ya i know this is STR but lots of us have trucks as well. Besides maple springs what are some nearby trails (live in HB). Just got a new truck and want to get up in the mountains with the kids, yes its a 4x4 but i wont be rock crawling - nothing too serious. Dont worry I wont ride the luge with it
MS and main divide are part of Cleveland national forest which is only place I know close by. The road to holy Jim is a little off-road play area but not worth the drive from HB. Main divide is great with awesome view, I would hit that up with the kids all the time if I were you. big bear is probably the nicest and closest real off-roading area, followed by Anza borrego, mojave and Joshua tree. All require good amount of driving. Sierras and AZ have some more epic trails that I would like to explore one of these days. i lived in HB and all those sky high lifted trucks are all for show, a lot of them don't even have 4x4. But hey chicks dig it. Hahaha post your new ride here and one day we'll have a STR run. http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/showthread.php?67920-Post-Your-Off-Road-Vehicles!
Duke77 is probably (maybe) lumping Lake Arrowhead area in with Big Bear, good stuff there too but 1.5 hour drive from HB, a little closer than BB.
Yup to me they are close enough to get lumped into one big area. Too bad I can't find an easy trail to connect the 2 trail systems.
Yeah I think the Hook Creek-Crab Flats is the only semi-reasonable way to get across Deep Creek to tie Arrowhead with BB trails. Last time I went out there with the Landcruiser ('94 full size, not the old short WB ones), I walked/scoped a little of the climb out of the creek crossing and just figured it wasn't worth the likely body damage/high center that a long wheel base vehicle would incur. I'm not quite that hard core There is another reasonable route down to Deep Creek from the Arrowhead side called Devil's Hole, but it's moto only on the other (BB) side. Nice place to go for a hike/swim at Devil's Hole tho. Been a couple years since I was out there, have to get back again soon! Have fun exploring Luke!
My truck is not lifted and its a silverado crew cab so long wheel base, but it should be fine on all the santa ana fire roads I think. Im a 4x4 newb so a bit to learn, but I figure maybe eventually I can do some backcountry rides with the kids and even bring the bikes also. And Duke, ya those huge F250's lifted do look sweet lol, I was checking them out when i was buying my truck, but for every day drivers I wasent interested.
When i had a truck I went to all the places Duke777 mentioned and more. That is as close as you get. Santa Ana's are more a fire road expedition. Don't get me wrong, skyline to the peak and then down to ortega is a fun one day trek with great views. You will not end up using 4wd though. Big Bear was my favorite.
http://www.amazon.com/Backcountry-A...eywords=southern+california+backcountry+drive Must be out of print because they $150 for a new copy but the used price is worth it. this is the best guidebook I know of from the modern era (there are some sweet books on my dad's bookshelf from from the 60's). It's got a pretty diverse bunch of trails, from Main Divide to the Mojave Road, and includes a difficulty rating (Main Divide gets a 2 out of 10) with lots of routefinding advice, geological history, etc. It's aimed at the typical showroom stock SUV owner (me), it's got advice on preparation/packing/driving that's appropriate for folks who would prefer to drive home in an intact vehicle. If you want to be King of the Hammers, this is the wrong book, but the difficulty ratings go up to 10 for a reason. If you want a 10, the book has one for you.
There is Cleghorn, which starts near Silverwood Lake off of the 15 freeway. It's just north of where the 15 and 215 freeways meet. Most of the difficult areas have bypasses. I think you can get a stock vehicle through there using the fireroad bypasses.
605 to the 210 East, exit at Azusa Blvd (Beach Blvd). Head North. After a few miles of neighborhood, you'll start climbing into the Gabs. After 10 miles or so there is an OHV area past the San Gabriel reservoir that looked pretty beginner friendly. It may seem far, but it doesn't take that long to get there. It was busy on Sunday. You'll need an extortion pass I believe.
Since you are new to 4x4 thing make sure you go out with other people and learn how to use your 4x4 system and how to drive on different terrain. I know for the most part you don't need 4x4 but be sure to put in 4x4 when climbing and descending any hills. Even it looks easy you should do it just to make sure you have enough control and not digging up the trails. Tread lightly is the right thing to do. Anyways have fun exploring but have a few runs with others just to make sure you got everything so your trip out with the kids are fun and safe. As easy as main divide is there has been cars gone over the side over the years. Never under estimate Mother Nature and error on the safety side.
Cleghorn is rated double diamond so I didn't bother to give it a try. Maybe next time I will try it and use the bypass. Thanks for the info.
Mojave Road in Afton Canyon. It is off of the 15 freeway between Barstow and Baker and it's only a 2 hour drive from Orange County. I posted some pictures here: http://www.socaltrailriders.org/for...Canyon-BLM-Land-Presidents-Weekend&highlight=. I did all of the river crossings and sand driving in an AWD Honda Pilot and my screaming sister in the back seat so you'd have no problem with a true 4X4.
