This weekend the SB4WDC enjoyed our mid-month Sunday funday run by spending the morning in the Santa Barbara mountains.
Fifteen members & two dogs ran the West Camino trail on a beautiful spring day. The weather was perfect.
It was a busy day with lots of other folks out and about in the area as well enjoying some trail-time.
All in all club members enjoyed some much needed dirt-time + some social interaction and even some sweet treats.
Special shout out to relatively newish members Tony, Tad & Anne who joined in Sunday and were able to get some of their first 4/low hill climbing & obstacle opportunities in their new jeeps. They did great.
Members: For more images, check out the club’s website folder for this and all our events!
This was a trip planned for 3 days of wheeling. Some people came early, and others left early, but at the height of the trip we had 9 rigs participating, good turn out for a place so far from home.
Participants were Brian F, his daughter, son-in-law and a friend of theirs. Bryan and Tiffany, Rob and Dorothy, Darrell, Fernando, Brad and myself.
The weather was generally warm, mostly sunny and nice. However, the wind was very strong at times and those of us in tents had red dust on all of our equipment even making its way into our sealed tents.
The first day we completed Hell’s Revenge. We started with all 9 vehicles, but one opted out towards the beginning. Bryan conquered Hell’s Gate (an optional obstacle
rated 8 out of 10) without even a spotter and made it look easy! Jim tried but did not conquer the Escalator (an optional obstacle rated 8 out of 10 as well) and ended up with two wheels in the air.
It was a difficult recovery, and oil had gotten into his engine, and it wouldn’t start. Everyone pitched in to repair it on the trail.
It took nearly 3 hours, but Jim was able to continue on without any help from outside of our group and with only minor body damage. Everyone enjoyed the steep ups and downs of the trail with no other issues.
On day two 3 vehicles completed Poison Spyder and part of Golden Spike. This is a fairly challenging trail, but it had amazing views and fun challenges. One of the more fun and slightly scary obstacles was the launch pad.
The other 3 vehicles completed Chicken Corners, a slightly easier trail, but no less scenic.
On day three in the morning 5 of 6 vehicles remaining completed Fins and Things (one opted to park and ride along).
A slightly easier trail than Hell’s Revenge, but similar ups and downs that kept the fun going non-stop. 2 vehicles had to leave mid-day, so the remaining 4 vehicles then completed Onion Creek, which was more scenic than difficult.
While we could hear another club member, Kristina at times in the same area, our paths never crossed.
At one point we were at around 8500 feet and saw snow on the side of the road. We had views to the valley. This trail probably had the most memorable views since we were so high up and felt like we could see half the state from our perch!
On the way home, a couple checked out Eagle Canyon, found a cabin and a fun 2 hour side excursion to the long I-70
Everyone made it home safely and had a memorable time!
Jim
Members, to see more photos and videos, look on the Members Only section of the website
I met up with Ralph, Sharadi and Bailey at the 150 offramp about noon Thursday and we headed off towards camp stopping in Mojave for fuel and snacks. When we arrived at Goler Heights George, Pam and Brian F were enjoying the shade next to Brian’s camper.
Ralph and I set up camp and then joined them in the shade.
It was warm but comfortable if you were out of the sun. There was some wind each afternoon but Ralph’s windbreak (motorhome) made it tolerable.
Later in the afternoon Matt, Steve, Brent, Sebastian and Julie arrived to join us.
Friday morning Dave, Bobbie and Joe got there in time to start the Friday run on schedule.
I think we had 10 rigs on Friday’s run and it was similar to last years route except for the trail boss getting a little lost toward the end.
We headed up Iron Canyon and stopped when Matt noticed an oil odor. It looked like it was coming from the transmission but seemed to be engine oil. All the fluids were full so we continued and made it up the steep loose shale hill without any problems. From there we continued to the top of the hill and then down a steep narrow ridge to Colorado Camp. Colorado Camp is just a fireplace and chimney now.
We continued south on Mesquite Canyon to EP204 and headed up to the Walsh Cabin at the top of the mountain.
This is a BLM stewardship cabin donated by Mike Walsh and Jim Jackson.
The views from here are spectacular looking south toward Mojave.
