Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Buena Vista, California
Airola Meadow Loop
Nice views along a graded in the begging logging road. The road becomes ungraded but really good all the way back. Some brush, nothing to pinstripe your rig. Early season, may want to bring a… Learn more about Airola Meadow Loop
Total Miles
3.2
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
Buck Ranch
Easy graded logging road in the beginning 1st mile, then it becomes decent rocky terrain, some small climbs, nothing hard. Once you take off from the green route on OnX, this is a really easy… Learn more about Buck Ranch
Total Miles
2.9
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
Volcanoville
Volcanoville is a good beginner trail that can be completed by most stock 4x4 SUVs, as well as many AWD vehicles with AT tires and at least 8 inches of clearance. The trail does get… Learn more about Volcanoville
Total Miles
2.1
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Su
Bailey Ridge
A 5-mile stretch of connecting forest service roads. It is a particularly useful trail if you are driving a non street legal vehicle and camping at Black Springs or off of 7N23. The trail features… Learn more about Bailey Ridge
Total Miles
4.9
Tech Rating
2
Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa
Berdoo Canyon Road
This is a fantastic trail that can be run in either direction. The trail is relatively easy, but there are a few obstacles that can give you trouble if you don't have enough clearance and… Learn more about Berdoo Canyon Road
Total Miles
23
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
Shirttail Canyon
Total Miles
23.5
Tech Rating
2
Easy
Best Time
Su
Soda Creek Logging Camp
From Hwy 4 side the all-day adventure was on ungraded logging roads. They still log here on these roads so please drive slow and be aware of logging trucks possibly coming at you. You will… Learn more about Soda Creek Logging Camp
Total Miles
17.3
Tech Rating
2
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
Rowdy Cow
This is a lightly traveled dirt road with some ruts, loose rock, slight inclines, and narrow passages due to brush. Other challenges include snow in the winter snow and water crossings up to a foot… Learn more about Rowdy Cow
Total Miles
3.4
Tech Rating
2
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
Mitchell Mine
Mitchell Mine is a nice, easy in-and-out summer trail for a leisurely stroll through the forest. It's also a good trail for beginners to get used to how their vehicle feels while off-road. The surface… Learn more about Mitchell Mine
Total Miles
2.7
Tech Rating
2
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
Wrights Lake Rd - 11N26A
This is a smooth, out-and-back dirt trail that's single lane. The trail has very little change in elevation and can be driven with a 2WD SUV. A wide turn-around circle is located at one mile… Learn more about Wrights Lake Rd - 11N26A
Total Miles
0.9
Tech Rating
1
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
Sapps Hill
An easy trail with a few mud holes after a summer thunderstorm. There are plenty of places for dispersed camping along the route, and if you drive all the way to the end, you will… Learn more about Sapps Hill
Total Miles
0.9
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Su
Pine Tunnel
This trail is lined with pine trees and features a baby rock garden. It is no longer maintained by the Forest Service and ends where it is blocked by multiple fallen trees. Dispersed camping can… Learn more about Pine Tunnel
Total Miles
0.8
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Su
Old Tamarack
This trail was once known as "Tamarack OHV 4x4" and has been closed since 2014. The start of the trail is still open and leads to a dispersed campsite before it is blocked by many… Learn more about Old Tamarack
Total Miles
0.1
Tech Rating
2
Easy
Best Time
Su
Elephant Lake
This trail follows the South Fork of the John Day River and crosses a very remote area. It's a great area for camping and hiking. Destinations include Blacks Canyon, Izee Falls, and several historical sites.… Learn more about Elephant Lake
Total Miles
3.7
Tech Rating
1
Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa
The Rut
This is a lightly traveled trail with a dirt floor. Uneven, rutted dirt trail with erosion. Potential water crossings up to a foot deep, in the winter, and in some spots the rut is 3ft… Learn more about The Rut
Total Miles
2.9
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su
Eagle Meadows
