California Off-Road Trails

No longer the stagecoach road that connected Georgetown, California, and Lake Tahoe, Nevada, in the 1800s, the Rubicon Trail is a legitimate badge of honor known as one of the most iconic offroad trails in the world! So much so that Jeep has even named its famed Wrangler model after it. Decades have passed without the stagecoach in operation, and what was left of that route has become one gnarly and famous Jeep trail. The trail became famous in 1953 when 55 Jeeps and 155 participants ran what is now known as "Jeepers Jamboree 1". Since then, hundreds of thousands have earned the right to say they have conquered this famous Sierra Nevada offroad trail.

Adding to its popularity, the scenery knocks your socks off with a mesmerizing display of natural beauty. Towering pine trees, crystal-clear streams, and entire hillsides of white granite give the trail even more reasons for its world-renowned status. A word to the wise: you need to read the complete Trails Offroad Trail Guide to plan the logistics for this multi-day trip.

From the high desert floor flush with Joshua trees, Yucca, and crisp blue skies to the green forest of Big Bear, Burns Canyon, also known as Arrastre Creek, is an odyssey waiting for you in Southern California. Rich with history, particularly if you start at the south end and take in Pioneertown, travel through the famous Rose Mine, and find the rare Redwood trees, this trail makes for a great gateway for an epic overland trip close to home. This is the perfect get-away for a day or days when combined with the other amazing trails this area has to offer.

Holcomb Valley Road, also known as 3N16, is the backbone of Big Bear’s off-road country. It is a 26-mile route winding through pine forests, open meadows, and the storied remains of Southern California’s gold rush. Running west to east across the San Bernardino Mountains, it follows the same paths once traveled by 19th-century miners and settlers. Today, it’s a family-friendly dirt road that invites exploration, with countless opportunities to stop and connect with Big Bear’s rugged backcountry heritage. Along the way, you’ll pass relics of the old Belleville mining district, shady forest campsites, and panoramic overlooks where the air smells of pine and the horizon glows at sunset. More than just a scenic drive, 3N16 links some of the region’s most iconic trails, serving as both an adventure in itself and a gateway to Big Bear’s legendary four-wheel playground.

Filled with oddities, scenic beauty, history, and a sense of adventure, it is no wonder that the Mojave Road has such an iconic stature. Formed as an early Native American trade route and then an east-west passage for settlers, the road has a long and storied history. Passing through the Mojave National Preserve, Mojave Trails National Monument, and the Lanfair Valley, you are remote and far from civilization. Today it is one of the more famous overland routes in the southwest. Although the road is not at all technical, the sense of adventure you get by being so deep in the desert is what makes it worth the trip.

Maple Springs Road is the backdoor to Saddleback Mountain from Orange County. One of Orange County's few trails, this is a popular overland route for people wanting to get out of the house and stay local. Others say they enjoy this road because it leads to the best view of Orange County. Suppose you are fortunate to have a few hours around sunset. In that case, the view from the top of Saddleback Mountain is known for photographs of the sun setting over Catalina Island in the Pacific Ocean with Orange County in the foreground.

The lower section of the trail has a unique scenery for Orange County. The area is covered in oaks and pines. A nearby creek runs most of the year. It's an excellent place for a picnic. If you are lucky, you can find a swimming hole.

Gold Mountain Trail, 3N69, is one of those names all Southern California offroaders know. For many, it was their first rock crawling trail. For others, it is their next ambitious goal. Located in the San Bernardino National Forest, near Big Bear Lake, this easily accessed rock crawling trail takes you up and into the mountain range of SoCal, cresting over 8,000 feet above sea level before dropping you near the history-rich Holcomb Valley. Along this scenic wonderland, the trail offers fantastic views of Big Bear Lake, the bustling mountain village below, and the towering San Gorgonio Mountain.

The trail was established in the 1860s during the Big Bear gold rush to facilitate mining operations. Today, the obstacles bring people to this historic trail. With two waterfalls, a rock garden, and several hard corners, this trail tests driver skills and vehicle capability. There is no doubt why Jeep picked this trail as one of its legendary Jeep Badge Of Honor Trails.

