How far do you have to go to the dirt? Some of you can pull straight from your driveway into the dirt. You’re lucky.
Most of us end up needing to pack up a few snacks, and grab a jacket and a map before we head off to make a day of it. It’s a more involved process.
My nearest trail system is Lytle Creek Canyon, about fifty miles from home. It’s a collection of dirt roads interspersed with a few mildly tricky sections. The scenery changes from chaparral to pine forest as you drive further up the canyon.
The cool thing about starting in Lytle Creek Canyon is that you can follow the trail over the ridge into Lone Pine Canyon. From there, heading into Wrightwood, Cajon Pass, Silverwood Lake, Lake Arrowhead, and Big Bear are all options if you’ve got the time and the inclination.
A fifty-mile drive is the price I pay to live close to nearly everything else. I’m not complaining. At all.
If you’re looking for nearby dirt, let me pass on something cool that Tech Editor Christian Lee recently introduced the staff of 4WD to.
It’s a site that lets you seek out new destinations for dirt across the U.S. You may have dirt in your back yard that you don’t even know about.