Tag: Off-Road

hiking, Off-Road March 18, 2024

El Cajon Mountain

El Cajon Mountain is a moderately difficult hiking trail that is about 11 miles round-trip with steep grades on the last half of the trail. Parking is available directly on CA-67 or a lot which will have varied times based upon sunset. There is very little shade throughout this trail and you will want to bring a lot of water with you. The trail is closed in August due to excessive heat and the temperature can vary greatly as the elevation changes. We felt pretty cool as we got near the top and felt the wind more. Anything you look up online about this trail says that you will need six hours but you can finish it in four if you’re in good shape. The pictures are a mix of an October hike alone (warm, clear day) and a February trek (cloudy and cool). Enjoy and find the rest of the photos on the full page here!

El Capitan County Preserve

hiking, Off-Road January 29, 2024

Cedar Creek Falls

Cedar Creek Falls is an easy trail that is about six miles round-trip and can be accessed from Ramona to the west or Eagle Peak Road from the east (this entrance requires a vehicle with some ground clearance). The starting elevation from Thornbush Rd in Ramona is 1830ft with the bottom of the falls at 915ft. I went with a small group of friends on a mild winter day which grew more crowded as the day wore on. A permit is required from the US Forest Service with each permit covering up to five people for $10. Alcohol and diving from the cliffs are prohibited. When we started at about 0830 there were no park rangers present but there was someone at the trailhead when we came back at about 1100. The water was nice and cold when I jumped in. Enjoy and find the rest of the photos on the full page here!

4x4, Off-Road July 16, 2023July 17, 2023

Jumpup Point

Jumpup Point is located on the western edge of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The trails that ends at Jumpup Point is FS 201 which is passable with a high clearance 2WD vehicle under dry conditions. There are numerous trails that can be used to reach FS 201, have a fun adventure deciding which way to take. Having 4WD does make the trip easier and helps you use the brakes quite a bit less. Most of the Grand Canyon tourists visit the Southern Rim (about 90%) which makes trails such as FS 201 very quiet and serene. Expect to have no cell service and no one to extract your vehicle if you break down anywhere along the path. Many of the roads to the North Rim are closed during the colder months which may vary from year to year. The trails away from AZ-67 and more commonly traveled areas will be blocked but trails such as Jumpup or Toroweap will not have gates but may be impassable due to snow cover. Be careful out there.

There are multiple paths to Jumpup Point, here is one example from Fredonia. I recommend buying the Kaibab National Forest Atlas online or at one of the Forest Offices. To the northeast of Jumpup Point is Jumpup Cabin, which you can make a reservation for.

Forest Service Alerts and Closures

Grand Canyon National Park Operations Update

I have a few photos in this post, take a look at the rest of them here on the full page. Enjoy!

hiking, Off-Road August 11, 2022

Combs Peak

Combs Peak is a steep and rugged out-and-back trail that only lasts for a few miles. It is accessible from the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in northern San Diego county. If you aren’t interested in hiking the entire PCT you can take CA-79, to Chihuahua Valley Road, to Lost Valley Road where it intersects with the PCT. The trail is ill-defined at the beginning and there are no markers telling you where to start. I almost walked right past it to head to Riverside County instead. As I mentioned the trail is extremely steep and there are many loose rocks. There’s just enough of a trail to not get lost on your way up. I happened to head out right after a summer thunderstorm passed through and was blessed with reasonable temperatures and stunning views. I highly recommend this short gem of a trail!

Find the rest of the amazing photos here and see you on the trail!

4x4, Off-Road October 31, 2020

Rockhouse Trail

The Rockhouse Trail is an easy route that any 2WD pickup with some ground clearance should be able to complete. At about the 13 mile point the road that ends in Rockhouse Canyon turns into a hiking trail. The trail gets a little rougher past the junction for Butler and Rockhouse Canyons and the end of the motorized portion gradually becomes indistinct from the wash. Clark Valley and Rockhouse Canyon are awesome areas to visit and I’ll have to hike further up to see the rock houses and Santa Rosa Indian ruins at some point. For now, this page will only contain images from the drivable portions of the route. The video shows the trail starting from the northern end as I head south to return to S-22 just a few miles east of Borrego Springs. Be sure to look for the rest of the details, photos, and videos here on the dedicated page and enjoy!

