SoCal 80s Trail Directory

[Bluetribal]

This thread is intended for people that want to head out on a trail and cannot find a trail, don't know of any trails cause they're new to the area/sport or is tired of the "same old same old" and wants to try something new. From fire roads , to rockcrawling and everything inbetween, its all good.

No CHIT CHAT, please.. If you would like to discuss a trail further than the details on this page, please start a new thread devoted just to that trail and members will chime in.

Please make sure the trail is in SoCal and no where else. After all this is the SoCal80's section.

Please include the following info about the trail:
1.) Name of Trail & Date taken
2.) Location of Trail (Nearby town, National Park, or GPS Coordinates).
3.) Approximate Length of trail (Mileage)
4.) Approximate rating of trail (Stock Friendly - Hardcore)
5.) Camping availability on the trail (Primitive - Facilities)
6.) Pet friendly?
7.) Attendants on the run & vehicle types
8.) Short story about experience on the trail.

[SOCALFJ]

* MOJAVE ROAD / March 23, 2007

* Location: Colorado River/AVI Casino to Barstow Area

* Mileage: 130+ miles of dirt

* Rating: Stock Friendly/ Bring plenty of fuel / Reliable rig a must

* Camping: Primitive / No Facilities / Bring plent of water.

* Group member attendies: SOCALFJ, RFJTOY, G8MFZJ80

* We had a blast running this trail. If you like long hauls and getting off the beaten path for a 3 day adventure run, this is the run for you. Great history and not crowded as much as most of the trails in SoCal. There is no continious trail this long that i know about in our area.

[Bluetribal]

1.) Old Cup Valley Rd. | Jasper Trail | Grapevine Canyon (Riding & Hiking Trail) | Pinyon Wash - 04/15/07
2.) Western portion of Anza Borrego Desert State Park beginning off of S22 Mile Marker 11 between Ranchita & Borrego Springs.
3.) Approximately 20 miles for all four of these combined.
4.) These trails are stock friendly (I did it Bone Stock) but not paint friendly. You will add some pin-striping to your rig on Old Cup Valley Rd.
5.) Camping is permitted on Grapevine Canyon Trail near Yaqui Well.
6.) See park rules for pets?
7.) Reid (LandCrusher'70), Kevin (Boston Mangler), Gene (FJC), & Myself
8.) We started off on Old Cup Valley Rd., split off to Jasper Trail, then merged into Riding & Hiking Trail back to Hwy 78. Old Cup was the most rugged of the three trails while Jasper and R&H Trails were pretty much dirt roads but with beautiful terrain and views.
Once back to Hwy 78 we made our way over to Pinyon Wash which was relatively easy and uneventful dead end with huge boulders blocking the trail. It would be a good place for lunch.

Link to posts & pics:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/ca-socal-80s...-gets-hot.html

[lacruiser]

I'm not 100% certain this trail would qualify, as it's out of Bishop, but here goes anyway:

I led a group of folks up the Wheeler ridge trail, it's accessed near Tom's Place along 395. It starts by climbing up a ravine, then heads south and climbs up the side of Rock Creek Canyon. The fun part starts a few miles later when there is a spur off to the left. this is a set of stair steps and windy trail that goes up for awhile. Then drops down next to an alpine lake, and then goes over to a saddle that is about 10,800 feet elevation and overlooks Bishop down below. The view of the entire Owens Valley is spectacular!

The trail continues south on the side of the mountain. We attempted this part, but it was off camber, the downhill side was a LONG way down without anything to stop you, and the trail was very slippery, small gravel like ball-bearings. So we turned around.

The group I led up there was mostly 80's, and everyone drove it without any issues. I don't think anyone had their running boards on, however!!

Camping at the lake is no problem, and also at the overlook, but it would be pretty windy up there. There were some more camping-friendly spots down lower on the way up.

