Question for California offroaders

[alvin18]

Hey guys, I am wanting to get opinions from those of you that have offroaded in the Lake Tahoe area. I am wanting to plan either a day trip or a weekend trip in the area. I have an 03 Disco that is pretty much stock but running Cooper SSt tires that is one size larger than stock, my brothers D1 is lifted with sway bar disconnects and larger wheels. He would consider himself a somewhat experienced off roader and me more of a beginner. We have done most of Hollister Hills and looking for something in the Tahoe area that we both can do. Any ideas would be helpful. Thanks

[jbaggy]

Hey there, I am in NorCal as well. Just got back from Tahoe/Mono County area and just did some really cool trails. I just picked up my 04 Disco so this was my first big trip. What I did was go into Tahoe City and pick up an OHV trail map at the Forest Service Office. The map has all the trails in the Tahoe Basin and is free. With your setup you can get through probably all the trails with the exception of the Rubicon (made the mistake a few years back of attempting it in a stock XJ Jeep...didn't work out too well).

There is a OHV park north of Truckee along the road going towards Sierraville. Its pretty good so you can try that out. There are some easy ones around Kings Beach but they are kind of boring for an experienced off roader.

If you ever want to partner up on a trip back down to Hollister let me know. I just brought my gf there for her first time this past weekend. Be safe, have fun!

[ddeeble]

When if first started off-roading, I was given a copy of "Backcountry Adventures Northern California". It has trail information, difficulty ratings, etc... and proved to be a great way to plan out trips. The information is a little old regarding some of the trails, so I tend to add +1 difficulty to anything rated a 4 or above.

I live in the Sacramento area and if your capabilities are beyond following fire trails, some fun trails are:

Sierra Buttes - beautiful trail, most of it winds along fairly wode shelf road that has a few minor rocky patches. There is a spur that leads to the fire lookout tower and you can park in a grove at the base and walk all the way to the top. Take your time - it's a short but very steep walk! At the intersection of the main trail and spur, there's another spur that leads to the left over a couple low hilltops. This is an EXCELLENT place to picnic! This trail is easily managed in a day.

Poker Flat - My "All-Time Favorite" weekend trip! About 54 miles (all off-road) that starts just outside Downieville and winds through some beautiful and not particularly challenging forest roads. There are a number of spur trails here that are also worth checking out (Fir Cap Trail WILL DAMAGE YOUR PAINT! It's a loop spur that rejoins the Poker Flat Trail and is fairly overgrown with manzanita. If you love your paint, stay off that spur - there aren't any real opportunities to turn around once you're on it.) You'll get to an exposed hilltop that makes a great picnic spot (about 1/3 of the way in) and will see, nailed to a tree, an orange sign that tells you "4WD ONLY. NO CELL SERVICE. NO TOW SERVICE" and that's where the fun begins! As you descend into the canyon, the trail surface is loose and wheel placement is key. It's entirely manageable with stock equipment, but wheel placement is key. You can spend the night in the Poker Flat OHV campground and the climb out of the canyon is equally fun - limited slip diffs or lockers are STRONGLY recommended here as most vehicles with open diffs end up needing assistance to climb out. Again, wheel placement and patience are key. Along the way, you can stop at the Howland Flat and Port Wine graveyards which are totally surreal. This is a trip I make at least once per year!

Corral Hollow - Another fun day trip, this one tests your wheel placement skills early on! You wind between trees that are VERY close together as you're perched on some off-camber embedded boulders! The climb up to the top of the ridgeline can be challenging (Say to the right!) and eventually descends down to Bear Trap Cabin which is a public shelter that can be used for picnicing. This is a pretty dusty trail, but also fun!

Hope that gives you some ideas! There are tons of great places up here!