How2Day: Off-Road Driving Trails

Off-road driving is an exciting way of exploring remote areas of the country. Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
Off-road driving is an adventurous method of exploring out-of-the-way regions, usually in a 4x4 vehicle. The United States has numerous off-road tracks, which vary in length and difficulty. The terrain can range from rugged mountain passes to forest trails and open desert. Some trails are old, abandoned roads, while others are simply tracks that have been beaten by previous users. Inexperienced off-roaders can take a one-day training course, and off-roading adventures are available as "experience" gift packages.

The Pagosa Springs area of Colorado offers numerous off-road trails, although many of them are quite short. The East Fork Road and Elwood Pass Trail, which runs along the crest of the Continental Divide, is a popular hard-core trail. The track follows the course of the San Juan River, before turning into forestry. This offers an exhilarating ride, accompanied by great scenery, and there is also the opportunity to visit Summitville, an old ghost town. The Blue Creek Jeep Trail begins from Blanco Road, off Highway 84, and was formerly the main road into New Mexico. The trail has been compared to a roller-coaster ride, with lots of ridges and low mountains along the way, and can be dangerous in wet conditions. The area's third major trail is the Devil Mountain Jeep Trail, which is a full-day, off-roading excursion that starts just west of Pagosa, off Highway 160.

This California off-road trail, which is referred to on local maps as Ubehebe Road, offers a seven-mile, low-range climb from the Saline Valley, accessed via Highway 190, up to the Racetrack Playa in Death Valley National Park. The route is not marked or signposted, so you will require a local map. Since the drive is also through open desert, you should take plenty of water. The trail meanders around the foot of Hunter Mountain before climbing up into a canyon. This is a very difficult trail that is only suitable for experienced drivers.

This trail in Wyoming is only open during summer, and is of moderate difficulty. It runs through sagebrush parks, and has very sharp turns, so is not recommended for vehicles with long wheelbases. The trail, which is about six miles long, begins at Freezeout Road and ends at Old Kearns Cow Camp. The track slopes gradually for most of the route, although there is a two-mile stretch of steep terrain.

This trail gets off to a fairly easy start at one end of Big Red Park, but as it passes the tree line, the track becomes more twisting and steep. The route follows Forest Service Road 500 up to the Continental Divide, then plunges downhill and becomes more difficult. After crossing the creek, you have to navigate through mud bogs and an area of marshland, which can be dangerous during wet weather. But after this, the route becomes easier again. At the end of the trail, you can take Forest Road 550 around the northern end of Hog Park Reservoir, then work back to the trail head.

How2Day