Off-Road Trails in California

Discover off-road trails in California

Learn more about Rubicon Trail
Rubicon Trail

Rubicon Trail

Tucked deep in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Northern California lies one of the most iconic off-road trails in the world -- the Rubicon Trail. This rugged route is a rite of passage for 4x4…
Learn more about Rubicon Trail
Total Miles
13.7
Tech Rating
7Difficult
Best Time
Summer
Learn more about Rubicon Trail Foundation Access Road
Rubicon Trail Foundation Access Road

Rubicon Trail Foundation Access Road

The entrance to the Rubicon Trail Foundation Property is marked by a sign posted on a tree, leading you down into the trees. The trail is no more challenging than the Rubicon Trail sections you've…
Learn more about Rubicon Trail Foundation Access Road
Total Miles
0.8
Tech Rating
7Difficult
Best Time
Summer, Fall
Learn more about Rubicon, East Side
Rubicon, East Side

Rubicon, East Side

The east side of the Rubicon provides nonstop challenges and extreme fun. Water can play a bigger role where the trail meanders along the volatile Rubicon River. You'll pass through Rubicon Springs Campground at no…
Learn more about Rubicon, East Side
Total Miles
9.9
Tech Rating
8Difficult
Best Time
Summer
Learn more about Rubicon, West Side
Rubicon, West Side

Rubicon, West Side

The Rubicon is our all-time favorite. It's a mix of gorgeous scenery and very challenging terrain. Our group camped overnight at the halfway point below Buck Island Dam. The trail is under constant scrutiny by…
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Total Miles
5.4
Tech Rating
8Difficult
Best Time
Summer
Learn more about Runner
Runner

Runner

This trail offers killer views of the western basin while you hug the BLM border fence. It is a classic desert mix of fast dirt roads peppered with sandy traps and a few washouts to…
Learn more about Runner
Total Miles
0.7
Tech Rating
4Moderate
Best Time
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Learn more about Runners Row
Runners Row

Runners Row

This trail serves as a perfect starter loop to get your blood pumping before you head into the deeper backcountry. It is an ideal option if you are stuck waiting for that one friend who…
Learn more about Runners Row
Total Miles
0.8
Tech Rating
3Easy
Best Time
Spring, Fall, Summer, Winter
Learn more about Rush Canyon Road
Rush Canyon Road

Rush Canyon Road

Rush Canyon Road starts as pavement on the north side of Sierra Highway. Once the pavement ends on the way up the hill, it is a mostly flat dirt road. It is a short road…
Learn more about Rush Canyon Road
Total Miles
2.1
Tech Rating
3Easy
Best Time
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Learn more about Rush Creek Road
Rush Creek Road

Rush Creek Road

This scenic route climbs just under 100 feet and drops over 200 feet as it approaches Mono Lake, descending into a canyon lined with bushes. The trail offers continual views of Mono Lake below as…
Learn more about Rush Creek Road
Total Miles
2.5
Tech Rating
4Moderate
Best Time
Summer, Fall
Learn more about Russel Camp
Russel Camp

Russel Camp

This short trail leads up to Russel Camp, which is an old mining cabin that you can stay at when visiting Death Valley. It has a honeymoon suite (not recommended), a kitchen, a solar shower,…
Learn more about Russel Camp
Total Miles
0.8
Tech Rating
2Easy
Best Time
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Learn more about Ruts & Roots
Ruts & Roots

Ruts & Roots

This out-and-back route offers a refreshing change of pace, featuring several fun water crossings that are rare in this high-desert environment. The trail winds through surprisingly lush vegetation, requiring some quick reflexes to dodge overhanging…
Learn more about Ruts & Roots
Total Miles
1.8
Tech Rating
6Moderate
Best Time
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Learn more about Sacotone Shootover
Sacotone Shootover

Sacotone Shootover

This trail kicks off from the Sacotone Lookout Jeep Trail, which has more steep transitions, fun boulders, and obstacles than this route. It begins wide enough for an ATV but narrows to a single track…
Learn more about Sacotone Shootover
Total Miles
1.4
Tech Rating
3Easy
Best Time
Fall, Winter, Spring
Learn more about Saddleback Mountain Loop
Saddleback Mountain Loop

Saddleback Mountain Loop

This trail cuts through a beautiful stretch of backcountry in eastern San Diego County and passes near hiking trailheads to three different waterfalls. The loop starts and finishes on graded dirt roads and has a…
Learn more about Saddleback Mountain Loop
Total Miles
15.1
Tech Rating
2Easy
Best Time
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Learn more about Sage Canyon Road BLM SC56
Sage Canyon Road BLM SC56

Sage Canyon Road BLM SC56

This sandy 14-mile out-and-back trail climbs over 1,700 feet in just under 7 miles while taking you into Sage Canyon, a wide canyon surrounded by Scodie Mountain foothills. Lots of ruts, off-camber sections, uneven terrain,…
Learn more about Sage Canyon Road BLM SC56
Total Miles
5.8
Tech Rating
4Moderate
Best Time
Summer, Fall, Spring
Learn more about Sage Hen Meadows Road
Sage Hen Meadows Road

Sage Hen Meadows Road

This 4.5-mile point-to-point trail climbs almost 1,000 feet and drops almost 200 feet from Highway 120 to FS 1N02. The sand and pumice surface is 1.5 to 2 vehicles wide and seasonally graded, so watch…
Learn more about Sage Hen Meadows Road
Total Miles
4.5
Tech Rating
1Easy
Best Time
Summer, Fall, Spring
Learn more about Sage Road East - FS 32066E
Sage Road East - FS 32066E