This is an awesome out and back trail with amazing cliff views, creek crossings, beautiful trees and several great camping spots. Plenty of shorter trails splinter off the main roads, offering endless adventure. This route… Learn more about Eagle Meadows
Total Miles
11.7
Tech Rating
2
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su
Boman Lake
The first part of the trail is paved. About 2/3rds of the way in, it becomes rocky and dirty. High clearance is recommended. There is one tricky hairpin about 1 mile from camp. Other than… Learn more about Boman Lake
Total Miles
16.7
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su
Burnside Lake Road - 31019
The 5.5-mile out and back dirt road will take you from HWY 88/89 intersection to Burnside Lake. The dirt road is relatively smooth and wide enough for two vehicles to pass. This is a well-traveled… Learn more about Burnside Lake Road - 31019
Total Miles
5.2
Tech Rating
1
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
Fruit Smuggler
Dirt trail with potential for loose rocks, sandy washes, and water crossings less than a foot deep. Potential for mud holes and trail obstacles up to 12" including ledges and short, steep grades. One vehicle… Learn more about Fruit Smuggler
Total Miles
3.4
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su
Hawkins Peak Road
Hawkins Peak Road begins as a gradual accent and is typically one vehicle wide with places to pass on this double track dirt trail. The trail gradually ascends from an elevation of 7,057 feet to… Learn more about Hawkins Peak Road
Total Miles
3
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa
Pistol Point Trail
Pistol Point Trail is one vehicle wide with places to pass on this double track dirt trail. The trail ascends from an elevation of 8,820 feet to a maximum elevation of 9,286 feet. There is… Learn more about Pistol Point Trail
Total Miles
1.6
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa
Genoa Peak Road - 41306
You'll get some great views of Lake Tahoe from this trail. It's a wide, single-lane gravel trail that's moderately to heavily used during the summer. There are gates at both ends of the road which… Learn more about Genoa Peak Road - 41306
Total Miles
10.9
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa
Logan House Loop 14n33
This trail has beautiful scenery that includes tree-filtered views of Lake Tahoe, Aspen groves, grassy meadows, a couple of small year-round streams, and the classic Sierra Nevada Mountain Forest. It is recommended for 4WD or… Learn more about Logan House Loop 14n33
Total Miles
8.2
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa
Boca Hill
Boca Hill Trail is a 2.5 mile trail. The trail passes the peak of Boca Hill, a great place to stop and get some pictures from above I-80 with many peaks in the background. The… Learn more about Boca Hill
Total Miles
2.3
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp
Deer Lake, Gold Valley
Total Miles
37.9
Tech Rating
2
Moderate
Best Time
Su
Bear Valley Loop Trail
Bear Valley Loop Trail is a beginner trail located off Hwy 89 starting right at "Little Truckee Summit". The loop takes off and ends at the Bear Valley Campground. Head in on Cottonwood Road off… Learn more about Bear Valley Loop Trail
Total Miles
19.9
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa
Crystal Peak Mine Loop
This loop trail offers wide panoramas of endless mountain forests and picturesque views of multiple reservoirs all along an easily traversed dirt road. An exciting surprise awaits at the midway point of the trail--the Crystal… Learn more about Crystal Peak Mine Loop
Total Miles
26.3
Tech Rating
2
Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa
Pine Nut Mountains Vista Trail
Located in the Johnson OHV park, this trail has views of Minden, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and Pine Nut Mountains. A man-made dirt pile is meant to block the trail at 4.82 miles. At this… Learn more about Pine Nut Mountains Vista Trail
Total Miles
2.5
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi
Sunrise Pass Road
This graded dirt county road begins at the Johnson Lane OHV Park located east of Minden, NV. As the road gradually ascends, it traverses alluvial plains covered in sage and low canyons with juniper trees.… Learn more about Sunrise Pass Road
Total Miles
23
Tech Rating
1
Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa
1947 Bunker Trail
This trail starts off on a wide graded dirt road. Then turning Northeast you proceed up a narrow double track trail. This portion of the trail ascends up a flat topped ridge which is lined… Learn more about 1947 Bunker Trail