[Bluetribal]

1.) Buttes Trail | San Felipe Wash | Fish Creek Wash | Sandstone Canyon - 04/15/07

2.) Western portion of Anza Borrego Desert State Park beginning off of Hwy 78 just past Borrego Springs Rd. (Sometimes hard to find, go slow or drive along the road in the dirt.)
3.) Approximate 28 miles on & off road.
4.) Buttes, Felipe, & Fish Creek are all stock friendly. Sandstone Canyon on the other hand is better done with sliders or lift. I dinged a rocker & bumper turning around.
5.) Camping is not recommended on these trails.
6.) No camping but ride-alongs sure.
7.) Reid (LandCrusher'70), Gene (FJC), & Myself
8.) Off of the 78 we hit up Buttes Trail and down The Slot where we found a cool valley at the bottom where we had lunch. After lunch we decided to head out the San Felipe Wash past Blow Sand and onto the pavement to Fish Creek Wash. Fish Creek is off of Split Mountain Rd. and Sand Stone Canyon is off of the right before Del Diablo Drop Off. Sand Stone Canyon has to be one of the most un-real trails in Borrego and one day my rig will be built enough to find the end of it.


Link to posts & pics:
http://forum.ih8mud.com/ca-socal-80s...-gets-hot.html

[bpenn1980]

1.) Liebre Mountain & Old Ridge Route

Liebre Mtn is 7N23 to 7N08; Old Ridge Route or 8N04 is gated currently just past 8N05

2.) The typical drive starts from Old Ridge Route off Highway 138, or you could start from the other end off Lake Hughes Road.

3.) ~27 miles

4.) Fire road. I drove it stock with running boards. Could be a little more difficult with snow/mud, but still very easy.

5.) Lots of campground options, some with toilets and firepits.

6.) Not sure what the regulations are.

7.) Just me and an ex-gf

8.) We originally planned on driving the Old Ridge Route to look at all the ruins of buildings and see what the OG Tejon Pass would've been like to drive back in the day before Highway 5. Unfortunately the route is closed on both ends, I believe due to a wash out.

We then drove the Liebre Mtn trail aka 7N23. Lots of nice scenery and great views. This is the last ridge before dropping down into the central valley and Mojave Desert on the north so you can see up past Mojave and Highway 58 and over into the southern portion of the Central Valley.

Nice chill trip.

Brad

ps- this area is heavily hunted during deer season, so I would not advise a trip during that time unless you are aware of the precautions you should take.

[AppleTech]

1.) Name of Trail & Date taken
Cleghorn, 4/19/08

2.) 1 exit South of the 138 on the 15 about 20 mi south of Victorville. Exit Cleghorn road and head East... the dirt road literally starts at the freeway exit... you can't miss it. Air down here and continue up the trail. When you get to a large flat area, you will be presented with an option of which way to go. Keep heading up hill to ascend higher - this way you are following the right trail.

Exiting on the east end of the trail you will get dumped onto the 138. Right goes to Lake Arrowhead. Head out left and just a couple hundred yards on the right is a big parking area where you can air back up. Follow the 138 for about 20 minutes back to the 15.

3.) Approximate Length of trail (Mileage)
about 15 mi

4.) Approximate rating of trail (Stock Friendly - Hardcore)
Stock friendly the entire way with harder alternate sections, ranging up to Med-Difficult.

5.) Camping availability on the trail (Primitive - Facilities)
Didn't look, but I don't think so. Adventure pass needed if you stop.

6.) Pet friendly?
Yes just watch out for snakes.

7.) Attendants on the run & vehicle types
I went with the SoCal FJCruiser group and our run was led by Chris (TTORA SoCal President - the guy with the 85 camo'd "Beater"). Mostly lightly-lifted FJ Cruisers. We even had a 2WD 4Runner with us who tried some of of the moderate stuff and didn't have any major problems.

8.) This is a great trail to run with a mixed group or beginners wanting to start doing some more difficult stuff. This is because the trail is basically two parallel trails - one easy fire road and a second more advanced with several fun hillclimbs and such. Because you can generally see what you are getting yourself into ahead of time, you don't won't be worried that you can't handle it. There are almost no rocks on this trail, except for one or two "Difficult" alternate routes. There are three obstacles that I recommend you think twice about doing on this trail unless you are fairly experienced - you will see them as you come up on them:

One of the early obstacles you will come to (about 15 minutes in) is a split where you can go up a rocky climb or up a graded fire road. The rocky climb up can be hairy and WILL require good spotting. I would not recommend this for rigs without at least a 2in lift or without sliders. I did not run it in my truck.

Next, near the Eastern end of the trail is a moderate descent with a narrow part that has a little hill that pushes you up against the opposite wall. With a good spotter you can get through this easily... just remember to hug the wall more than you would think to so you don't get pushed too far over. The 80 actually had less of a problem than the FJC's because the 80 wheelbase and flex was more equipped to handle this type of obstacle.

The last obstacle that you really have to be pretty crazy to try is a very gnarly descent. I tried walking up it to take photos of Chris attempting to climb it, but I fell three times because it was so slippery and steep. I gave up and walked back down. Either descending this or ascending this is very difficult and I would advise against it unless you are fairly experienced. It can be identified easily because it is the only part of the trail that runs through a lot of trees... the top of this hill is covered in trees, so if you get into a little mini forest, turn around!


-Phil

[AppleTech]

1.) Name of Trail & Date taken:
White Mountain (3N17), 7/26/08

2.) Location of Trail (Nearby town, National Park, or GPS Coordinates).
Northwest of Big Bear Lake, CA. Enter into the forest through Fawnskin. Travel up Polique Canyon Road, about a mile west of Discovery Center (get day use pass and check for closures here). Make a right, following sign for Holcomb Valley. Turn Left when you each 3N16. Go West on 3N16 for many miles, past Big Pine Flats. At some point near Little Pine Flats, the road turns north and changes names, can't remember the name (look at a map before you go!). You will then be out of the forest and into desert scrub for a bit. The entrance to the trail will be on your right, marked "To 3N17".

3.) Approximate Length of trail (Mileage)
Unknown Mileage, but allow for about 2.5-3.5 hours

4.) Approximate rating of trail (Stock Friendly - Hardcore)
NFS rated as "Most Difficult", but it really is not that bad. I did it with my 80 on 33" MTRs, no lift or sliders. There are a couple tight spots but if you take your time you can get out without a scrape. Most of this trail is rocky/sandy hillclimbs that makes for a fun challenge. No boulder fields or anything like that. Don't run this trail alone, as you are next to a drop of most of the trail and would want to have someone else with you for backup if you get in a sticky spot. There is little to no room to pass on this trail, save for a few turn-offs, so be prepared to back up if you encounter someone coming the other way. Easiest thing to do is watch the trail ahead of you when you round a bend, then pull off and rest for a bit if you see anyone coming.

I have run this trail both West -> East and East -> West, the former being the more enjoyable way, with more options to use your magic dial. If you are unlocked, you should have no problems going East -> West, as it is mostly descents, but if you are going the other way someone in the group should have lockers and be in front of you for a tug.

5.) Camping availability on the trail (Primitive - Facilities)
None on the trail, but many nearby - Big Pine Flat, Holcomb Valley, etc.

6.) Pet friendly?
Yes - there aren't many places for pets to run off to, as you are on a mountaintop most of the way.

7.) Attendants on the run & vehicle types
Just me in my 80 on 33 MTRs, and my buddy in his '01 F150 on 35"s. Anyone with 31+ should be able to run this ok, but you will want grippy tires - be prepared for a tug if not. Air down to sub 20s for best grip here. Watch for sharp rocks.

8.) Short story about experience on the trail.
Great day, great run. We were celebrating my bachelor party. This is such a beautiful trail with many great views of the valley north of Big Bear Mountain - Victorville, Johnson Valley, all that.