Trail Overview

The Virginia City Loop is an exceptional offroad adventure designed for four-wheel-drive vehicles, SxSs, and dirt bikes looking to experience the rugged beauty and wild horse populations of the historic Virginia Range. Spanning approximately 46 miles, this moderate loop begins and ends near historic Virginia City, Nevada, offering a diverse mix of terrain that climbs from 4,445 feet up to 6,738 feet with over 7,580 feet of cumulative elevation change. Along the route, drivers will navigate a variety of surfaces including loose dirt, rocky climbs, sandy washes, and occasional mud or creek crossings depending on the season. The trail demands careful line selection and steady throttle control, particularly on the steeper sections where the maximum gradient reaches over 21 degrees. As the route winds through the high desert landscape, travelers are treated to expansive vistas of the surrounding valleys and mountain peaks, with frequent opportunities to spot the famous wild horses that roam the range. Given the technical rating of 4, the track features persistent embedded rocks and uneven ruts, making high-clearance vehicles or capable offroad rigs highly recommended. It is best to start the journey directly from Virginia City, packing a lunch to enjoy at one of the scenic viewpoints along the trail before returning to town for dinner. Preparing for changing weather conditions and carrying plenty of water is essential when exploring this remote and scenic Nevada backcountry.

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Difficulty

This trail is rocky and uneven with frequent embedded and loose rocks that require slow speeds and careful line choice.

Technical Rating

Tony wiessmer

May 09, 2026

Permanently Closed

Posted Private Property

The Dayton portion of the trail is mapped through private property that is heavily posted with keep out signage

Brian Emery

Mar 29, 2026

Open

Normal

Trail is open and beautiful as everything is still green. We enjoyed breakfast in VC and them made the loop. It does take some time but there are a lot of beautiful places for photo opportunities. Stay on the maked trail and respect all others on the trail. Plan to ride it again Easter with a large group. Happy riding!!

William

Mar 28, 2026

Permanently Closed

Posted Private Property

This suggested trail is 90% on private land. This land has been private since at least the early 1970's when it was subdivided. The prior trip report about private property, gates, and cameras holds.

Brian Emery

Mar 22, 2026

Open

Normal

Road this trail is open. You do have to ride the pavement down 6 mile Canyon, there's a section once you leave Dayton, where there's a lot of barrels that say private property, but they are just trying to make sure you stay on the trail if you read the signs correctly, it was a great ride. Expect about 4 hours as it is rocky.

Mark B

Mar 10, 2026

Permanently Closed

Posted Private PropertyHeavily Barricaded with Natural MaterialLocked Gate

We attempted to ride the route on motos as shown on OnX Offroad. Be advised, we found significant segments of this route that are on posted private lands with no trespassing signs, locked gates and electronic surveillance. This required extensive backtracking, route modification and alternate route finding. The land owners clearly do not want OHVs or motos using their private roads. Even in Nevada, this is what happens when public lands are sold (disposed of) into private hands.

Pat McKechnie

Mar 08, 2026

2023 KTM 500

Open

Normal

Speaking as a dirt bike rider, we started from Virginia City and went counter-clockwise around the loop. The section from VC to Dayton and up to the Basalite mine was good for moto. Medium difficulty. A mixture of hills, a few short rocky sections, and several sections on the street/highway. We were on dual sports, so we were fine. The area did seem to be ok with SxSs on the side roads. Once we passed the Basalite mine, to road turned into a quagmire of loose, volcanic rock, like a riverbed. Of the road was actually easier to ride. Unless you like that, I would leave that to the SxSs and Jeeps. We turned around and went back to VC. We did not run the loop clockwise out of VC. We definitely enjoyed the ride.

SD OffRoader

Oct 23, 2025

Open

completely dry trail. very Rocky and bouncy. for the first 20 mi we were only able to average about seven or 8 mph although had no issues with clearance. a few wild horses and lots of evidence from them left behind. the Virginia City loop is not one to do casually as it's not that scenic on the south side and is extraordinarily hard on your equipment. best for more aggressive drivers with machines that are built specifically to handle lots and lots of mountainous Rock trail

C Fergurson

Jul 05, 2025

Obstructed

Andrew Connors

Feb 23, 2025

Open

Muddy/WetSnow/IceRough/Deteriorated

We ran this trail with two Broncos after running jumbo grade up to Virginia City. We ran the portion of this trail from Virginia City to the petroglyphs. The very beginning of the trail right outside of Virginia City was extremely muddy and sloppy and slick, but we were able to get through. The rest of the trail is pretty rocky and heads out to the petroglyphs, which are outstanding. Contrary to the trail listing, the portion that we ran of this trail was wide enough for full-size vehicles. Not sure about the rest of the trail, however. once you clear the muddy section right outside of Virginia City, the rest of the trail to the petroglyphs is quite rocky. We also saw many wild horses on this trail, probably 40 or 50 total. Thoroughly enjoyable day and highly recommended four-wheel-drive trail.

Jairo Munoz

Sep 21, 2023

Open

Phil Rubie

Aug 20, 2023

Open

Normal

larry forst

Jun 03, 2023

Open

Rough/DeterioratedDustyNormal

Wes Glaister

Jun 03, 2023

Open

Virginia City Loop Trail can be accessed by the following ride types:

Single Track
50 Inch
60 Inch
High Clearance

Access Description

The route traverses public lands primarily managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). No entry fees or permits are required to drive the loop, but all off-highway vehicles (OHVs) must display a valid Nevada OHV registration decal or a recognized out-of-state registration. Visitors should respect private property boundaries along the historic mining claims and stay on designated routes.