Adventure on the Mojave’s Old Traction Road
Lost to history for over a century, this 125-mile route through the Mojave Desert was re-mapped in 2023 and offers a multi-day adventure with everything the desert has to offer.
Travel along this old roadbed originally made to haul borax from mines to a railroad depot across sand, rock, silt, and landscapes from open desert to dry river crossings. Plus, you’ll see some of the oldest and youngest rocks on the planet—spanning over 2.4 billion years!
Explore This Route in onX Offroad
The Old Traction was mapped and explored by onX Offroad local expert Billy Creech, the foremost authority on off-roading (and off-roading history) in the Mojave Desert. It’s safe to say Billy knows this landscape better than anyone else alive, and as the leader of the expedition that re-discovered this route, onX Offroad users are getting this data directly from the source.
Route Details Include:
- The Old Traction Road has a technical rating of 5 due to the rugged, remote, and inhospitable nature of the terrain through which it passes. Impacts of precipitation and flooding on this route are severe, so weather-related risks must be considered.
- Passes by a historic mine with plenty of historic artifacts to view.
- See over 2 billion years of geology—possibly the only vehicle-accessible route on the planet displaying such a range of exposed rock in such a short distance.
Explore this route in the onX Offroad App
Grab the Folder, Hit the Road
Click the button below to open the folder in your onX Offroad account, then share with your crew, download any Offline Maps you need, and get going!