There is no other place like Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Many overlanders and outdoor enthusiasts seek it out for its endless exploration opportunities. Fish Creek Wash is the starting point for many since it connects to many of Anza-Borrego's most famous offroad trails. Wind, rain, powerful earthquakes, landslides, and father time have shaped Fish Creek Wash into a living, geological museum. With its wind caves, dinosaur tracks, fault lines, towering mud hills, sandstone canyons, and wildflowers, Fish Creek is a perfect place to begin your exploration of the astonishing Anza-Borrego.

When you hear or read about obstacles named "Heart Attack Hill" and "The Squeeze," you must make excellent adventure decisions before you decide to take them on. Pinyon Mountain is a Jeep Badge of Honor trail in the renowned Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and arguably its most challenging. The Squeeze tests every bit of your precision as you listen to fenders scrape on its narrow passage, while Heart Attack Hill will surely give you that proverbial "heart attack" when you first see it.  This isn't a solo-type excursion trail. You will need every bit of your wheeling mates' eyes and collective experience as you conquer what people call "The Secret of the Desert." 

Comfortably nestled in the San Bernardino National Forest, Holcomb Creek is a challenging rock-crawling trail that has attracted visitors for decades. It is a Jeep Badge of Honor Trail, and for good reason. It is one of the most demanding trails in the Big Bear Mountain range and provides perhaps the best rock crawling of them all. While traveling the trail, expect everything from water crossings to extensive rock gardens with rocks the size of small cars. You can also expect challenging hill climbs and fantastic views of Holcomb Creek and the Pacific Crest Hiking Trail. Over the years, this trail has claimed many vehicles and should not be underestimated. People often exit this trail with their hopes and vehicles destroyed. If you think you and your vehicle have what it takes to complete this epic 4x4 adventure, then air down your tires, engage those lockers, and be prepared to make unforgettable memories while earning your badge!

One of the must-do offroad trails in Southern California and maybe even the United States, 3N10 - John Bull is a legendary trail in the offroad community and offers an amazing rock-crawling experience to all users. Often used as a trial run for larger trips such as to the Rubicon or the Dusy-Ershim, this Jeep Badge of Honor trail will test a vehicle to its breaking point. John Bull features large boulders over 36 inches round, loose rocks that love to bend sheet metal, and big trees that seem to jump out of nowhere and kiss your vehicle, leaving behind body damage scars that make for epic campfire stories. If looking for a unique and challenging trail within Big Bear's Holcomb Valley, John Bull will certainly fill the void.

Leave the sunbaked Mojave Desert near Hesperia behind and begin an unforgettable journey into the towering forests, cool mountain air, and sparkling blue waters of Big Bear Lake. 3N14 Coxey Road is more than just a scenic dirt road. It is a gateway to adventure, carrying explorers through a dramatically changing landscape where rugged desert terrain and scattered junipers slowly give way to pinyon pines, dense mountain forests, and towering Jeffrey pines as the trail climbs higher into the San Bernardino Mountains.

For those looking for a quick escape, Coxey Road can be traveled from bottom to top in roughly two hours, creating an incredible desert-to-mountain adventure that feels worlds away from where it began. But slow down, pack the camping gear, and the same trail can become the backbone of an unforgettable multi-day overland journey. Numerous camping opportunities along and near the route allow explorers to leave civilization behind, search for a secluded campsite beneath the trees, gather around a crackling campfire, and spend the night beneath a brilliant mountain sky filled with stars. With miles of connecting forest roads and trails waiting to be explored, a simple drive along Coxey Road can easily grow into an entire weekend of backcountry adventure.

When winter arrives, the adventure transforms once again as snow blankets the towering pines, covers the surrounding mountains, and turns this normally relaxing backcountry drive into an entirely different four-wheel-drive experience. Whether you are chasing panoramic desert views, watching the landscape transform from arid Mojave vegetation into lush mountain forests, searching for the perfect campsite,

The trail is currently closed due to the Holy Fire. This can last years, so please plan accordingly. This local overland getaway is a great goto for people that live in Orange County and Riverside area. The trails are not known for a challenge but for the amazing views of all of Orange, Los Angeles, and Riverside County. On top of that, there are many great spots to stop which are perfect to relax and get away from the hectic city life.

