Total Escape Outside » 4×4 Routes

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

Primitive Camp San Diego

DanaMite — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:44:21 +0000

Open car camping is allowed in several places inside Cleveland National Forest, although NO campfires are permitted due to the high fire danger. Your best for dispersed camping (with a campfire) is Anza Borrego Desert State Park – but summertime temperature can get very hot, so plan for higher elevations. The Tom Harrison San Diego Backcountry Map can get you out there.

Laguna Mountain (off Sunrise Hwy. S-1)
East of San Diego; 40 miles E on Interstate 8

Pine Creek Road – with plenty of mountain biking trails
Noble Canyon – popular mountain biking trail
Kitchen Creek Road

Palomar Mountain (off Hwy. 76)
N of San Diego; 40 miles N on Interstate 15

No back roads camping is allowed in this forest
4×4 trails & camping @ Los Coyotes Indian Reservation

Anza Borrego Desert Camping [near National Forest boundary]
East of San Diego CA

Oriflamme Canyon (off S-2)
Culp Valley (off S-22)
Dispersed camping nearly anywhere in Anza desert (w/ a metal fire bucket)

A winter day out exploring Culp Valley back roads.

Maps Mountains / San Diego Maps

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.

4×4 Camping California

DanaMite — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:04:14 +0000

Okay, you got your 4 wheel drive vehicle dirty, it is now several years old & maybe you even have a scratch or two. Now is the time to finally start using that beast for real off road adventures. The trips you dreamed about when you first purchased it. 4×4 camping in California is plentiful. California has trails for OHV use – which means ‘off highway vehicle’, that can accommodate your machine. These remote camps are always primitive camp sites, with picnic tables, fire rings & maybe a pit toilet (if you are lucky). You can find total seclusion on these back roads & trails, well away from the developed campgrounds & RV parks.

San Bernardino National Forest – has a few trail camps for 4×4 enthusiasts. John Bull Trail (near Holcomb Valley) has one real awesome spot with great views over the desert night lights. Holcomb Creek Trail also has a few spots near the creek. Overall this area is somewhat crowded for wheelin’ (especially on the weekends), as the population is so dense nearby.

Los Padres National Forest – has the most 4×4 camping, readily accessible to Southern California. Tis is the best kept secret for Angelinos wanting an escape. The southern portion of the forests has Tecuya Ridge #9N22, with several camps only minutes from I-5. Out west, Cerro Noroeste Road has the Blue Ridge & Quatal Canyon #9N09. Hwy 166 leads to Miranda Pines towering above the fields of Santa Maria & so much more. 2 OHV parks in the area: Hungry Valley & Ballinger both serve the OHV crowds. The northern section of Los Padres (near Big Sur) has plenty of dirt roads & primitive camps, but none are truly 4×4 routes, as most can be accessed easily with a passenger car.

Sequoia National Forest - has 4×4 camping right along the Kern River, near Keysville, at the junction where Hwy 178 meets Hwy 155. Also, further up the Kern, Forest Rd#22S82 leads to primitive Camp 4, where there are several spots near granite pools, that can only be accessed by 4 wheel drive.

Sierra National Forest – has plenty of 4×4 routes that lead to granite rock gardens & mighty fine, secluded, forested camp sites. Gorgeous Red Lake & Coyote Lake are popular spots that require some technical skills & much patience to access. Both are frequented by fishermen & horses. Near Wishon Reservoir is the dead end trail of Spanish Lake. Onion Springs Meadow is awesome back behind Edison Lake. Near the granite wonderland Courtright Reservoir is the infamous Dusy Trail signed #28E34 (aka #7S32, the Dusy Ershim), second only to the Rubicon Trail for high Sierra granite.

Stanislaus National Forest – has camping in the Crandall & Niagara Creek OHV section of the forest, right off Hwy 108. Elevations range from 5000′-7000′. Higher up, Levitt Lake (access road near Levitt Falls) on the east end of the mountain, past the Sonora Pass sign.

El Dorado National Forest – has the area called Rock Creek for off roading in the Gold Country. Plus the ever popular Rubicon Trail starts hear (near Georgetown) & leads 20 miles across the High Sierra Nevada granite slabs to Lake Tahoe.

And yes, no question about it – you WILL NEED National Forest maps to get to these great spots.

[This list will continue to grow as we unravel all the decades worth of notes & photos. Stay tuned.]

California Off Road Maps

DanaMite — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:58:33 +0000

Dirt roads, backroads, desert trails, OHV routes, single tracks, dunes, fire roads

When you wanna explore a new area, California has plenty of public land to offer. Off Road Maps can get you away from the crowds & the main staging areas. Maps can show you prime areas to ride & camp that you may not have ever imagined. Whether you seek secluded stream side camp sites, with some fishing or a dusty, long, desert trail that spans the entire Mojave desert, you can find these secret spots with maps.

All California OHV maps are priced under $10

4×4 Panamint Valley has numerous canyons & ridges to conquer

Here are some of the off-roading maps Total Escape carries:

JAWBONE CANYON OHV MAP
Randsburg, California City, Dove Springs, Red Rock, North Mojave Desert Trails
SAN BERNARDINO OHV MAP
Big Bear, Arrowhead, Johnson Valley, Stoddard Wells, Barstow, Mojave Desert Trails
HUNGRY VALLEY OHV MAP
Los Padres National Forest, Frazier Park Trails, Lockwood, Quatal, Ballinger Canyon
ANGELES FOREST OHV MAP
Los Angeles Area, Antelope Valley Desert Trails
SOCAL OHV MAP SET
Buy all & get ‘em cheaper. This is a collection of 4 of the California Trail Users maps.
ROCK CREEK OHV TRAILS (outta print USDA)
Georgetown, Gold Country California, Sierra Nevada, El Dorado National Forest
MOUNT PINOS OHV TRAILS (outta print USDA)
Los Padres National Forest, Frazier Park Trails, Ballinger Canyon

These are awesome California locations that have off-road trails surrounding them: