Trail Overview

The road is typically graded depending on the time of the year. It's mostly crushed dirt with a few small broken rocks along the trail. The east-to-west trail can be run in either direction. The west side is the higher elevation, around 7,000 feet. The west section is part of the Inyo National Forest. The east section is BLM land. It slowly drops down to just under 5,000 feet. You will encounter rolling hills and winding trails. The highlight is a mile-and-a-half section called Red Rock Canyon. This section has beautiful red volcanic rock formations. The canyon becomes very narrow at times but is wide enough for most vehicles and full-sized trucks.

Photos of Chidago Canyon Road

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Difficulty

The trail has some deep ruts up to 18 inches deep. High Clearance a must. Parts of the trail can be seasonally graded. Seasonal snowfall and rain can make the trail more challenging or impassable.

Technical Rating

Victor Jara

Oct 19, 2025

2018 Jeep Wrangler

Open

Rough/Deteriorated

Deep runoff ruts on east end of the canyon from the recent October storm. High clearance is a must. Rest of the trail is cake.

Disco Overlander

Oct 08, 2025

Open

Rough/Deteriorated

The trail has a lot of deep ruts up to 18 in deep due to water runoff now it's much more challenging than a year ago. low clearance vehicles should not come this way

Johnnie Houston

Apr 27, 2025

2022 Jeep Wrangler

Open

Normal

Everything normal. No issues. Noticed that Chidago Canyon Road is misspelled on the Maps. This could prove confusing for people. The track name isn't "Chil-Dago". There is no "L" in Chidago.

Dalton Baker

Mar 22, 2025

2009 Suzuki DR650SE

Open

Normal

Good road conditions, nothing major of note.

Ryan V

Jan 16, 2025

2022 GMC Sierra

Open

Dusty

M Castillo

Jun 22, 2024

Open

NormalDustyWashboard

Nice and easy! Took the 100-Series Land Cruiser thru here. Zero complaints. Anyone can do this trail! Lots of cool stuff to see thru the red rock canyon!