Trail Overview
Mottino Wash is a premier 1.8-mile rock crawling route tucked within the Rattlesnake Canyon Trail, offering an intense test for highly built vehicles and experienced drivers. With a technical rating of 9, approximately 80 percent of this trail consists of relentless rock gardens ranging from hard to extremely difficult with no bypasses. The trail climbs from an elevation of 5,107 feet to 5,421 feet, demanding extreme ground clearance, robust skid plates, and large tires. Standard vehicles should not attempt this route, as the risk of body and driveline damage is exceptionally high. Four-wheel-drive is mandatory, and having a spotter is highly recommended to successfully navigate the constantly shifting and massive boulder fields.
Throughout the canyon, drivers will encounter four notable extra-credit obstacles that push the limits of even well-equipped crawlers, often resulting in mechanical failures or body damage for those who take them on. The trail features a net elevation gain of about 313 feet over its short distance, with gradients reaching up to 25 degrees. To access the wash, travel approximately 12 miles south along Rattlesnake Canyon Trail from Highway 247 in Johnson Valley, keeping an eye out for the trailhead on the left. Upon completing the wash, offroaders can continue up Rattlesnake Canyon into Burns Canyon and head south to Pioneertown to explore the historic western town and enjoy local dining.
Difficulty
The trail starts with a rock garden and continues this way for pretty much 80% of the trail. The trail continues to climb in difficulty from Hard to Harder where the rocks that you will need to navigate over or around gain size. There is no real recognizable route due to the vast amounts of rocks throughout the trail.
