RC3331 Rattlesnake Canyon

Total Miles
15.9

Technical Rating

Moderate

Best Time

Spring, Summer, Fall

Trail Type

Full-Width Road

Accessible By

Trail Overview

A beautiful trail that winds its way from the deserts near Johnson Valley into a lush Joshua tree forest. Approximately 16 miles in length, this trail can be tackled in any high-clearance 4x4 vehicle, making it perfect for all levels of off-roaders. You will encounter everything from deep sand to creek crossings with some light rock crawling. Spend a couple of hours or even a whole day. Some fantastic abandoned buildings and structures within the canyon make perfect spots to have lunch before you take a trek through the dense forest.

Photos of RC3331 Rattlesnake Canyon

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Difficulty

There are some deep sandy sections where 4WD will be required during some seasons. The creek section of the trail gets very rocky, and will require careful lines and/or spotting around tight corners with ruts and rocks up to 12" in height.

Technical Rating

Status Reports

Washboard leading up to the canyon is pretty bad. Trail itself is not too hard, i’d say about a 4/10. Would be more difficult for a full size truck due to some areas being pretty narrow.

The beginning of the trail was desert road through washes and once you entered the canyon is when it started to get very rocky with tight turns. Although a full size truck can make it through, plan for alot of spotting with carful lines to avoid damage.

Sebastiaan Van Doornspeek

Apr 20, 2025

2024 Ford Bronco

Open

Fun trail, starting with some sandy roads with some washboarding but nothing crazy. Eventually ran into some trickling water and more rocks in the route as it got more into the hills. There were a few tight areas and some rocks to go over but nothing too bad if you got the clearance. Sadly did not see any cows, or rattlesnakes

Sandy wash for the first 8mi (from Johnson Valley) then it gets rocky for a 2mi or so section before opening back up to a sandy wash in the Joshua Tree forest. A couple of level 4 obsticles that can't be avoided. Fun traill, beautiful scenery!

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