Total Escape Outside » Back Roads

Inyo Forest Roads

DanaMite — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:04:15 +0000

Eastern Sierra Nevada – Inyo Mountains
Inyo Forest Back Roads – Mammoth Off Road

Off Road near Highway 395. Yep, Olancha has some OHV areas near the dunes, but this web site is dedicated to the real deal, scenery, hot springs, great secluded camping & of course, back road exploring. You will need a Inyo National Forest map to discover these back roads. These are minimally traveled routes, unmaintained, sometimes washed out, eroded & creek crossings (without a bridge). A few roads are paved, but most are dirt. Many require high clearance vehicle, or even 4×4. Know your vehicles limitations & be prepared to turn back when the road worsens. Cuz more often than not, it’s a sign of what more difficult terrain is to come.

Watch out for live stock – they are dumber than they look.

Owenyo Rd - Wanna parallel the highway (395) on dirt; Sure, it’s a long bumpy route – from Hwy 136 @ Dolomite to Bend City @ Mazourka Cyn.

Road# 13S05 – Mazourka Canyon Rd – leads up to some old mining camps & way behind Mazourka Peak (9410′) deep into the Inyo mountains. It’s all desert on this side, but these canyons have pinyons & more vegetation than you would imagine. Road# 9S15 & 9S14 circle Andrews Mountain (9460′) then join back up w/ Death Valley Rd (the North Pass into Saline Valley).

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest has some great dirt roads surrounding it. After you are finished with all the touristy sights & you don’t wanna spend the rest of the day in the visitors center or back at camp, try Cottonwood Canyon is full of aspens, camp sites & fishing, not cottonwood trees. 4×4 is required. Crooked Creek has boulders, boulders & more boulders. Plus some amazing camp sites with open sky views. Silver Canyon is for high clearance only, 2WD okay. This will lead you down to Laws Railroad Museum on Hwy 6, on the back side of Bishop, CA

Benton Crossing Rd (green chruch on Hwy 395)
This wide road leads out to multiple dirt roads that peel off in every direction. Many Eastern Sierra Hot Springs can be found out here on the east side of the highway. No hot spring resorts, no facilities, no clothing & very primitive.

Bishop 4×4 route Coyote Flat
Coyote Wash leads up to Coyote Flat & out to Coyote Lake. This a a spectacular high altitude plateau overlooks the Owens Valley & requires 4 wheel drive just to get up there. Pinyons, junipers, apens, wildflower meadows, old mines, & yes, lakes at 11,000′ elevation. Views of the High Sierra & South Lake.

Buttermilk Road - This dirt road is north turn off of Hwy 168, W of Bishop, CA. It is a popular spot among rock climbers. A great place for indian petroglyphs too!

Road# 9S21 – Glacier Lodge Road - Paved road. Creek exploring & fishing. Plenty Campgrounds. W of Big Pine CA

Horseshoe Meadows Rd – Paved route with great views over Owens dry lake bed; access via Lone Pine CA; A nice day trip to meadows & High Sierra scenery. Picnic & day hike!

McMurray Meadows Rd – south off of Glacier Lodge Rd (9S21) just W of Big Pine CA. You can find ancient cinder cone volcanoes & cave-like lava tubes in between this long dirt road & the highway.

Monache Meadows is a high elevation meadow that takes some time & determination to get to. This area is part of the Inyo National Forest, but can be accessed by either: backpacking thru the high Sierra’s or driving a high clearance vehicle thru Sequoia NF # 22S05 Sherman Pass Road, behind the Black Rock Ranger Station & Troy Meadows Campground. High clearance is needed, 4×4 maybe. Great camping sites near Olancha Peak trailhead. The area is surrounded by Golden Trout Wilderness & South Sierra Wilderness. From Highway 395 to Kennedy Mdws & then Monache is a full day of exploring, so you may as well stay the night up there. But bring warm gear, a campfire permit & a capable vehicle.

Manzanar Routes - Back behind Manzanar Camp there are miles of dirt roads to explore. Many creeks side camp sites can be found even with a passenger car. Small trees & sage brush. Secluded camping (for free) is possible in the Eastern Sierra.

Mono Craters (Rd# 1N11) - the youngest mountain range on the continent. Just south of Mono Lake, this route skirts the pumice cones & climbs over the Aeolian Buttes, before it meets back up with Hwy 395.

Walker Creek Rd – Oaks & creek. South of Olancha CA, look for turn off & follow dirt road up into the tight canyon.

