East San Diego County, Borrego Springs CA

San Diego Backcountry
600,000 acres of SoCal desert

BLOOM: mid-March thru May
Anza Park elevations range from low to high. Lowest near eastern border (next to the Salton Sea) to the upper reaches of the western slopes @ 4000′. Wide, deep, sandy, long desert washes, native petroglphs, wind caves, slot canyons and split mountain. This uncrowded state park has the most acreages than all of the parks.

OPEN CAMPING

Camp in a developed campground, a small back country site or camp primitive on nearly any dirt road. Car camping to 4×4, this park has lots to offer folks wishing to really escape. No ground fires allowed, so bring your metal campfire bucket and large trash bag to carry out your ashes. The last thing you want is to scar these pristine white desert washes.

DESERT WILDFLOWERS

Steep rocky canyons on the Laguna mountain foothills can be challenging terrain, so bring good, sturdy hiking boots. Wildflowers can be abundant on certain years. Lower elevations sprout up first; Higher elevations along County Rd S-2 & S-22 bloom later in Spring. By June 1st most of the color is gone in and around Borrego Springs, so this is a real Winter and Spring vacation kinda spot. California desert wildflowers include primrose, barrel cactus, prickly pear, monkey flower, ocotillo & many more.

ANZA BORREGO WILDFLOWERS

see also BORREGO SPRINGS

find you way easily with the Anza Borrego Desert Map

This is the largest State Park in California and “open car camping” is allowed on the back roads. (also referred to as primitive camping, free camping or 4×4 camping) One of the few places in Southern California that you can camp outside of a developed Campground and still have a campfire. You gotta bring a large metal bucket to have your campfire in – as ashes scar white sandy washes and ground fires are not allowed.

Warning: You could spend a whole day just driving & sightseeing in this area! Meadows, wildflowers, dirt roads, trails, Big Creek, McKinley Grove of Sequoias, Wishon Reservoir, the list goes on. All the way out to the Wilderness boundary, Courtright Lake is not a quick or easy drive.

The hikers trailhead is located at the end of Courtright Rd. Cross over the big dam to the right & drive approx one mile; look for signs on the right side of the road. There are minimal areas to set camp at this granite , windswept face. Good luck getting a tent stake in the ground. Rock rules here. There are a few developed Campgrounds on the opposite side of the lake which may be a better choice for car camping. This Maxson parking lot is primarily for backpackers.

nearby locales -

• COURTRIGHT LAKE
• WISHON LAKE
• SHAVER LAKE CA

maps of this Sierra region -

• Dinkey Lakes Wilderness Map
• John Muir Wilderness Map (Tom Harrison)
• John Muir Wilderness Map (USDA NFS)
  
• Sierra National Forest Map

View Larger Map

Dusy Ershim 4×4 route start right here too – on the opposite side of the road. It’s second only to the Rubicon Trail, as far as High Sierra rocks & terrain.

Rock Climbers also love this spot for the granite domes & walls. Hiking all the way around this lake is a full day trip, with lunch and sightseeing stops. A pleasure not to be rushed.

On the outter edge of Santa Barbara County, where Kern, San Luis Obispo & Ventura counties all meet, you can find great solitude, a large red dirt, high desert wash & plenty rural trails. Off-roading, backcountry camping, hiking, mountain biking all over this region.

Ozena Ranger Station sits at the south end of Cuyama, at the intersection of Lockwood Valley Rd & Hwy 33. Ozena Campground with 10 spots @ 3660′ elevation, is to the east off Lockwood.

Nettle Springs Campground (7 spots @ 4400′ elevation) can be accessed via Apache Canyon, a 10 mile dirt road# 8N06.

2 smaller campgrounds – Tinta & Ranch Nuevo are on the west side of Hwy 33 & require a high clearance vehicle. Trails out of these campgrounds lead to the Dick Smith Wilderness.

Chumash Wilderness is just east of Ventucopa, as Los Padres National Forest surround this agricultural valley. Quatal Canyon & Quatal Wash reach from the upper elevations of pinyon pines near Mount Able to Cuyama river bed below, as Cerro Noroeste Road skirts the northern rim of the impressive red rock canyon. Toad Spring Campground is at the top. Apache Saddle & Pine Mountain Club are just east of Quatal Cyn.

Cuyama riverbed follows Highway 33 and then turns west, following Highway 166, past the ranch lands, the volcano hills and notorious Rock Front Ranch.

All the pavement around Cuyama is very popular amongst motorcyclists. Scenic touring kinda roads. A very nice 100 mile loop trip is from Pine Mountain Club – W on Mil Potrero Hwy, W on Cerro Noroeste Rd, W on Hwy 166, S on Hwy 33, East on Lockwood Valley Road – back to Frazier Park & I-5 Lebec.

Mahutasan, the indian sweat lodge & the extremely rustic Sage Brush Annies Restaurant w/ winery are the highlights of this rural agriculture valley called Ventucopa CA. Cuyama Peak & fire lookout tower overlooks the whole Cuayama Valley & can be accessed via Santa Barbara Canyon Rd. 4×4 may be required in certain spots. This lovely oak & manzanita lined canyon was scorthced by the Zaca Wildfire in mid 2007.

