Monthly So Cal Off-Road Run

What are those trails like?

 

what time r u thinking of heading out?

 

im thinking 8am a the trail head to Coxey Road 3n14. Never done that trail before so need to look up exactly the start point. Will be driving out from Long Beach area

 

They're both fun, Rowher is an OHV park funded/maintained by the state with big staging areas/campsites and several trails in it. The Rowher 4x4 trail and Lookout Trail are a lot of fun, there's also a fire road that goes throughout the entire thing and to the top of the mountain over there. But the Rowher 4x4 and Lookout trails take you up via 4wd routes. There are some offshoots and parts of it that you want skids for. Lookout in particular is crazy steep in a few parts so you have to have 4wd, would be suicide to do it in 2wd. The backside of the Rowher trail is really steep too.

Drinkwater for the most part is easier but it has some steep climbs and descents, less rocky though. The views from Drinkwater are a lot better, especially in the winter/spring when the hills are all green.

We only ran the back half of Drinkwater yesterday. The front half is where the gatekeeper is and you need 4wd to enter that way for sure. Just didn't want to take my 4 month old daughter that way just yet lol.

The hill climb up to Deer Peak is really steep at Drinkwater as well, 4wd required

 

The start point for 3N14 Coxey Rd is at the intersection of Bowen Ranch Rd and Coxey Truck Trail, if you Google Maps that intersection it'll take you right there. You have to follow a dirt road for a ways, it's in the desert area outside of Hesperia. Kind of a sketchy area actually lol. But the trail takes you all the way up into Big Bear, I've done it several times.

 

Thanks a bunch. I've been wanting to check out that area for some time. I just need a kitchen pass.

 

I might be down for this, still waiting on confirmation of plans for that day, since its Memorial Day Weekend. What trails are you planning on running? I assumed Coxey Road to start, but whats the plan from there to Pioneer Town?

 

I might be in for that. Are you thinking a long day trip or camping out near Pioneer Town?

 

Thanks @eon_blue

@DarthPow @clenkeit
day trip as follows: 3N16/Coxey Road, then lunch in Big Bear Village. Take 3N16 (Goldstrike) Towards Baldwin Lake. From there I plan to take the road down to Pioneer Town.
I wont be camping. My girl and me will be staying in Palm Springs for the night poolside hahah. If it was my place Id invite you all but her parents may not like that hahah.

 

Sounds good. I've never been on any of those trails so it'd be nice to get out and explore a little. I'll see if my wife has any interest and what our options would be to go the whole route and maybe camp or find a spot to stay out there. If I went solo that opens up some options but still not sure I'd want to finish in Pioneertown and then drive home from there that night.

 

I'd love to do this, but Memorial Day weekend is our Wedding Anniversary weekend as well and she always has plans. Dang it...

 

I'm going to run the Apple Valley to Fawnskin route this weekend on the Coxey road (3N14) I believe. Never driven it before.

 

give us a trail report if you run it please

 

Will do!

 

I almost lost my shit on that rowher lookout trail/downhill due to the steep nature and off camber drops/with large rocks (just one 200 foot section). It is not as it used to be from what I hear years ago. (Less rutted). Remember I’m also a noob off-road. I revisited it a couple weeks later on 2 wheels downhill, still was super sketch. Just be cautious if you want to try that trail. The Suzuki that’s crumpled up at the bottom of the hill (visible from sidewinder trail/it’s a double track for dirt bikes) with the makeshift memorial for the 3 who died is a stark reminder.

Drink water has easy fire roads and some nice 4wd off shoots like Eon mentioned. It’s quite dusty/dry now so traction is less.

 

The Maple Springs gate is finally open. I drove up yesterday. Saw about 20 other trucks/suvs up there. 75% Tacos or T4R.

 

I ran this in my stock 2wd yesterday. Perfect weather! I need more local options not needing 4wd within 1 hour (most my kids will tolerate for day trip) of Huntington Beach. Suggestions?

 

haha yeah, the first time I ran Rowher 4x4 trail and went down that huge hill on the backside (with the view of the Bouquet Reservoir in the distance), it was my first 4x4 trip with just me and my dad riding passenger. It was super cloudy that day and we only intended on taking the fire road up/down, but I took a wrong turn and ended up on the 4x4 route going down. Couldn't hardly see anything until we ended up on that hill pointed downward and I nearly shit my pants. I learned real fast how important 4lo was in that moment lol.

That was back in 2016, since then I've probably done Rowher 100 times, but you're right it has changed a lot in the last year or two. Since the overlanding scene exploded in Socal, Rowher gets a ton of traffic (it was already really popular even before). The trail is constantly changing especially in the winter when its muddy and people rut the hell out of it. Some of the obstacles that used to be modest are now pretty gnarly, I wouldn't attempt to go up the backside solo anymore without another truck with me. I used to do it that trail solo all the time. Too much risk involved with those hills to go at it alone imo.

Seems every year there's a handful of major recoveries that happen there and one or two casualties on the steep hills.

As for Drinkwater, the last time I attempted it from the San Francisquito entrance (where the 'gatekeeper' is), was back in 2019 after a few big storms in the winter. It was so rutted out, but I was cocky thinking I've done it a bunch and I'll be fine. Ended up with my front driver fender smashed up against the side of the dirt wall. Crushed the fender and side mirror. I usually go in from the back way now haha.

 

same here. my 4 year old loved Maple Springs but any longer of a day trip is too much for him in a car seat. We are in Long Beach.

 

Anyone done or heard of 7N23 trail up in the Angeles Forest near the Grapevine? Saw it mentioned on a Facebook offroad page I follow, haven't heard of it before but it looks interesting on the map.

Coordinates I got for it are

start - 34.703213,-118.528088

end - 34.764623,-118.732883

Was described as an 'easy' trail with high clearance required, figure I might try and run it sometime in the near future before taking the wife and daughter with me so I know what to expect/how long it is, etc.