valley and provides ample views of the surrounding area. The trail passes through agricultural land, cattle grazing areas, and…
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Bottle Hill is a good trail to learn how your vehicle feels on dirt, rock, and mud;or to check the off-road capability of your vehicle after making modifications or repairs. It is also a nice,…
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This is a nice little adventure close to town where you will switchback underneath the powerlines and make your way towards Iowa Hill. The trail is not too difficult--mostly just forest roads--but there are some…
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This route alternates between gravel and native dirt surfaces, generally single-vehicle wide with periodic pullouts for passing. Four-wheel drive (4WD) is recommended. Portions narrow into a shelf road that winds through tight forest and canyon…
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This is a short loop trail off of the Rock Creek Loop that is unmarked at both entrances and is kind of hidden due to forestry work along the Rock Creek Loop. The west end…
Learn more about Trail 1-5 (11E51)

The main attraction of this route is a popular swimming hole below Colfax-Foresthill Suspension Bridge. Our round-about way of getting there follows a paved road through historic Iowa Hill, then continues on a narrow, winding…
Learn more about Shirttail Canyon

This is a short cutoff trail that bails you out from Trail 5, back to the road portion of Rock Creek Loop, and out to Rock Creek Road. The trail is 1.2 miles long, and…
Learn more about Trail 5-1 (11E32)

This trail is 1.1 miles of fun and easy winding single track through a dry and dusty forest of firs and pines. The trail has lots of big roots present, with tight twisty turns, and…
Learn more about Trail 5-2 (11E29)

The north end of this trail starts out very wide, like a shelf road, lined with tall sugar pines, then goes into the trees on a narrower path. It stays smooth and obstacle-free for the…
Learn more about Trail 4-3 (11E34)

This is a 1.5-mile-long dirt bike trail that makes a loop with part of Trail 6. Most of it is a wide shelf-road-like trail, lined with tall oaks and pines and thickets. It's mostly flat…
Learn more about Trail 6-2 (11E52)

Volcanoville is a good beginner trail that can be completed by most stock 4x4 SUVs, as well as many AWD vehicles with AT tires and at least 8 inches of clearance. The trail does get…
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This is a short connector trail between Trail 10 and Trail 4. It's a wide path between low manzanita tree branches, like a tree tunnel. The surface is lightly covered in small loose rocks and…
Learn more about Trail 4-1 (11E35)

Gold Note (FS 8N55) is an easy trail in the Eldorado National Forest, sitting at approximately 4,400 feet. It acts as a critical connector, linking various trails within the Gold Note trail system and providing…
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This half of Trail 9 is a steady and gradual descent from the intersection with Trail 4-2. It's easy overall, with small loose rocks, gradual curves, waterbars, banked corners, troughs, ruts, and dips. It drops…
Learn more about Trail 9 (11E13)

This is a fun little road if you are in Georgetown, whether in a Jeep or on an OHV. There are a few creeks from spring runoff that make it a pretty road! It's more…
Learn more about No Way Out

This is a secondary entrance to the Shirttail Canyon trail. This trail meanders down the canyon, surrounded by mossy trees and waterfalls during certain times of the year. If coming from the Foresthill side, this…
Learn more about Yankee Jims

Gold Note 4WD (FS 8N91) is a moderately challenging Gold Note trail system segment. The trail is single-vehicle width and features areas of overgrown brush, adding to the difficulty. Riders will encounter deep ruts and…
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This trail starts out at the intersection with Rock Creek Loop (Trail 1) just south of the Bald Mountain Staging Area. It starts out as a wide shelf road that is smooth and flat, in…
Learn more about Trail 1-3 (11E30)

Gasparni takes you through the pine trees and brush connecting the dirt section of Forebay to the pavement leading to Brush Creek Reservoir. Nearly all of the trail is wide enough for a full-width truck,…
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Forebay Road is a short but fun forest road that snakes through the trees and brush with plenty of opportunity for fun hill climbs off either side. Loosely following the high power lines, Forebay can…
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Five Corners (FS 8N54) is an easy trail that connects multiple trail systems in the area. Located at an elevation of approximately 4,100 feet, it offers several dispersed camping spots along its route, making it…
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Upper Gold Note (FS 8N57) is a relatively easy trail connecting Gold Note and North-South Road. Located at approximately 4,100 feet, the trail offers a mix of loose dirt and occasional rocky sections, making it…
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This trail has great views throughout with a spectacular view of Lake Berryessa at its highest elevation point. Expect to drive dirt, gravel and mud along the out and back trail. There are also many…
Learn more about Cement Creek

Red Hills Recreation (BLM) area is a scenic day use only location. There are tons of hiking trails in the area, as well as the Serpentine Loop Trail which is a mild to moderate trail…
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This is NOT the Rubicon Trail. This is US Forestry Service fire road route number 13N66, known as Rubicon Road located in the Volcanoville area of Georgetown, California. It is located inside the Mosquito Fire…
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Lug Nut Ledge is a short but fun trail with moderate obstacles, including rocky sections, rutted sections, and water crossings. The namesake Lug Nut Ledge features a mild rock step that requires good tire placement…
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This a very easy trail and is mostly forest roads that zig-zag up the hill to the Forebay. This can be accessed from many ways whether it be from Columbia, Twain Harte, or Camp 9.…
Learn more about Stanislaus Forebay

This is a super pretty drive as it descends into the canyons and back up to the mountaintops. On your way to the lookout, you will drive through the Italian Bar/Lost Dutchman Mining Camp, which…
Learn more about American Camp Lookout

Finning Mill Road is a great off-road alternative to get to the Foresthill OHV area, instead of staying on paved roads to get there. It is a well-maintained gravel road that cuts through privately owned…
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The east end of this trail starts at the intersection with 15EV56 and 15EV106, and goes across a sun-exposed and grassy hilltop with some flat layers of embedded rock in the trail, covered in small…
Learn more about 15EV55