Fish Slough Road (Rd #3V01) – open desert near tablelands. Find Indian Petroglyphs. N of Bishop

Road# 6S16 – Pine Creek Road - Creek exploring & fishing. NW of Bishop behind Rovana

Road# 4S02 – Owens Gorge Road - N of Bishop behind Lake Crowley. Camping w/ boulders & pines

Road# 4S86 – Laurel Lakes Road - Camp in aspens @ Laurel lakes, high elevation; SE of Mammoth

Road# 2S05 – Deadman Creek - Creek fishing in forest. N of Mammoth

Road# 2S07 – Owens River Road - Pine forest, near hot springs; no facilities. N of Mammoth

Parker Lake Road - Aspen & pine forest, near creeks; E of Grant Lake / N of June Lake

Walker Lake Road – Pine forest route to Walker Lake; E of Grant Lake / N of June Lake

Los Angeles Back Roads

DanaMite — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:10:08 +0000

Angeles Crest Back Roads – Angeles OHV Routes & Trails

Mt. Gleason Road / Santa Clara Divide Rd.

Angeles Crest Hwy.2 , North 9 mi. Left onto Angeles Forest Hwy.N3, drive 12 mi. to intersection of Santa Clara Divide Rd.

Turn left on paved road to Mt. Gleason. Many dirt roads will eventually branch off on the right side. A forest service map is advised for dirt road exploration.

LOOP -Turn right & go up the mountain past Mt. Pacifico & beyond (eventually hooks back up with Hwy.2 near Chilao area.(Check with ranger if your planning on doing this loop to make sure all gates are open)

Angeles Forest provides over 300 miles of designated OHV roads/routes. When off-roading, all vehicles must meet DMV standards for mufflers & registration. Off-highway smaller vehicles must be equipped with approved spark arresters & have valid green stickers. State law requires that ALL ATV riders wear a helmet.

Rowher Flats OHV Area – Santa Clara/Mojave Ranger Dist
Littlerock OHV Area – Santa Clara/Mojave Ranger Dist
San Gabriel OHV Area – San Gabriel Ranger District

California Trail Ettiquette -

CLOSURES: Occasionally areas may be closed due to emergency situations, for resource protection, or during specific seasons when disturbances may drive animals from important habitat. These closures are usually temporary, and your patience and cooperation is appreciated.

RESPECT THE LAND DUDE

Stream banks & lake shores are especially sensitive areas; VERY susceptible to damage. These waterway & creeks in California, are sources of food and shelter to wildlife.
Cross streams at a 90° angle at a slow speed and – DickHead, do not travel up & down stream channels. These are precious areas.

LEAVE A GOOD IMPRESSION: Around developed sites, give other folks the space and quiet you would appreciate. Space out the RVs if possible. It’s not an RV park kinda deal. By law OHV traffic are permitted to exit & enter campgrounds, but not to PLAY within a campground. No one likes dusty salsa. If your muffler is not quiet (you’re an ass!), push your machine in the campground, with the engine shut off.

STAY ON THE TRAIL: Cutting switchbacks, taking shortcuts or hillside climbing may be a big thrill & challenge, but once vehicle scars the earth, other vehicles follow. The mob mentality maybe, Macho shit. The deep muddy ruts do long-lasting damage to vegetation, plus it doe not help w/ erosion. Rains cause further damage by washing deep gullies in tire ruts. Vegetation & wildlife habitat is lost. Ugly, permanent, unsightly scars on the earth result. Staying on trails helps protect the land. And helps keep trails open!!

Become a Adopt-a-Trail Volunteer – contact your local NFS
Outdoor Volunteering in California!

Angeles Forest – LA Back Roads

nearby towns -

WRIGHTWOOD CA
LA CANADA CA
PASADENA CA
ALTADENA CA
PALMDALE CA
GORMAN CA

Angeles Maps – hiking, OHV & mountain biking -

California Motorcycle Roads

DanaMite — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:29:11 +0000

CA motorcycle roads

These are the roads that drivers love. More room to roam, more space, more pavement, more scenery to love and less people, less drivers and less distractions. California has endless roadways that wind through every part of the entire state. If you enjoy real driving in California, you like the curvy roads & scenery. Total Escape has dedicated numerous hours to the collection of back roads in California. Some paved, some not.

