San Diego Off Roading

[92SE-R]

For those of you by San Diego, I was wondering if you could recommend any newbie off road trails. I want to go on an off roading/camping/shooting trip with some buddies of mine and wanted to know some good places to do this. Preferably, we'd like to be on BLM land so we could pull over and do some target shooting. Thanks!

[Austin]

Neither of these are BLM land, but both are fun to play in.

Ocotilla Wells - sand dunes. Take 8 to 79North (to Julian), turn east and go about 25 miles or so.

Los Coyote Indian reservation - by Warner Springs. Take 8 to 79North, turn west on 78 and then North on 79 in Santa Ysabel, and it's about 10 miles up to Warner Springs. Turn right just before you hit town to get the Indian Reservation.

Ocotilla Wells you can do alone - there are always other people there, plus park rangers. Just air down if you get stuck in the sand.

Los Coyote you should take a friend or two - it's all trails, and some of the stuff is definite body damage for a full size pickup. I haven't been there in 5 years, but there were some pretty techical sections - you needed at least lockers and 33's.

[Austin]

Oh, and for your other questions - You can camp in Ocotilla Wells - it's a state park. Los Coyote is an Indian reservation (costs like $10 or $15 to get past their guard shack), and camping is available IIRC Friday and Saturday night, but they lock the gates Sunday night so you need to be gone.

In the 5 years I spent living in San Diego, I never found a good place to shoot... except the freeways...

[92SE-R]

Thanks Austin. I was thinking of hitting up Anza Borrego. What do you think?



Terrin

[Austin]

It's a good place to start off-roading. There are quite a few easy, not too deep places to spin your tires and have fun, and you can still find good places to get stuck.