This spot is so windy that the cabin is secured with cables over the roof. We then went back down the mountain to Mesquite Rd and sent Matt down the canyon to the highway which was the quickest way back to camp.
The rest of us headed back to camp by way of Goler Wash and the Narrows. We stopped at Holland Camp before we got to Goler Wash. Holland Camp was first owned by Burro Schmidt but he got too busy on his tunnel project and sold it in the late 30’s.
There are several railroad tie structures, water tanks and a landing strip with sock still there.
From here to Goler Wash is where I took the wrong trail and got lost. We found some rocky off camber hills that some people didn’t seem to enjoy but finally made it to the Narrows and camp without much damage.
Saturday morning we started the run with 11 rigs. We had lost a couple of members that were worn out from the Friday run but added Ken, Bryan S and Bryan K with Blake.
We headed up the highway and entered Last Chance Canyon. I was in front so I didn’t see all the action behind me but we did stop a few times to regroup..
I think Sebastian had to be winched over a rock and scraped his bumper coming off the ledge road. Julie did say they were having a problem with low range or traction control.
Bryan S was the only one to attempt the notch and made it with only a slight fender scrape.
We had lunch at the Dutch Cleanser Mine.
They mined Calisco pumice here which left massive caverns along the ridge of the cliff. After lunch we headed east past the Holly Ash Mine, the reconstructed Post Office and down Bonanza Gulch to Bickel Camp.
Bickel Camp was established in the 30’s by Walter Bickel and is still run as a tourist attraction by his family and volunteers. The camp is pretty much the same as the day he left it.
Next we headed across the valley to Burro Schmidt’s tunnel. I took the trail that went to the top of the mountain and dropped down to the tunnel from above. Several of us went through the tunnel and I still have the scabs on the top of my head to prove it.
There are many theories as to why he dug the tunnel but my guess is that he was just crazy.
At this point I made 3 suggestions on routes back to camp and we decided to take the fastest route down Mesquite canyon to the highway. Bobbie and I needed gas so we decided to go into Jo-burg to fuel up and then ended up at the Joint in Randsburg. Bryan S and Bryan K joined us there for a well deserved beer.
Sunday several people packed up and went home but Brent, Brian F, Bryan S, George & Pan, Bobbie & Joe and I headed to the towers on Government peak, We took the fun trail with some challenging dry waterfalls and made it in record time of just over an hour.
We had to do some rock stacking but everyone made it with no visible damage. It helps to have a small group of capable vehicles on this trail. We continued east from the towers then looped through Randsburg back to camp.
I want to thank everyone who joined me on this weekend adventure. I hope you’ll forget the pucker moments and join me again next year. This is a fun club and I never felt I was herding cats.
Dick
For more (200+) photos and video, see the Members Only section of our club website!
A dozen Club Members embarked on an exploratory run in/around Cougar Buttes and the areas north and east. The weather forecast gave us pause several days in advance, yet we attempted to press on.
Jim was one of the first to get his tent up, just in time for the first batch of hail.
Thursday and Friday nights were far below optimal camping conditions given the strong winds (two tents were damaged over the weekend by the winds), yet daytime runs were still outstanding
Thursday evening did allow for a good view of the lunar eclipse.
Friday was dedicated to the local rock formations and sand plains. This allowed the group to grow as more arrivals landed
By the end of Friday, everyone who could attend was in camp. Unfortunately the winds limited socializing. We observed multiple large campers in the area with our crew being the only one biased towards tent shelters.
Saturday the run was a long loop to the north and east. This extended beyond the Johnson Valley OHV areas onto a variety of public lands. In total we covered over 70 miles.
After a lengthy gravel road section we broke west into open rangeland. There was an abundance of indication cattle had recently been there, but none today. This connected us to an access road along a high pressure gas line. This included some shale climbs, loop trails and a little wash driving.
The geology was changing as we pushed north, encountering volcanic layers and some eroded canyons. We noticed a big horn watching us from above, the first we had seen in this area.
For lunchtime we checked out a box end canyon where the volcanic layer has held up allowing the erosion to collapse the canyon wall below almost in a concave fashion.
