hey guys i'm driving down from seattle to san fran for rock the bells and then over to yosemtie for a few days and wanted to do a few trail runs while i'm out that way, i got a buddy from england with me and want to show him the spledor that is america , you guys have any good suggestions or want to meet up while i'm down that way?

i leave here next week and will be on the road for around a week, if you got some spots that are worth it i don't mind driving out that way and looping back home, i have no real route home planned, just keep in mind they have to be kind of mild i can't really risk breaking to much as i have to make the 1000 mi or so trip home afterwords, i don't mind some 4x4 but nothing to extreme, think overland style where it's fun but not all about the cimb more about the ride =-)

thanks a ton guys, i really want to show my freind how cool that part of america can be and some first hand know how would be great!

California Trails

you can look u some on here. i actually just got back from eagle lakes trail in nevada city yesterday and made a thread. check out my thread with pix. i can give you better directions as well if you like just pm me
Favian (smog-guy) online photo journal

there are tons in norcal, ttora site has a lot if you want to avoid damage stick with trails rated 5* but by the look of you rig you should be able to do 5-8 no problem

Yuuuuuuuuuppppp

Whatever u do will be fun

nice dude i love that trail, how far did you guys go up to, we took left at the fordyce trail split and went to eagle lake, btw love that camping spot we camped there last time, the water is way down it looks like

We had. To turn around right before the lake. The Jeep was beat to **** lol. Wewereup there 3 days just hitting up random roads I didn't know where I was most the time haha

get the back country nav app on android or iphone helps a lot. here is our pics Norcal Camping trip picture thread - Tacoma World Forums

Off the I-5 just outside on Dunsmuir, is Lake Britton. Take the dirt road that goes below the dam and it will lead you to Ah Di Na campground. The road down is bumpy and rocky which is fun and at the bottom is a beautiful river called the McCloud River. Down river from the camp is fly fishing only but there is a good stretch of water in front of the camp ground if your a fisherman. Either way its a great location. If you stay the night the meadow is pretty spectacular. You can see what seems like 10 billion stars that are as bright as ever.

Just outside of Yosemite there is a "1000 Trails" Campground/ RV place. on the road between the campground and the park entrance there are a few "forest roads" that I use to drive up, its pretty cool up there. I had a black bear run in front of my car and it sounded like a dump truck crashing through the woods

I think it's "Hardin Flat Road" and "Golden Arrow Road", it's off 120 and there are tons of roads up there to cruise around

How much time do you have on the way to RTB's? I went to last year's show with Tribe and Wu. I hope the sound for you is better, it was pretty horrible then.

The Mac, (McCloud) is a gorgeous river; I was there last week FFishing. But it will be about 45min to hour each way, to and from Hwy5. There is a road around the Lake McCloud, and then by Ash Camp that will take you to the Pit R. This will take even longer. If you have the time, go and see it.

But for continuous views and driving, it will be hard to beat driving down Hwy1, or even 101, and stay off of the 5. There are beaches and trails to beaches in NorCal off of 1 as well.

From the Bay Area to the Sierras, there are countless trails and ways to go... others will be able to guide you better. This week I was exploring trails between Hwy50 and 80, but that would be headed to Tahoe, which should be added as well.

oh wow! thanks guys! tons of good info here already! i have only a day or two to get down there but am taking about a week to work my way back home, so basically nothing in nor cal is off limits, i was also going to head back up towards bend,or as there are some pretty good long distance overland trails out that way, a few hundred miles of off road freeways cross the state, but i've done that before when i went mining for sunstones in Oregon, more interested in nor cal at this point.

will get the app for the driod, problem is though when looking at the maps you see a big few hundred square miles chunk of green on the map you don't really know where to start and whats worth the gas $$$ or not, you guys got any lines and names of trails with through access, meaning i can wheel through the pass as opposed to doing a loop, you guys sound like you know your s****, so i really appreciate this, i have no clue about nor cal except the normal routes and tourist traps (101,1,i-5,ect ect). this is going to be awesome!

couple of good trail i know of:
Eagle lake off of HWY 80
GPS Coordinates:
Trailhead: N39° 19.895 W120° 34.363
not too hard until you hit fordyce jeep trail which is a 10/10 world hardest 4x4 trail, have water crossing

Bear Valley off of highway 89 north from Truckee. After about 15 miles turn right on Cottonwood Road.
GPS Coordinates:
Trailhead: N39° 33.414 W120° 14.219
most of the trails are easy but there are some hard spots, most have bypass

if you come near bayarea there is Hollister Hill OHV pretty fun if its your first time 5$ entrance fee

Gentry Off Road - Main

This site has a bunch of great Norcal trail reviews, photos, etc.

I was just camping up at Downieville off hwy 49. Lots of fun trails in the area, great camping and swimming holes galore.

Also recently went up to Milsap Bar on the Feather River near Lake Oroville. Easy driving to get there, great camping and swimming....and some spectacular waterfalls. This camp is also a gateway to tons of dirt roads and can be connected up with the Downieville area via the Poker Flat trail.

All these spots are described in great details on the site listed above.

Sounds like an awesome trip. Have fun!