Top 5 Places to Explore With a Used Jeep

If you have recently been looking for used cars for sale, you might have found yourself taken in by the promises of adventure and excitement that come from owning a Jeep. Or, maybe you already own a Jeep that you want to put through its paces. Either way, there are some pretty amazing destinations in southern California to explore with your used Jeep. There are a number of groups formed by dedicated Jeep owners who enjoy getting together, sharing time, swapping stories, and offering fun destinations to visit with your new, used Jeep. These trips will take you through deserts, beaches, sand, and large boulders as you take your Jeep through its paces and see how it performs. Here are five of our favorite destinations to explore with your used Jeep.

1. The Rubicon Trail

The famed Rubicon Trail, one of the best known and most popular, is a 22-mile route in the Sierra Nevada mountains that Jeep owners put at the top of their bucket list to visit. But beware – you’ll need about five hours to cover it. This 4×4 trail is located west of the sparkling waters of Lake Tahoe and 80 miles east of Sacramento.

Why such an appeal? This trail has it all: difficult paths, beautiful scenery, stunning views, and challenging rock-crawling. It is open year-round but keep in mind that due to its 7,000 ft elevation, you might find snow at the top in the winter. At other parts of the year, you’ll enjoy exploring the trail and guiding your Jeep over soft dirt, large rocks and boulders, and granite slabs. The drive will educate you on how to practice precise maneuvering, which will make you more confident at driving on trails and adds to the fun.

You’ll also need to take precautions for Cadillac Hill with a reputation as very steep and potentially hazardous. Other extreme areas may take you and your Jeep through water crossings that can be very deep and muddy if there’s been a recent rainfall. Some Jeep owners suggest traveling in a group for the utmost safety, but all call this trail a “once-in-a-lifetime” visit.

2. Cleghorn Ridge Trail

Closer to home is the Cleghorn Ridge Trail, located in the San Bernardino National Forest in Southern California. At 15.5 miles, it can be located from the Cleghorn off-ramp on Interstate 15 in Cajon Pass over Cleghorn ridge to State Highway 138 at Lake Silverwood. Jeep owners enjoy its excellent desert and mountain views. Plan to spend five hours on this dirt trail that tops off at 5300 feet at its highest elevation.

The Green Circle is rated the easiest route for new Jeep owners, but you should try some of the more difficult paths if you have some trail riding experience. Once you’re in the San Bernardino National Forest, seek out additional trails. Its off-highway vehicle system is ranked as one of the best in southern California for four-wheel drive and 4×4 vehicles and offers trails for all experience levels.

3. Ocotillo Wells SVRA

Travel south near the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and conquer the Ocotillo Wells SVRA. Here you’ll find an interesting diversion of terrain, from a blow sand butte to a sand bowl and a wide variety of elevations from sea level to 400 feet. The sand dunes will allow you to test your Jeep 4×4 skills.

Depending on how much time you want to spend and your confidence behind the wheel, there are two trails to consider. The more difficult 19.3-mile Painted Gorge-Carrizo Mountain trail will find you and your Jeep on your own as you pass beside beautiful wildflower meadows, bighorn sheep, and migrating birds. It is best explored between July through December. An easier loop is the 9.6-mile Yuha Desert off-road tour that offers scenic views such as the Yuha geoglyph, Yuha well, and Vista de Anza historic marker. The best time to visit this trail is between October through March. To access this park in eastern San Diego, take Highway 78 about 35 miles east of Julian or 20 miles west of Highway 86.

4. Doran Loop and Odessa Canyon OHV

If you’re seeking a shorter route, tackle the Doran Loop and Odessa Canyon near Yermo, CA. This is a 6.1-mile loop trail that will take you through the Calico Mountains, where you can explore Odessa Canyon and Bismarck Canyon. You’ll have the chance to explore many side roads and ride over chunks of old pavement, see wildlife, and squeeze between rocks and large boulders. The rugged four-wheel trail is rated as difficult and is best used from November until March. Earlier this year, Jeep owners called these trails very challenging with multiple opportunities to learn new techniques and an amazing trail with awesome rock formations offering moderate climbs and rock scrambles.

If you tire of your off-road cruising, we suggest visiting the Calico Ghost Town while in the Barstow, CA area. This old West mining town, established in 1881 and abandoned in the mid-1890s, beckons with five original buildings to explore for the paranormal. It is one of the few remnants of the Gold Rush era. Since it is nearly halfway between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, the area has become a major off-roading hub for enthusiasts.

The Barstow office of the Bureau of Land Management oversees a staging area for an even more extensive network of off-road routes and trails that will take you and your Jeep past rocks, sand, hills, and open acreage. You’ll enjoy a mix of easy scenic trips all the way up to more experienced hardcore trails. One of the more famous is the Pumpkin Eater trail, which is littered with large, loose boulders, steep canyons, and waterfall climbs.

5. Rowher OHV

An hour’s drive north of Los Angeles is the Rowher OHV area, a 10,000-acre recreational park designed especially for off-road vehicles and is part of the Angeles National Forest. Its 14.1-mile trail outside of Los Angeles is part of 60 miles of off-road tracks, technical hill climbs, and play areas. Located near Canyon Country, CA, you’ll be treated to views of impressive rock formations and a lake as you travel the unpaved roads, rocky terrain, and surrounding mountains. It does pass through some remote areas, so we do suggest being prepared and be accompanied by another Jeep vehicle.

Jeep owners who have tackled the Rowher Flat call it an awesome trail with amazing, beautiful views that get steeper the further you drive into it. It is also known to be dusty and bumpy, especially in the summer, and can be harsh trying to drive through its dirt and rock. If you’re planning a trip during and after a rainstorm, prepare for the trail to be impassable.

Now, It’s Time to Start Your Next Adventure

Off-road driving has become one of the most popular activities for Jeep owners. Its popularity has exploded in the past few years. That means that there are more groups to join but more people to share these distinct trails. Each Jeep off-road club promotes statewide events to keep its members active in the off-roading community and to keep the trails clean and usable. We hope this guide has given you some ideas of where to take your new, used Jeep when the call for adventure becomes too great to ignore. Which of these off-road destinations appeals to you?