After lunch our path took us far enough north to view the truck / train traffic along I-40. We needed to loop around a wilderness reserve area. The trail back south brought us through sand washes bisecting volcanic flows.
As we crested and tipped back down towards Johnson Valley, Danny was able to connect via radio with friends down by the King of the Hammers site.
Eventually we decided that half the group would work their way south and east to check out the KOH site while the other half turned west and returned to camp.
For several, the prior night’s brutal winds had us questioning that a comfortable evening and a fire would follow. Since we needed to leave early on Sunday anyway, several bugged out. The crew back from KOH did benefit from improving conditions and were able to have a fire and enjoy some local fireworks.
Those who stayed into Sunday did get some more Butte climbing, good times had by all accounts
Thanks again to everyone who came and explored the area. I think this gives us plenty to consider for future runs in this area.
Check out the full photo and video album stored in the members only section of our site. We have over 125 contributions and growing
For the second year in a row a small group of Club members opened the season with a trip to explore Panamint Valley the second weekend of February.
Fernando, Brent and Jim arrived first to a campsite near Surprise Canyon, and just as we were arriving Brent’s Turtle trailer suffered a catastrophic axle failure! Bryan and Oliver arrived just in time to help attempt a repair to limp it to the road, but despite Bryan’s best efforts with the Club welder the axle didn’t hold.
We unloaded the trailer and set up camp, with Brent spending the weekend in the group tent brought to stay out of the strong winds expected for the first few nights. Brad showed up later in his fancy Lexus. The winds arrived as advertised.
On Friday, while Brent followed his trailer to a shop in Ridgecrest the rest of the group first stopped in at the Ballarat general store.
After checking out Ballarat the group ran the Fish Canyon/Escape Trail, a historic route where Manly led his expedition out of Death Valley. This was a new trail for all of us.
By the time we got to Trona to refuel, Brent rejoined the group! We continued with our day of exploring historic trails by running the Nadeau Trail, admiring the very fine craftsmanship of the Chinese laborers who built the retaining walls almost 150 years ago as the trail went straight down Searles Pass and straight (very straight) up Panamint Valley.
The group explored a side canyon with an old townsite, and eventually were halted by an impassable washout. It was getting late so we decided to call it a day and head back to camp.
On Saturday we decided to venture into Death Valley via Goler Canyon, a classic route most of the group had never done.
Brad’s Lexus was stopped by a waterfall near the beginning of the canyon, but a quick pull from Brent got him past the hump and we were on our way, stopping occasionally for a ruin here in there until we reached the turnoff for the Keystone Mine.
The trail to the Keystone mine was a steep shelf road in sometimes dubious condition.
Eventually Fernando, Bryan and Jim made it to the Keystone Mine and decided to explore, going in the mine until stopped by a cave-in about 100 yards in. During their exploration they found a new-ish looking box of dynamite (probably from when the mine was restarted in the 1980’s and 90’s) but left it alone.
Entering Death Valley proper, the group continued on Goler Wash Road and reached Mengel Pass for the most difficult part of the trip. Everyone eventually made it through with the help of some spotting.
We stopped for lunch at Russell Camp. Fernando spilled tinned trout oil in his cooler.
Then checked out Geologists Cabin, admiring the view of Striped Butte.
Realizing we were running out of daylight and wanting to make sure we crossed Mengel Pass and Goler Canyon in daylight, we decided to head home.
We decided to take the long way around the Alkali Flat to avoid the washboard of Wingate Road, and drove the last hour or so in the dark, getting to use our trail lights.
Saturday night the wind finally died down and we enjoyed our first and only campfire.
Sunday we all left for home, Brent without his trusty Turtleback, making it back in time for the Super Bowl.
Members: As usual, check out the members only section where we have 177 photos and videos contributed by the members on this trip.
Opting for a modified FunDay event for January, Club Members (organized by longtime Pismo Official Mike Bishop) pulled together for a caravan up the 101 Saturday morning.
Michael (Santa Mike) Williams volunteered to take tail and check the Five Points parking lot to ensure nobody was being left behind.
After the run we reached out to Mike for comment.
Mike B: Wow! What a run to Pizmo it was, absolutely amazing. We had so much fun.
The weather was nice and sunny. We hiked along the Oso Flaco lake.