The northern section of 3S04 Main Divide Road can easily be one of the best kept secrets of Orange County, CA. This section of the route is one trail every Overlander and 4x4 enthusiast should travel for themselves when in the area. With some of the most rare items in Southern California, it can be pretty easy to say that this is probably the most unique trail in all of Orange County, CA, maybe California. The highlight of this intriguing expedition is the stop at Beeks Place, which was built in 1942 by Joe Beeks. Besides being at over 3400 feet in elevation, Beeks Place has standing gun turrets that were built back in WW2. The idea was if the worst case scenario happened to America at the time, an invasion from a foreign country, Orange County would be ready to defend the United States. As you continue to the north, you will cross many abandon sites, some of them are for water collection while others are abandon buildings. You will also enjoy heli pads, many active radio towers, and Southern California's Doppler Radar Systems. But if the sites are not what brings you to this trail, then the view will easily cover that. As you travel the ridge heading north, you will experience 360 degree views with over 100 miles of visibility in almost any direction. You can easily see things like the Pacific Ocean, Ventura County, Downtown L.A., Orange County, Newport Beach, Riverside, Temecula, snow capped mountains of Big Bear and San Jacinto, plus many more amazing sites.

Berdoo Canyon is home to an old ghost town named Berdoo Camp. Berdoo camp was founded by the water district when California built the Colorado River Aqueduct that still provides water to Southern California. The Camp was built in the early 1930s for the workers and their families to live while the aqueduct was being constructed under the mountain range. The camp was abandoned sometime in 1937 when the project was completed in the area, and the camp was no longer needed. Over the years the camp has been scraped of all the lumber from the roofs of the old concrete buildings. Now all that is left of the old camp are the skeletons of the concrete buildings that once housed the workers and their families. Building the Colorado River Aqueduct was an amazing feat of the time. The workers did not have the type of modern machinery we take for granted in our everyday lives during the construction. Come out and explore the colorful history of the Berdoo Camp as well as Berdoo Canyon. You might even get to see some of the desert wildlife as you head into Joshua Tree, or a ghost or two. Please tread lightly along the trail. I have lived my entire life in this area, and have seen many of these awesome trails closed, due to people making these beautiful desolate trails their personal landfill. Please, if you find trash along the trail, pick it up and help do your part in keeping this trail open for generations to come.

Oriflamme Canyon is an ancient route connecting Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and Banner, California. Long before overlanding and four-wheeling, the Kumeyaay, Spanish, and early settlers used the route for trade, travel, and seasonal dwelling. Oriflamme was the name given to the first mine that worked in the area, and the canyon and mountain soon took on the name as well. It is believed that the name came from the steamship "Oriflamme," which brought miners to San Diego in 1870 during the Julian gold rush. The road became more pronounced during the various mining booms, and today is included in many overland trips through Anza-Borrego. It offers mountain scenery with tall oak trees, adventurous shelf roads, and a chance to see crystal clear fresh running water at the right time of the year.

Known for its incredible views and rich history, Rattlesnake Canyon, or RC3331, is a popular overland route that takes you into the San Bernardino Mountains from Old Women Springs Road in Johnson Valley, California. The experience offers impressive views of Joshua trees, mesquite, and flowing springs that will make great memories. It is the perfect trail to escape Orange and Los Angeles Counties, and if strung together with other trails in the area, it can be an excellent add-on to a multi-day trip. 

Mud... and lots of it. Azusa Canyon is an infamous OHV area for its very large mud pits that are deep enough to swallow a monster truck. Even though many people go out to this area in their Razors, 4x4, and quads to play in the dirt and hills, most people find themselves heading to the south end of the park to the mud pits where the action is always at. Saturdays in Azusa are rather quiet, but Sundays starting around noon get absolutely crazy.

The Pilot Rock Truck Trail starts at the east side of Silverwood Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains in the San Bernardino National Forest. Possibly the most scenic trail in San Bernardino county, Pilot Rock Truck Trail runs between Silver-wood Lake and the small mountain community of Lake Arrowhead. This long mountain trail serves up one amazing view after another starting with Waypoint 6 which overlooks Silverwood Lake from a steep ledge. From Pilot Rock ( the actual rock ) at Waypoint 18, you will look out to see a panoramic view of the distant desert fading into the forest covered mountains.