Penn Valley, Grass Valley, Nevada City trails?

Hi, I have a 4cyl prerunner but I still want to take it out and try to have some fun. I know I'm not capable of much, so I was just wondering if anyone in the area knew of any old looging roads, fire service roads, or anything like that.

 

There are TONS of forest service roads around here. You could drive for days and not see the same road twice. Mostly just gravel roads maybe with some winter ruts...

Get yourself a few of these:

$15 Tahoe National Forest West Map [Yuba and American Rivers] (National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map, 804)

https://www.amazon.com/National-For...al+geographic+trail+maps+Taho+national+forest


And this:

$110 Backcountry Adventures Northern California: The Ultimate Guide to the Backcountry for Anyone with a Sport Utility Vehicle

https://www.amazon.com/Backcountry-...=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=california+SUV+trail+book

The book is geared towards mostly stock SUVs, and have really good descriptions so it's hard to get lost. With a 2wd Prerunner, you could likely do most of the ones rated "3", maybe 4s depending on the direction you go. Most of the "trails" described are just popular routes that link up several USFS roads.

The maps are really nice, they are water proof, and very detailed.

Maybe stick to the easier 2's at first, but look for the ones with higher "scenic" ratings. Hell, even some of the 1's are great trails just because of the views!


That said, there's likely a descent amount of snow in the higher elevations now, so I'd wait until fall/summer for the higher trails.

I'd offer you some of the GPX files I have of some of these routes, but honestly I don't think I could improve on the descriptions. So far, the text in the book has done pretty well. I have copied several of the waypoint locations (lat/lon) to an Excel file, where I convert the locations to a google earth format.

Also, if you are into gps navigation with your phone, get the Avenza app where you can download forest service MVUMs for free. I also use Backcountry Navigator for android.