California is famous for being home to a lot of things: Hollywood, vast and beautiful deserts, great surfing, beautiful redwood trees, and some of the most incredible UTV and ATV trails in the world.
Whether your idea of a good time is exploring dirt roads or blasting up massive dunes, California has something for everyone. It also has some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country.
With so many great places to ride, choosing just one can be a daunting decision. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of the best ATV and UTV trails in California.
Glamis is an icon of the duning world. From the massive Oldsmobile Hill to China Wall to the forever-odd swingset that’s never in the same place twice, everything at Glamis fills riders’ imaginations with thoughts of thrill and wonder. This spot should be on every rider’s bucket list.
Just make sure you’re properly outfitted for the ride. High-performance clutch kits and whip lights from SuperATV will ensure you get the most out of every ride, even after the sun sets. And don’t forget to equip your side-by-side or ATV with sand tires too.
More experienced dune riders won’t want to miss the Notches. This series of narrow, steep dune transitions requires extreme precision to navigate without rolling. The Notches reward you with awesome technical climbs and tend to move around with the wind and traffic. Make sure you’re ready for the task before you take them on.
Dumont Dunes may not be huge, but it’s densely packed with extreme dune terrain. Steep faces and back-to-back bowls raise the challenge for any rider. This is not a place for novice riders to learn the ropes. It requires experience, plenty of know-how, and a beefed-up ATV or UTV designed for dunes.
Sand tires are a must. Make sure your rig is ready for more with a better drive belt (like a Sandstorm drive belt drive belt) and upgraded lighting for night rides.
Ocotillo Wells SVRA is an extremely popular OHV destination with tons of trails and a huge variety of terrain. Check out Shell Reef to get a look at thousands of fossilized shells in the rocks along the trail—great for exploring and grabbing photos. Just be sure to take it slow and be careful not to cut a tire on the rocks. Advanced riders confident in their rig and skill should check out the Devil’s Slide—a steep slope perfect for challenging hill climbs.
No matter what you do, make sure you ride with a nice chase light bar to make you more visible through dust and a UTV windshield to keep that same dust out of your face.
Johnson Valley OHV Area is the best desert destination for any kind of rider. This huge area offers something for everybody. Cruise on any of the approximately 1,000 miles of trails. Pin your speedometer’s needle in the open, flat-out areas. Rock crawl in the Hammers. Johnson Valley’s got it all, and lots of it.
It’s also the perfect place to make use of high-clearance offset A-arms, beefy Rhino 2.0 axles, and a Black-Ops winch. Don’t roll off the trailer without them.
The Hammers is a brutal series of rock crawling obstacles that’s used every year in the King of the Hammers event—so named because of how hard they can beat you and your side-by-side down. It’s packed with steep ledges, massive boulders, and narrow chutes for expert riders only.
Stoddard Valley OHV Area offers fast desert riding and rolling terrain. There are plenty of opportunities to test your high-speed setups. But that’s not all it offers. Rock-strewn hill climbs provide technical challenges to riders who want to test their mettle.
The terrain in Stoddard Valley begs for long-travel suspension that can carry you through whoops and high-speed maneuvering while keeping your UTV controllable. It’s always good to get a good set of side- and rear-view mirrors to maintain awareness too.
Jawbone Canyon gives weekend riders a great mix of terrain and challenges. Whether you want to open up the throttle in fast desert sections or tackle tricky rocky canyons, you can find it all here.
Protect yourself on the trail with cab enclosure components like a roof and both front and rear windshields. Together, they’ll keep the dust out of your cab and make every ride better. Check out our Garmin GPS systems too. You can’t rely on cell service when you’re way out on the trail.
Hungry Valley SVRA is a beginner- and family-friendly riding area. There are plenty of marked trails and trail loops, so you don’t have to worry about when to turn back to the trailer. If you are a true beginner, make sure you know the obstacles on the trail before you get to them. Some can be challenging for novices.
It’s an ideal location for all-day weekend adventures, so be sure to bring a good cargo box to keep your food and gear safe. And grab a roof and windshields to protect you and your passengers from dirt and dust.
We’re leaving the desert behind and heading to greener, more forested trails in Hollister Hills SVRA. This diverse area includes several tracks along with longer trails, rolling hills, and oak woodlands. Whether you’re out for fresh air or out to hone your skills, you’ll find something worth riding at Hollister Hills SVRA.
If you want your ride to go as smoothly as possible, we recommend protecting your rig with a durable full skid plate. And you can keep the sun off your face without ruining your view by adding a tinted polycarbonate roof.
If you want a ride that delivers great views, look no further than Cleghorn OHV Trail. This trail takes you across picturesque ridges while offering optional offshoots with more technical terrain and obstacles.
This short trail is made more accessible if you bring along the right setup. A quality set of all-terrain tires like our Incursion A/T All-Terrain Tires will give you the grip and durability you need. A high-strength skid plate will protect your undercarriage from undue damage as well.
No list of California trails is complete without the legendary Rubicon Trail near Lake Tahoe. It’s one of the most iconic and challenging trails in the world. It may only be 22 miles, but you can expect to take two to three days to complete the full route. It’s full of gorgeous views and unforgettable points of interest, but make no mistake, this isn’t for the faint of heart. There’s a reason Jeep named a Wrangler after it.
The rocks here are slick, and the terrain is unforgiving. Don’t hit the trail without beefed-up components. We recommend Atlas Pro A-arms, Rhino 2.0 axles, a RackBoss 2.0 rack and pinion, and Cliffhanger tires. That’ll be a good start for tackling one of America’s toughest trails.
With California, you just can’t go wrong. Whether you’re a novice who just got their first side-by-side or you’ve won the King of the Hammers, you’re sure to find a trail you like.
Before you go, be sure to call ahead and make sure the trail or park is open. Unexpected closures can happen, and they are a pain—especially when you’ve driven halfway across the country.
We did our best to include the top UTV trails in California, but there are so many great ones that we couldn’t list them all. Got a favorite spot we missed? Let us know in the comments! No matter what trail you hit next, you can get your UTV or ATV geared up with all the best parts and accessories at SuperATV!
7 Comments
Hello, I was wondering where the best atv spots would be between sacramento-lake tahoe area?
Hey Bruno, you have a bunch of options in your area. There’s Mammoth Bar OHV Area, Foresthill OHV, China Wall OHV, and Georgetown OHV park, to name a few. I’ve never ridden at any of them, but the Tahoe National Forest is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been, so you can’t go wrong as far as I’m concerned.
Do they rent in these places?
Riders Share (google it) is going to add ATV and UTV rentals soon, they currently do offer dirt bikes
Hey Guillermo,
Thanks so much for that info! This is great to know.
I see a lot of Jeeps in the photos and I do note most say experience level-all. but I am a novice. have a 2 seater polaris I’ve used a few times on BLM land near carson city NV. thinking of taking it with me on a trip to san diego and checking out a couple places to ride it in so cal. of the ones listed, are there some that have more ‘easy’ trails than others? when I read ‘drop offs’ my eyes widen.
Hey Vanessa!
Ocotillow Wells SVRA has a variety of tails, including some easy routes! Hollister Hills SVRA is also a good one with a range of trails.