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SC65 - McIvers Cabin

4.6/5 (8 reviews)
Inyokern, California (Kern County)
Last Updated: 06/13/2017

Trail Information

Highlights

You can be on this trail in just under two hours from the San Fernando Valley. Plan on spending the majority of the day on this trail and the cabin is a great place to hang out for a bit and have some lunch. Maybe even catch a nap. It's pretty unique to be able to travel along the desert and in just 11.4 miles you are starting to climb into the trees of the Sequoia National Forest. Pay close attention to all the cross trails especially in the desert part of the trail. Please keep in mind that this area is home to the California Desert Tortoise as well as a rare plant and archaeological artifacts. Please stay on the trail.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

4.6/5 (8)
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 02/05/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Made it to about the 15 mile mark, snow and ice was making it sketchy. Fun trail.
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 01/01/2023

Pretty cool trail that takes you from the high desert of the Mojave all the way up to the Sequoia forest. Beside some deep ruts and other random obstacles ( this trail keeps changing due to weather and usage ) it’s pretty easy but a very fun trail to drive since it winds and curves between the trees so there’s a lot of “steering wheel work “ and gear shifting ( for manual transition rigs ). It climbs very high in elevation so you get much colder weather once you make it up to the forest. We’ve done it countless times and it keeps on changing. Either way it’s a fun trail that will take about half a day ( in and out ) If you run this trail in the summer, it’s a great escape from the desert heat. If you run it in the winter, there most likely to be snow on the trail ( even mid fall ) which makes it even more fun. Be mindful about the first section ( at the lower desert section ) it’s a very popular off road area and the access trail has many other trails crossing it so don’t even think you’re there all by yourself. People run at very high speeds on those flat and long trails and not everyone has the brains to slow down ( or stop ) at trails intersections, sometimes when you see the other guy it’s already too late. Nothing to be worried about, just keep it in mind.
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 10/15/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

This was my first trail, so don’t have any to compare it with. It felt like two separate trails, both in terms of the landscape but also the difficulty. Up to waypoint 11 it was a very easy but fun fire road and shelf road. At around waypoint 12 it became a lot more challenging, with heavy rutting, lots of off-camber and large rocks. Though we managed and it was a great way to learn a lot about the vehicles response to different terrain, I would have chosen a slightly easier trail for our first run. Definitely a blast, but personally would not recommend it to a complete novice.
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 01/09/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Traveled the road twice before around the holidays. The first trip (solo) yielded a dusting of snow once up in the Sequoia National Forest. On our second trip after the wet weather throughout California, we experienced snow 12-15 inches deep up there and had a very fun adventurous day! The lower portion of the trail is now graded as evidenced by the grader that was parked off to the side and the pristine condition of the "trail" in the lower few miles. However, once you start to climb the trail gets far more rutted with a step or two that requires high clearance. The portion in the forest was incredible as the trail literally meanders between trees. The snow made things really nice. We cleaned the cabin up both times and the second time left some provisions. We encountered a couple of side-by-sides containing young families who had just left the cabin and literally tossed their soda cans on the ground before leaving according to another visitor. C'mon folks! A friend with an Expedition came along on our second trip and found out his transfer case wasn't working (he had low range but no drive to the front wheels) but required only one little tug on a slippery slope at the top. Our friend is an experienced off-roader and wouldn't recommend repeating what he did. As a summary, the trail is very beautiful at higher elevations, the area around the cabin is beautiful, and any high-clearance 4x4 with low-range should be fine!
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 10/02/2021
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Amazing trail, definitely worth checking out for anyone with a trail-ready rig, especially for drivers ready to up their skill level. While not overly-intense, there are definitely some ruts and small rock ledges that will force you to choose your line carefully. There are some narrow sections between trees that will make full size truck and SUV's pay close attention to their line. You will definitely hear the joyous symphony of brush scraping against your paint, so if you are concerned about getting scratches on your nice new paint job, this trail isn't for you. My buddy and I did this trail in 4Runners--mine is a 4th Gen with KO2's and a two-inch lift and his is a stock 5th Gen TRD Pro. I would not attempt this trail with road tires. Previous trail reports mention flat tires & I would agree that this is a possibility, especially since you're going to need to air down and pinching a side wall is a possibility. We did this run after a long, dry summer and in wet, muddy conditions it would add another level of challenge. Trail is popular with ATV's, RZR's and dirt bikers so keep a eye/ear out for them. There are many campable spots along the way, so this is a great trail to plan an overnight trip around. I wouldn't consider the Cabin to be ideal spot to camp since you will get a lot of visitors but there are several spots within the last ten or fifteen minutes of the approach. It took us about three hours to get from CA14 to the cabin. I consider this trail to be two parts: CA14 to the tree line (easy, desert stuff) and then from the tree line to the cabin where the trail requires 4x4 and knobby tires. Here is my video of the first part: https://youtu.be/Jb1OCpo6jIc Here is my video of the second part: https://youtu.be/cnWTsAs38ZQ

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