Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Vader, Washington

This trail is the primary east-west route in this section of public land controlled by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and leads you to within 2 miles of the base of Mount Saint…
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A quick 20-minute scenic, well-maintained side route off the popular 4250 Mount Saint Helens route. The communication tower at the summit may be the end, but the real payoff is the views just before the…
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This trail is primarily gravel and single vehicle width, with many areas along the way to pass oncoming traffic (if you see any). It is easily accessible and traversable by most vehicles. You may have…
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Shaffer Road offers a scenic off-road route, providing an alternative to Apiary Road for travelers between Rainier and Vernonia, especially during its closures due to a washout at milepost 11. This route winds along the…
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This forest road connects Apiary Road with Pittsburg Road and is relatively level. It is, however, a typical logging road with potholes, washboard, and the occasional windfall tree in the way. This route begins on…
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The E-Line trail cuts east to west through Capitol State Forest. Starting off of Bordeaux Paved Road, the E-Line is a hard-pack dirt road through typical Pacific Northwest forest. This wooded road has plenty of…
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Scale Shack (Forest Road 71) is a highly accessible, well-maintained dirt and gravel route that provides maximum scenic payoff with minimal technical stress. The road is wide enough to comfortably pass oncoming traffic for the…
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This trail is a branch off of 4250 that connects to 6500 which eventually connects back to 4250, all of which are managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. The trail itself is…
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This timberland traverse route offers a journey through lush landscapes of private timber company land and access to the pristine Tillamook State Forest. Adventurers are immediately greeted with a canopy of towering conifers and the…
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The Powder Horn Spur is an easy, out-and-back gravel road branching off the main Powder Horn route. Suitable for most vehicles, the road features minimal elevation change and generally maintains a single-lane width, with several…
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The Willapa hills are located within Pacific County, Washington. This trail runs through DNR commercial forestland and gives you the opportunity to see the beauty of the Willapa Hills. This trail is easy, primarily consisting…
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This trail is easy and comfortable, being mostly a narrow gravel road through a beautiful coastal forest. No hard obstacles, just use caution as traffic can be going in either direction and the road is…
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This is a narrow gravel road that is, at the west end, either the start or the finish of the 5600, depending on which way you run it. This route connects the 5100 (west) to…
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Easy scenic route through the woods that can be done in a 2WD with good clearance. There are wonderful views and plenty of side roads to check out and explore. There are also a few…
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Branching off the C-Line at Mount Molly Campground, the D-4000 road is a very well-traveled hard dirt-packed road. There are only a few potholes along this route that can easily be avoided by driving around…
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Approximately 10 minutes from Highway 12 in the heart of Capitol State Forest lies hundreds of miles of dirt and gravel trails. This is a quick and simple run along connector D-3000 and you can…
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This is an easy trail that is mainly dirt with gravel. The trail has a few washouts and ruts. The trail is an out-and-back that offers some gorgeous views of Lake Merwin. There are a…
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This is a great beginners' trail and still fun for novices. It follows a little bit of the creek and has a nice little spot to have a quick snack while sitting next to the…
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This trail runs north and south off of 4250, in the public land operated by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, and meanders through clear-cut areas and dense forest. It is primarily a grated…
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Hunt Creek is a 3-mile easy OHV trail that gently descends from south to north through dense forest. The trail features scattered loose rock, embedded root bands, and several road and wooden bridge crossings. It…
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This is an easy and flowy loop that adds some extra mileage off of Hunt Creek. It's a wide OHV trail through a forest of spruce and firs for 1.2 miles. Expect some large root…
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Cake Walk is an easy trail, leaving from the quarry staging area and immediately presenting multiple split lines that can be a bit confusing at first. Once on the main path, the trail stays relatively…
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The D-1000 splits off the main paved D-line and takes you into the heart of Capitol Forest. Immediately as you turn onto the road, you'll start to gain elevation as you look down on the…
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Bremer Mountain is a scenic, point-to-point route connecting Scale Shack on the west to River Road on the east. The western half begins as an easy, well-maintained dirt road featuring occasional mountain views, though visitors…
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This road is an out-and-back, but worth exploring as there are great views of the S. Fork of the Toutle River Valley. Mostly a gravel road that is narrow in spots and winds in and…
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This is the longest OHV trail in the Nicolai Mountain system at 3.4 miles. It offers a fun mix of terrain with big crisscrossing root bands, tight curves through dense forest, and embedded rocks or…
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This is an easy trail that is mainly dirt with gravel. The trail has a few washouts and ruts but nothing that is overly challenging. There is one area of the trail where low-clearance vehicles…
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PC40 is a short and scenic connector trail linking Plympton Creek Trail to Plympton Ridge Road. It winds through a lush forest of Sitka spruce and Douglas fir, passing the stumps of a few massive…
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PC20 is a short and easy connector trail that links the forest road to Plympton Creek trail. About a quarter mile long, it's mostly flat and gradual with a smooth surface and no obstacles. The…
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Branching off Forest Road 4250, this straightforward spur winds down the hillside through Washington State Department of Natural Resources land. The drive alternates between sections of shaded forest and open ridgelines that provide a clear,…
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