This trip involves a 4wd vehicle and knowledge of how to drive on rough primitive roads
Aiken Mine Road snakes through the Mojave National Preserve’s famous cinder cone field as well as providing access to some of the most unique and wonderful sights this area has to offer. On the way to see those sites, the road passes through other-worldly landscapes of basalt (dried lava) flows which are topped with Joshua […]
Have you ever heard of Anza-Borrego? Many people we know have not. With so many amazing natural places in California like Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Big Sir, Death Valley, etc., who would guess that there’s yet another scenic place to go visit and experience? The Anza-Borrego region is located in eastern San Diego County, south of […]
Back Road from Apple Valley to Big Bear using 3N14: Are you looking for a classic back road adventure in Southern California? There are several in the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear Lake but one road trip in particular stands out because of its Joshua-to-Pine tree scenery. This dirt road will take you from […]
The Black Mountains cover a very remote portion of the Mojave Desert northwest of Barstow and make a great one-day exploring trip. Our road trip starts on Harper Dry Lake (where Howard Hughes once tested aircraft), takes you into Black Canyon to look for petroglyphs, past an old stagecoach stop, through an area known for […]
Cactus Flats is an area in the San Bernardino Mountains just east of Big Bear Lake that lives up to its name – it’s a flat area full of cactus. The cactus they refer to, however, is not really a cactus at all. It is the iconic Joshua tree which is, technically, a member of […]
Calico Mountains 4WD Road Trip: The Calico Mountains near Barstow offer a treasure trove of hiking and opportunities for exploring back roads, along with unusual geologic formations and classic California mining history. Best known for the Calico Ghost Town, not many people are aware of what lies behind the famous ghost town. Several days can […]
Our road trip this time takes you into the Cathedral Valley area of Capitol Reef National Park in Utah. The Park itself can be divided into three sections: the southern section that is accessed using the Burr Trail and Notom-Bullfrog Road; the middle section where you’ll find the popular points of interest including Capitol Gorge, […]
There is a forgotten road that passes through California’s Cajon Pass that was originally a wagon toll road built in 1861 and, later, was used by many people that also traveled early Route 66. Today, there are no signs pointing out this historic road or its connection to the Mother Road, but you’ll see evidence […]
Gold Butte: How to visit – What to see Ready to go on an overland adventure that is seemingly far, far away, yet close to civilization? Nevada’s newest National Monument, Gold Butte, offers a lot of wide-open desert scenery, colorful and uniquely shaped rock formations, dozens of archeological sites, and miles of back roads to […]
In the middle of the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument sits the remains of the Grand Gulch Mine. This copper/silver/lead mine is a great destination for anyone who wants to explore and enjoy the remote landscapes of the Arizona Strip just south of St. George, Utah. Along the way, you’ll see some of the high country […]
Located north of Ballarat in the Panamint Mountains, Jail Canyon is a colorful, scenic drive with a well-preserved mining camp and mill to explore at the end. Jail Canyon itself is multicolored and very pretty but the scenery getting up to the canyon is quite spectacular, too. With panoramic views of the multi-layered, west-facing Panamint […]
The Kaiparowits Plateau is a remote mountaintop region in south-central Utah that is inside the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and recently renowned for its treasure chest of dinosaur fossils. The plateau also offers a combination of road trips, either leaving out of the towns of Big Water or Escalante. On the trip showcased here, we’ll […]
Inside the newly created Gold Butte National Monument lies a very unique and little place called Little Finland. Big cities like San Francisco have places called Little Italy and L.A. has Little Tokyo, but why would a corner of the Nevada desert have a place named Little Finland? Well, it has nothing to do with […]
There’s a sleepy little town named Lone Pine that offers such a myriad of recreational opportunities for the everyday person to enjoy, it’s amazing that it remains a quaint little town. Even more amazing is that it’s only a 2 to 4 hour drive away from a population of 22 million people – the draw […]
2N33 aka Pilot Rock Road, Riding High Over Silverwood Lake: Where the Mojave Desert meets the San Bernardino Mountains, there are a number of unknown back roads where you can enjoy the transition from the desert vegetation to the mountain shrubbery. One such road is seldom used and offers great scenery while transitioning from desert […]
Located just east of the Anza-Borrego State Park boundary is a unique geologic phenomenon known as the Pumpkin Patch. Here, you’ll find a patch of land, roughly the size of an average city block, covered with spherically-shaped rocks that are all the size of an average pumpkin. The surrounding desert terrain is very consistent, with […]
Some of the most spectacular and colorful wildflower displays that we’ve ever seen were in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. The blooms typically occur during mid-summer at elevations above 11,000 feet. On this trip, which was the last week of July 2015, we were lucky to explore this area after a long period […]
Titus Canyon is one of Death Valley’s most distinctive canyons with a dirt road that passes through some beautiful desert mountain scenery, an extremely narrow canyon and is part of some unscrupulous Death Valley history. It is also one of the most popular off-road adventures in the Park. Traveling this road can be quite an […]
You’re probably thinking right now, where are the Tushar Mountains? The Tushar Mountains are the third highest mountain range in Utah and are located about 100 miles northeast of St. George, just east of the town of Beaver, along I-15. Of the several high peaks within the Tushar range, Delano Peak is the highest at […]
Twin Point is a seldom-visited viewpoint overlooking the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The drive to get there takes you through part of the Arizona Strip and the fairly new Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. Making the trek to Twin Point from St. George, Utah can be a day trip or you can include it […]