4x4, Off-Road September 28, 2020

Bear Valley Road (16S12)

Bear Valley Road is an easy trail located about 40 miles east of San Diego that is accessible directly from I-8. With dry conditions any 2WD truck with some ground clearance can easily pass through this trail. There are numerous trails that connect to Bear Valley Road but the only other one that the public can routinely access is Long Valley Road (16S15) which I am also including on this page. This trail is great fun if you don’t feel like driving too far away from San Diego and want to avoid getting a full blast of the desert heat during the summer. During the Winter and Spring months the trail will be closed right before and during storms. Unlike many of the trails that I have gone through I went with a rather large group. Enjoy the photos and videos and look for the rest of them here on the dedicated page!

Descanso Ranger District Map Download

Cleveland National Forest website

4x4, Off-Road August 30, 2020August 30, 2020

White Mountain (3N17) Redux

Last year I went through the White Mountain trail in its entirety with a large group as a passenger. It really was nice to just sit back, relax, and take some photos. I knew that one day I had to take my own truck out on this remote and fairly empty trail. You don’t have to be worried about running into a bunch of dirt bikes or ATVs out on this trail, just other full-size vehicles. Turn-around and passing points are few and far between on this trail though so you might have to prepare to back up a fair distance. I highly recommend that you take some time to head up to this wonderful trail. Look here for the rest of the photos and videos. Enjoy!

4x4, Off-Road July 27, 2020August 31, 2020

Holcomb Valley Road (3N16), Spring Run

Several months ago I traversed Holcomb Valley Road in its entirety right after a winter storm and greatly enjoyed my trip. The cold weather and snow/ice present during the previous trip seemed to keep the dirt bikes and ATVs away and made the trail much emptier but it was not to be so this trip. I opted to head through this trail again during warmer months with a small group of friends on the way to the moderately difficult trail of White Mountain (photos/videos coming soon). This is an easy trail that any vehicle with some ground clearance could drive through. Look here for the full page with all of the photos and videos. Enjoy!

Here lies an abandoned Toyota 4Runner. I don’t know if the accident or rollover occurred near here or if the vehicle was simply dumped:

Here a few less somber photos:

hiking, Off-Road May 28, 2020

Pepperwood Trail

There is still much more I have to explore along this trail but the Pepperwood Trail winds through an amazing area of land in the McCain Valley. I happened to take two sets of photos on different days near the end of a very wet spring and winter which offered a large array of plant life and flowers for the area. The contrast between the Laguna Mountains to the west and Colorado Desert to the east is stunning and I really need to stop being lazy and take this trail all the way down Canebrake Canyon. I started off near the Cottonwood Campground which is a very fine year-round campground with vault toilets and firepits. The Pepperwood Trail is easily accessible from McCain Valley Road and is a short drive from I-8. I will traverse more of this fine trail soon but for now, enjoy the photos and look for the rest of them here on the full page!

Cottonwood Campground location:

BLM campground information and BLM Routes of Travel for Eastern San Diego County Map (PDF)

4x4, Off-Road April 12, 2020

Rodriguez Canyon Redux

Several years ago I wrote a post about Rodriguez Canyon, an easy trail in eastern San Diego County just south of Banner Grade along CA-78. I recently went back again and recorded some much better video along with going out after a very wet Winter and Spring for San Diego. Snow had recently fallen on the mountains just to the west of Rodriguez Canyon and the trail was wet without dust clouds forming as I passed along. Any 2WD truck with decent ground clearance will normally be able to make it through this trail. Enjoy the photos and videos and find all of them here on the dedicated page!