4000 RPMs or higher / Cerro Noroeste Road to Hwy 166

CALIFORNIA driving WAYS & ROADS

Mil Potrero Highway (Pine Mountain CA)
Cerro Noroeste Rd (Pine Mountain CA)
Sunrise Highway (S-2 @ Mount Laguna)
Topanga Canyon (Malibu CA)
Big Tujunga Canyon Road (Sunland CA)
Angeles Forest Highway (Palmdale CA)
Bouquet Canyon Road (Palmdale CA)
Sherman’s Pass Road (Kernville, closed in winter)
Western Divide Highway (Ponderosa, closed in winter)

CALIFORNIA SCENIC HIGHWAYS

Highway 108 – Sonora Pass (closed in winter)
Highway 120 – Yosemite Tioga Pass (closed in winter)
Highway 166 – Central Coast to Valley
Highway 178 – Kern Canyon Lake Isabella
HIghway 190 – Death Valley National Park
Highway 198 – Sequoia to Three Rivers
Highway 2 – Angeles Crest Highway (closed)
Highway 3 – Trinity River
Highway 33 – Ojai & Los Padres
Highway 4 – Ebbetts Pass (closed in winter)
Highway 50 – Sierra Nevada Tahoe
Highway 6 – Benton Hot Springs to Bishop
Highway 78 – Oceanside to Anza Borrego
Highway 88 – Carson Pass
Highway 89 – Tahoe to Lassen
Highway 9 – Santa Cruz Redwoods

MAPS, PARKS & LINKS

Some random road east of Trinity River

Split Mountain Anza Borrego

DanaMite — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 17:13:56 +0000

Anza Borrego Desert State Park

Fish Creek Campground

E of Borrego Springs CA.

Well off Highway 78, past the busy OHV area, quads at Ocotillo Wells, past all the rural homes & the redneck bar, past the Elephant Trees hike – where the road goes from pavement to graded dirt to a wild desert wash, in a few short miles. If you don’t know where you are, then you’re almost there.

This is a large wild desert wash with huge unstable walls, several areas for wind caves and a few historic markers. Lots of 4×4 trails beyonf Split Mountain, to the south. No real water in sight, except maybe the puddle you are standing in as it starts to poor. The soft sand can give way to a few heavy rain drops. May not be a great area to be during a serious storm or flash flood possibility, unless you want to get buried alive. Check the weather forecast in advance.

A ratty, small developed campground of Fish Creek is on the left side, upon the ledge. Fish Creek Campground is picnic tables & a pit toilet – at most. Ya may as well camp out in the open, off road, like the pioneers did. You can do that out here in Anza Borrego. (Just keep it clean & carry a metal fire container.)

Split Mountain, Anza Borrego Desert State Park

This portion of the “mountain” is less than a mile from Fish Creek Campground. Fossils can be found in these walls. Shade is good in summer months, when day temps reach 100+. The rest of the year is ideal weather. This mountain split from water, erosion, mega force. High walls, wind caves, desert washes, great primitive camping & 4×4 routes.

This desert scenic drive will require you to get that SUV dusty. 4 wheel drive not required. No RVs past the campground. All low lying passenger cars are warned, there are uneven areas, soft sand & boulders.

Duh, do not attempt this one when desert flash floods are possible.

ANZA BORREGO STATE PARK

ANZA BORREGO MAP – San Diego Deserts

nearby towns -

BORREGO SPRINGS CA

OCOTILLO WELLS CA

SALTON SEA CA

Great desert back road exploring out here. A zillions washes & canyons.

California Mountain Maps

DanaMite — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:46:35 +0000

The Mountains of California

Camping El Dorado NF, on the Consumnes River

If you know you wanna head to the pine forests of California, but have no clue where to start, this page may be very helpful in determining your ultimate destination. We have hundreds of pages on adventures & locations throughout the golden state. We sell all California maps for outdoor recreation, hiking topos to off road routes.

Wanna camp under the stars this weekend – and avoid the crowds too? You will need a good back road map to find this awesome camp site, guaranteed. Need a hammock spot, small swimming hole & total seclusion? Or how about a large family camp w/ Sequoia grove nearby? Total Escape has something for every ones budget & lifestyle. See below for an extensive breakdown of California mountain regions.

#1
SoCal mountains have tighter restrictions on campfires, larger number of people camping in a smaller amount of space, minimal primitive camping options in the forests, more fees to access these lands.

#2
The Sierra Nevada mountains are the prime outdoor destination for many in the Central California region. High elevations w/ granite slabs to lower country reservoirs & riverside oak flats. Folks come from all over the world to visit parks and lakes within this mountain range. Indeed, 4 National Parks call the Sierras home: Lassen, Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia NP – not to mention the 10 National Forest and 15+ Wilderness Areas.

#3
You want big water? Cabins next to a prime fishing river or camping near lakes, creeks with dense forests, then you will have to drive to the mid Sierra or even NorCal to find ‘em.

California Mountain Regions Defined – find the details on specific region for California mountains

See all outdoor recreation maps of California: