Off Road Trails / Forest Service Road - Orange County

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schradec

schradec

10 Year
Joined
Sep 15, 2015
Threads
23
Messages
232
Location
San Clemente, CA
Website
www.stance.com
Hey all thought I would post up here and ask some advice. Newbie around here with a FZJ80 and am looking for some local places to go explore. Any of you guys have some local go-tos you would be willing to share in the OC area here. I know the local mtns here are littered with forest roads, but just wondering whats worth the trip/legal.

Any info if greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Christian
 
There's really nothing here in San Clemente... However just up the 74 you can hope on Main Divide Road, it's a fire road with no real challenges but can have great views of the Orange County and the I.E. Wildomar OHV is in the same area. Both require the Nation Forest Adventure pass if you plan on stopping.

Most of the fun stuff is a bit further, but within 1-2 hours.
 
schradec said:
Hey all thought I would post up here and ask some advice. Newbie around here with a FZJ80 and am looking for some local places to go explore. Any of you guys have some local go-tos you would be willing to share in the OC area here. I know the local mtns here are littered with forest roads, but just wondering whats worth the trip/legal.

Any info if greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Christian
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Yea thats kind of what I was figuring. Looks like a fun area to go explore and get away from town though. Good shake down area for once all this PM is done. Thanks!
 
Maybe we need to plan a SoCal 80s/100s and friends trip to Santa Ana Mountains/Santiago Peak again. I would like to get out of town myself.
 
Cleghorn is a great newbie trail off the I-15. Very scenic and can be quite challenging to simple fire road depending on the lines you take.
 
ewillis said:
Cleghorn is a great newbie trail off the I-15. Very scenic and can be quite challenging to simple fire road depending on the lines you take.
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Up off the Cajon pass correct? Thats do able for a day trip as well for me...early start and late return but would be fun! Should be starting to cool back down / rain again soon too.
 
schradec said:
Up off the Cajon pass correct? Thats do able for a day trip as well for me...early start and late return but would be fun! Should be starting to cool back down / rain again soon too.
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Yep...on the Cajon pass. I'd roll with you but my rig is on stands getting a Harrop E-locker at the moment :)
 
ewillis said:
Yep...on the Cajon pass. I'd roll with you but my rig is on stands getting a Harrop E-locker at the moment :)
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Haha good problems to have. I am gone until next week/weekend as it is (BC snowboard trip woohooo!). However once I get back lets try to lock in a date, would love to get out up there and see what these things can do. Also has anyone ran the trail right off Palm Ave off the 215 exit. Bailey Canyon Rd.? I went to school as Cal State San Bernardino and we used to screw around up off that road from time to time. Looks like you can get pretty far up into the mtns via that road....if it is in fact still useable. Might just roll the dice and go for it...then worst case continue on to Cleaghorn if it is not open.

Thoughts?
 
schradec said:
Hey all thought I would post up here and ask some advice. Newbie around here with a FZJ80 and am looking for some local places to go explore. Any of you guys have some local go-tos you would be willing to share in the OC area here. I know the local mtns here are littered with forest roads, but just wondering whats worth the trip/legal.

Any info if greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Christian
Click to expand...

Oh hey man, just a word tot he wise, you cant actually DRIVE your cruiser, you just work on it, and post pictures on here. Its just what we do.

:p
 
schradec said:
Haha good problems to have. I am gone until next week/weekend as it is (BC snowboard trip woohooo!). However once I get back lets try to lock in a date, would love to get out up there and see what these things can do. Also has anyone ran the trail right off Palm Ave off the 215 exit. Bailey Canyon Rd.? I went to school as Cal State San Bernardino and we used to screw around up off that road from time to time. Looks like you can get pretty far up into the mtns via that road....if it is in fact still useable. Might just roll the dice and go for it...then worst case continue on to Cleaghorn if it is not open.

Thoughts?
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I've been up that trail a number of times, and I think each time I ended up somewhere else. It is a great trail, with not a whole lot of technical stuff, but varying scenery and amazing vistas. Depending on which spur of the trail you take you can run into old structures, wells, bridges, future camp spots for when you're running from the law, and even a stream/creek. download TOPO Maps to your phone and then get lost and use the maps to find your way home. it is a whole lot of fun.
 
ewillis said:
Cleghorn is a great newbie trail off the I-15. Very scenic and can be quite challenging to simple fire road depending on the lines you take.
Click to expand...

Cleghorn bypasses have gotten rutted and somewhat challenging. A guy in our group flopped a while back and I took home deep scrapes on an off camber section. The main fire road is easy but pick the bypasses carefully.
 
1FZj80 said:
Cleghorn bypasses have gotten rutted and somewhat challenging. A guy in our group flopped a while back and I took home deep scrapes on an off camber section. The main fire road is easy but pick the bypasses carefully.
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Very true! I got this going away present off the "most challenging" section on one of the bypasses.
DSC_3440_zps90ec675f.jpg
 
ewillis said:
Very true! I got this going away present off the "most challenging" section on one of the bypasses.
DSC_3440_zps90ec675f.jpg
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NICE! Great excuse for sliders!!!!!:)

Reminds me of my first run on Millers Jeep Trail about 10 or so years ago. Stock truck with running boards. One of the group - Sam (PKP80) asked if I wanted to take my running boards off prior to beginning :hmm:. Said no, that it'd be an early warning system! Buggered one a little worse than your pic. Got home that night, took them off, and ordered Hanna's sliders shortly after that and haven't looked back ever since!
 
Lots of trucks flop at cleghorn! It's a real axle twister but no real tough climbs so people get lulled into relaxing a little too much. We should get a group together to run there again it's been years since I was last there.
 
Count me in if there is a team outing. My truck is stock but is triple locked so can get most places. Don't like trying new routes on my own hence the interest in a group event.
I was planning on a trip up Santiago peak tomorrow but I see it is closed this weekend.
 
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