• Cuyama Wineries
• Pistacio Orchards
• Quatal Canyon
• Ballinger OHV Park

helpful maps of the region -

• Dick Smith Wilderness
• Los Padres National Forest Map (USDA NFS)
• Los Padres /Hungry Valley OHV Map
• Sespe Wilderness Trail Map (Tom Harrison)

towns in the valley -

CUYAMA CA

NEW CUYAMA CA

VENTUCOPA CA

towns closeby -

MARICOPA CA

PINE MTN CLUB CA

Hwy 166 Wildflowers, School House Canyon

West Coast 4×4 club holds annual trail runs in Panamint Valley.

California 4×4 – here is search term popularized by the SUV & the anxious city driver who wants to hit some dirt. Gone are the days when peeling out in the back of the Ikea parking lot adventure. You seek real trails & cool spots & Total Escape is here to deliver.

Take your muddy or dusty vehicle to work on Monday (unwashed), just to prove you did something adventurous this past weekend! Once they see the photos, the co-workers will be envious.

This entire web site was started around California back roads & self guided tours. You finally found us! Gotta get the 4wheel drive SUV into action (at least once per year – so the differential oil wont get like glue) & this web site can help you find the secrets spots of California.

Anza Borrego Desert & Los Padres National Forest has the most 4×4 trails in all the SoCal region. Big Bear forest has some, but the crowds are thick on any given weekend. Angeles has Azusa & Lyttle Creek; Idywild has a few virtually unknown spots. Mojave desert & the Eastern Sierra have plenty to see, volcanoes, ghost towns, old mines, petroglyphs, all reachable with stock SUV. Inyo high country has some incredible sights, but only accessible half the year. You will need 4 wheel drive part time or full time on these trails listed below. AWD doesn’t count!

Searching for the extreme, rock crawling, hard core 4×4 stuff, go to the off-road races — or take your time & plan your adventure well. Chances are you’ll need a small team of people to explore these black diamond routes, a good forest map, plus very capable 4 wheelin’ rigs.

Red Mountain 4×4 Trail near Shaver Lake

Find California 4wheel drive roads below. Some of these routes will require a four wheel low range, with a transfer case. Do not attempt these with a new AWD SUV. Expect body damage on any 4WD trail.

Anza Borrego Desert -

• Culp Valley – Grapevine Cyn
• Diablo Dropoff
• Hills of the Moon
• Ocotillo Wells, Hwy 78 E
• Oriflamme Canyon
• The Squeeze, near Blair Valley
• Truckhaven Hills, S22

Gold Country & Sierra Nevada 4×4 trails -

• Bald Mountain Trail, Shaver Lake CA
• Coyote Lake, Shaver Lake CA
• Dusy Ershim OHV Trail, Courtright Lake
• Onion Springs Trail, Lake Edison CA
• Red Mountain Lake, Shaver Lake CA
• Rock Creek OHV Area, Georgetown CA
• Rubicon 4×4 Trail, Sierra Nevada
• Sierra National Forest
• Spanish Lake OHV, Wishon Reservoir

Death Valley 4×4 Camps -

• Barker Ranch, via Goler Canyon
• Hunter Mountain, Death Valley NP
• Panamint Valley & canyons
• Saline Valley Road, N Death Valley

Inyo NF 4×4 trails -

• Cerro Gordo ghost town
• Cottonwood Canyon, Ancient Bristlecone Pines
• Coyote Flats & Coyote Lake Rd, Bishop CA
• Saline Valley Rd, near Darwin CA

Los Padres NF 4×4 trails -

• Miller Jeep Trail, Lockwood Valley Rd, Frazier Park, CA
• Cherry Creek, off Cuddy Valley Rd, Frazier Park, CA
• Salt Creek, off Cuddy Valley Rd, Frazier Park, CA
• Santa Barbara Canyon, Cuyama Valley, Ventucopa, CA

San Berdu NF 4×4 trails -

• John Bull Trail, near Big Bear Lake CA
• Deep Creek Trail, near Skyforest Lake Arrowhead CA
• Gold Mountain Trail, near Big Bear Lake CA
• Pipes Canyon, near Big Bear Lake CA

San Diego 4×4 Trails -

• Los Coyotes Indian Reservation, Lake Henshaw CA
• Valley of the Moon, Jacumba CA

Now, not every road is gonna need 4×4 all the time. Most of the dirt back roads can easily be passable in a 2WD in dry months, but forget that in winter or any good rain storm. Total Escape has compiled a huge list of Southern California Back Roads, for your viewing pleasure.

And the expansive nuthingness of Baja roads, now that’s a whole ‘nuther chapter (coming soon)

California off road maps -

• Angeles 4×4 Map
• Barstow OHV Map
• California Forest Service Maps
• Hungry Valley Map
• Inyo National Forest Map
• Jawbone Canyon OHV
• OHV 4×4 Trail Maps
• Randsburg Desert Trail Map
• San Berdu 4×4 Maps
• San Diego Deserts Map
• Sequoia Kern Canyon Map
• Stanislaus National Forest Map
• Tahoe Trail Map

See Mount Pinos Recreation Campgrounds only

Group Camping Sites in Los Padres Forest

map of the Los Padres region -

• Dick Smith Wilderness Map
• Hungry Valley OHV Los Padres Trail Maps
• Los Padres Map – Topo Atlas
• Los Padres National Forest Map – North (USDA NFS)
• Los Padres National Forest Map – South (USDA NFS)
• Sespe Wilderness Trail Map (Tom Harrison)

Los Padres mountain towns -

• Frazier Park CA
• Gorman CA
• Lebec CA
• Pine Mountain Club CA
• Ojai CA
• Ventucopa CA

Toad Springs Campground atop Quatal Canyon
Small camps like this located in Los Padres NF have no fees