Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Sonora, California

This is a super pretty drive as it descends into the canyons and back up to the mountaintops. On your way to the lookout, you will drive through the Italian Bar/Lost Dutchman Mining Camp, which…
Learn more about American Camp Lookout

This trail is a connector between the American Camp Lookout and the Forebay trail. Connect all these 3 trails for a fun weekend or day trip full of adventure and fishing/exploring! There is a creek…
Learn more about Forebay to American Camp

This trail is steep, overgrown, and narrow. Typically home to lots of poison oak and fallen trees but the reward at the end is totally worth it! Keltz Mine road takes you down to the…
Learn more about Keltz Mine

Lug Nut Ledge is a short but fun trail with moderate obstacles, including rocky sections, rutted sections, and water crossings. The namesake Lug Nut Ledge features a mild rock step that requires good tire placement…
Learn more about Lug Nut Ledge

This a very easy trail and is mostly forest roads that zig-zag up the hill to the Forebay. This can be accessed from many ways whether it be from Columbia, Twain Harte, or Camp 9.…
Learn more about Stanislaus Forebay

Red Hills Recreation (BLM) area is a scenic day use only location. There are tons of hiking trails in the area, as well as the Serpentine Loop Trail which is a mild to moderate trail…
Learn more about Red Hills Road/Serpentine loop

As of May 26, 2023. This road is accessible by vehicles of higher clearance than sedans. This is because the fire roads are not as flat and maintained as Google Maps makes them out to…
Learn more about Candy Rock Road P.2

As of May 26, 2023. This road is accessible by vehicles of higher clearance than sedans. This is due to the fire road are not as flat and maintained as Google Maps makes it out…
Learn more about Candy Rock Road

This trail starts just off Highway 120, located 2.7 miles east of the Groveland District Ranger Office, and begins as a 1.5-vehicle-wide gravel trail with some sand sections. Lined with Ponderosa pine trees and bushes,…
Learn more about Boneyard Road - FS 1S07

This trail climbs over 600 feet and drops almost 1,200 feet across just over 5 miles of diverse terrain that spans BLM land and Stanislaus National Forest, though it begins on private land requiring respectful…
Learn more about Wagner Ridge Road - FS 2S08

This trail is a great spot to retreat for the weekend. The trail follows the South Fork of the Stanislaus from 4N01 (Frasier Flat) to the inlet of Lyons Reservoir. You can no longer get…
Learn more about South Fork Stanislaus River Trail (4N90)

Fraser Flat Road East is a 7-mile point-to-point trail that climbs over 300 feet and drops just over 300 feet. The trail is made of white crushed gravel and is 1 to 1.5 vehicles wide.…
Learn more about Fraser Flat Road East - FS 4N01

This is a scenic trail with views looking back towards Highway 108. The trail follows along the ridge and has smaller rock obstacles that shouldn't be much of an issue for most 4x4 vehicles. This…
Learn more about Dodge Ridge

This 5-mile point-to-point trail runs along HWY 120. The trail runs along the ridge of the Tolumne River Valley and gives excellent views of the valley below. The trail is mostly one vehicle with shallow…
Learn more about Tolumne Road/120 Bypass

This trail is a 3.5-mile out-and-back trail that drops almost 700 feet and climbs over 100 feet in just under 2 miles. The trail sometimes runs along shelf roads lined with trees and brush, providing…
Learn more about FS 2S37

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

From the Highway 4 side, this all-day adventure is on ungraded logging roads. They still log here on these roads, so please drive slowly and be aware of logging trucks possibly coming at you. You…
Learn more about Soda Creek Logging Camp

This trail climbs almost 500 feet in just under 3 miles, though the entrance on the Smith Station side is now closed due to private land restrictions. Access is available behind the Groveland Ranger Station…
Learn more about Smith Peak Lookout - FS 1S16

This trail drops over 800 feet in just over 4.5 miles, starting on Smith Station Road (FS J132). The route begins in a neighborhood area requiring respectful behavior, initially following a crushed granite gravel road…
Learn more about Jordan Creek Road - FS 2S17

This trail climbs over 1,200 feet and drops 100 feet across just over 4 miles, creating a sustained and challenging ascent from Smith Peak Lookout Road 1S16 to Jordan Creek Road. The sandy surface varies…
Learn more about FS 1S15

This 2.04-mile point-to-point trail gains and drops almost 200 feet from Fraser Flat Road to FS4N39. The compact dirt and sand surface is 1.5 to 2 vehicles wide, running through a large pine forest in…
Learn more about Spring Gap Road - FS 4N14

Strawberry Peak (FS 4N39) is a 5.9-mile point-to-point trail running east to west, climbing just under 200 feet and dropping almost 1,200 feet. The trail starts just off Highway 108 on the east end and…
Learn more about Strawberry Peak - FS 4N39

This trail climbs over 200 feet and drops over 200 feet across just over 2.4 miles, starting conveniently just off Highway 120 within the Stanislaus National Forest. The first section features a previously paved surface…
Learn more about FS 1S22

This 2.04-mile point-to-point trail gains and drops almost 200 feet from Fraser Flat Road to FS4N39. The compact dirt and sand surface is 1.5 to 2 vehicles wide, running through a large pine forest in…
Learn more about FS 4N61

This trail begins in Bucks Meadow just off Highway 120 and ends at Bull Creek Road, covering a primarily downhill route that drops almost 800 feet while gaining only 185 feet over just under 6…
Learn more about Bucks Meadow Road

This trail climbs over 400 feet and drops almost 400 feet across almost 3 miles of forested terrain, starting near the junction of Forest Service Roads 2S28 and 1S15 and ending at FS1S29. The sandy…
Learn more about Smith Ridge - FS 1S28

This trail climbs over 600 feet and drops over 450 feet across just over 5 miles, but has become a 10-mile in-and-out trail due to the closure of the north side bridge, eliminating through-passage options.…
Learn more about Moore Creek Road - FS 1S29

This just under 4-mile point-to-point trail climbs over 700 feet and drops just over 200 feet. The trail starts on a short paved section in a residential area, then transitions to hard-packed dirt and gravel…
Learn more about Fraser Flat Road - FS 4N13

This trail begins at Buck Meadows Road and ends at the Pilot Ridge Road and Forest Service Road 2S33 junction, climbing over 1,300 feet and dropping almost 600 feet across just under 7 miles of…
Learn more about Moore Pilot Ridge - FS 2S14

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