Sage Road East - FS 32066E

Starting just 0.75 miles up Little Walker Road from Highway 395, this narrow sand and gravel track lives up to its namesake with sagebrush lining much of the route. The trail climbs nearly 400 feet…
Learn more about Sage Road East - FS 32066E
Total Miles
1.2
Tech Rating
2Easy
Best Time
Summer, Fall, Spring
Learn more about Sagebrush Run
Sagebrush Run

Sagebrush Run

This fun little trail is a great connector that pushes you out toward the western reaches of the BLM land. It starts as a more open path but quickly transitions into some seriously flowy single…
Learn more about Sagebrush Run
Total Miles
0.9
Tech Rating
5Moderate
Best Time
Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall
Learn more about Saint John - FS 18N06
Saint John - FS 18N06

Saint John - FS 18N06

This is an out and back or should I say up and down trail that takes you from the bottom of the canyon to the top of the Saint John mountain. Trail is single wide…
Learn more about Saint John - FS 18N06
Total Miles
9.3
Tech Rating
3Easy
Best Time
Spring, Summer, Fall
Learn more about Saline Valley Road
Saline Valley Road

Saline Valley Road

Death Valley is famous for its barren valleys and soaring vistas, but few people wander into its more remote regions like Saline Valley. The road into this area is dirt and often heavily corrugated and…
Learn more about Saline Valley Road
Total Miles
78.3
Tech Rating
2Easy
Best Time
Spring, Fall, Winter
Learn more about Salmon Creek FS 23S08
Salmon Creek FS 23S08

Salmon Creek FS 23S08

Salmon Creek FS 23S08 winds along a shelf road for 8 miles out and back through pine forest within Sequoia National Forest, dropping nearly 900 feet and gaining over 300 feet across 4 miles of…
Learn more about Salmon Creek FS 23S08
Total Miles
4.0
Tech Rating
2Easy
Best Time
Fall, Summer, Spring
Learn more about Salt Creek
Salt Creek

Salt Creek

This is a descending trail down to a very isolated campground with two fire pits. The entire trail is in a rocky narrow drainage, with lots of fallen trees and by the time you are…
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Total Miles
1.4
Tech Rating
4Moderate
Best Time
Spring, Summer, Fall
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ATV trails in California

Learn more about 10M29
10M29

10M29

This is one of only a few ATV options in the Mount Hough Trail System. It starts near the Mount Hough Trailhead on the north end at a marked entrance, and descends down several wide…
Learn more about 10M29
Total Miles
2.2
Tech Rating
3Easy
Best Time
Spring, Fall
Learn more about 11E19
11E19

11E19

11E19 is a 0.7-mile-long ATV trail with a red dirt surface winding through a forest of sugar pines. The route is wide and mostly gradual, with only a couple of very small rolling hills. It…
Learn more about 11E19
Total Miles
0.7
Tech Rating
2Easy
Best Time
Spring, Summer, Fall
Learn more about 11E19-D10
11E19-D10

11E19-D10

11E19-D10 is an easy ATV spur trail measuring just under half a mile long, often ridden together with 11E19 and D20 near Brimstone Campground. The trail allows two-way traffic with decent visibility, and it is…
Learn more about 11E19-D10
Total Miles
0.4
Tech Rating
2Easy
Best Time
Spring, Summer, Fall
Learn more about 11E19-D20
11E19-D20

11E19-D20

11E19-D20 is a 0.9-mile-long, easy ATV trail that runs mostly gradual with a few hairpin turns. The route passes through a mix of environments, with some sections more lush and lined with leafy Pacific dogwoods,…
Learn more about 11E19-D20
Total Miles
0.9
Tech Rating
2Easy
Best Time
Spring, Summer, Fall
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UTV/side-by-side trails in California

Learn more about 24W09.24
24W09.24

24W09.24

This is apart of Ballinger OHV. Considered desert highlands that has junipers, pinyon pines and scrub brush. Trail 24 (24W09.24) is the main trail that ranges between sandy and hard pack and potentially muddy sections.…
Learn more about 24W09.24
Total Miles
6.1
Tech Rating
5Moderate
Best Time
Spring, Fall, Winter
Learn more about 3N26
3N26

3N26

Trail head starts on Angeles Crest Highway at the Vincent Gap Turnout. It is a very short trail that leads to a locked gate at Jackson Flat Camping Area. The scenery during this trail consists…
Learn more about 3N26
Total Miles
0.9
Tech Rating
3Easy
Best Time
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Learn more about 3N267 Fenner Saddle (4N12)
3N267 Fenner Saddle (4N12)

3N267 Fenner Saddle (4N12)

The trail starts at the third quarter into marked trail 3N26. There is shade for more than half of the trail from mature tree and a hillside for the majority of the trail. During certain…
Learn more about 3N267 Fenner Saddle (4N12)
Total Miles
3.8
Tech Rating
8Difficult
Best Time
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Learn more about 3S120
3S120

3S120

This sandy trail takes you through the Inyo National Forest. It climbs just over 400 feet in just under two miles. There are many downed trees to navigate around. This trail is part of the…
Learn more about 3S120
Total Miles
1.7
Tech Rating
1Easy
Best Time
Summer, Fall, Spring
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