8S05 - North Palomar Mountain Road

Gate closed probably due to rain yesterday

Trail is pretty well groomed at the moment. No crazy ruts or anything.

The gate maybe 3 miles in is closed

Done on a stock Subaru Outback. Some sections where tires slipped but was able to continue with no problem. There were some sections with embedded rocks where I had to pick a good line but nothing too challenging for the AWD system.

Fun trail, 2WD all the way. If you do the hill climb descent challenge at halfway point, recommend 4WD as it gives inclines.

Hey, you should probably skip starting on the Northside of Highway 79 because of all the construction – it's a traffic nightmare, especially later in the day. I'd suggest kicking off your route from Palomar Divide since those trails link up. The Palomar North Trail has a bunch of loose rocks; it's not super technical but still a good time. Just be careful because it's pretty narrow, especially if you're in a wide vehicle. There are some cool viewpoints along the way. About halfway through, there's a viewpoint with some ruts on an uphill section that's about a 23-degree incline. I made it through fine in my stock Badlands Bronco. The trail has a lot of switchbacks and is generally a fun and easy ride. Oh, and always check the weather before you head out!

8S05 and 9S07 North to South. Small loose rock and shale throughout, totally doable in 2WD with appropriate clearance. Fun time! Go see the lookout tower.

tight turns, some overgrowth, no safari stripes on 4 runner.

Beautiful day. 80 degrees. Started at the north side in Aguanga at 8S05. Trail up to lookout was dusty, rocky, and shrubs were starting to overgrow into the trail. You climb from 1900ft to 6300 feet in 11 miles so its steep.This is a shelf road with just a few spots to let vehicles by. That doesn't bother me but some folks won't like it. Views are spectacular. Said hi to the volunteers manning the lookout. Any high clearance vehicle can do this. I finished up 14 miles later going down 9S07 to Oak Grove. Again a shelf road thats only wide enough for one vehicle. 9S07 is partially paved but steep. Make sure to take your time. Its really nice up there.

I ran this trail from South to North, and it was beautiful. The vegetation was green, the views were awesome, especially as dusk set in, and it was quiet. However, the roads itself was quite rocky and there were several areas where water had clearly brought rocks down the mountainside and caused washouts. The brush was also starting to get overgrown in some spots, but it wasn’t anything that would cause pinstripes in your paint. I did coke across a pair of small dirt bikes that appeared abandoned on the South side of the trail, as well as a Subaru that had been left alone. No sight of the driver or riders, but I assumed they had gone a hike near by.

Went up with a buddy of mine, hit it from north to south. Super easy trail. Stayed in 2WD the entire trip. There were some areas of loose rocks. But we aired down to 25 PSI and didn’t need anything else. Took about 3 hours in total with some stops here and there to stretch the legs.

I ran the trail North to South in the late afternoon. Trail is easy, scenic, and fun to drive. Didn't pass many people due to the time of day. I would avoid this trail on days and times that draw crowds.

Easy trail for novice to intermediate dirt riders on ADV motorcycles (R1250GSA, Tiger 900 GT Pro). Would be total walk in the park for proper dirt bikes, or most cars/trucks. Completely deserted- saw no other vehicles on trail. Mostly hard pack with some small loose rocks and the odd loose sandy section.

Easy fun trail. Easy enough that I saw a Hyundai sonata on the trail.