We climbed the monster Hills and that VA Jeep kicked my ass.!
Michael came back out after getting his truck fixed. And we did another hour and a half in the dunes and of course I got stuck and had to pop me off a Razorback!
Thanks Mike for the recap and Michael for the clips of the action
If you’re looking for a sand adventure in Pismo, Mike is frequently looking for another adventure in the dunes.
Six rigs departed Santa Barbara and headed over the 154 to Los Olivos, meeting up with two more rigs at the 246/154 intersection.
From Los Olivos, we headed down Figueroa Mountain Rd for a few miles and picked up Forest Service Route 8N02, more commonly known as Zaca Ridge Rd.
This area was devastated by the Lake fire in July 2024 but there are good signs of nature’s recovery.
Because of all the fire fighting equipment used to battle the fire, the route has been well graded, but it’s still a great trail through the Los Padres National Forest. I didn’t get out of 2WD at any point, but it’s not always about that.
We followed the route to the end and soaked up the stunning 360° views of the Santa Ynez Valley, Zaca Lake, Figueroa Mountain, and out over Vandenberg Air Force Base to the Pacific Ocean.
This would be a great place to watch a SpaceX launch!
On the way back, we decided to explore a couple offshoots – one to Zaca Peak and the other being the OHV Jeep Trail, or 29W02.
The Jeep trail was also well graded but a fun route to drive, and wide enough to avoid pinstripes, which I’m told hasn’t always been the case.
This trail leads down to the Davy Brown campground, where we picked up Sunset Valley Road and headed for a lunch stop at its intersection with Figueroa Mountain Rd.
After lunch, we made our way back to the 154 along Figueroa Mountain Rd and HappyCanyon Road. An easy but fun ride out with a great group!
A variety of rigs of the Santa Barbara 4 Wheel Drive Club headed across the West Camino Cielo Ridge trail Saturday morning Dec. 28th.
Included were eleven vehicles, their drivers, spouses, a few welcomed guests as well as a couple of mascot doggies, Otis and Benny.
There was a substantial fog layer covering the city which cleared into sunny skies halfway up the 154 San Marcos Pass. Once arriving on the trail-head, we all enjoyed a beautiful morning exploring the Santa Barbara backcountry with fall temperatures.
We followed the main trail as well as enjoyed a few fun off-shoots to boot.
Thank you Jerry for organizing, Bryan (Swifty) for leading, Mike for taking tail and Danny for bringing homemade Christmas cookies to share.
We had a great time camping at Stovepipe Wells, and we did three runs:
1. On Thursday, Brad and I went up Echo Canyon (FT43)
as far as the dry falls obstacle, which is about 12 miles up the road.
The obstacle is basically three rock ledges, and with more experienced people to help out, we might have tried it, but we turned around them. We didn’t explore the Inyo mine site, as we were running out of daylight.
2. On Friday, Dick Hoppe, Matt (from Lompoc) Brutosky, Brad and I went to Chloride City (FT 42), which was a fantastic, not too difficult run to some expansive views of Death Valley (Badwater to Stovepipe Wells and further north).
Dick is the only one who went up the last steep grade to Chloride Cliff.
He was happy to be able to finally use 4 Low. We also explored some mines that were in the area.
Then we kicked up a bunch of dust going down dirt roads across the desert and ended up in Beatty, where we had excellent BBQ for lunch. After lunch, we took an old railroad grade from Beatty to Rhyolite. There’s a ton of trails on the BLM land that’s in this area, and it would fun to explore it on the next trip.
3. On Saturday, the four of us did the Hunter Mountain Racetrack loop (FT39). Again, this was a not too difficult run, with the butt-puckering part being the narrow (no room to pass) shelf road descent of Lippincott Grade. More about that later. On the Hunter Mountain Road, we witnessed changes in climate zones as we ascended, starting with Joshua Trees, then Junipers, then Pinyon Pines (we think), then no trees at all. We walked on the Racetrack Playa, and saw the evidence of the rocks moving across the Playa.
Interesting fact; the Racetrack Playa is one of the flattest places on earth with a 2 inch elevation difference over probably 2-3 miles of length. Then lunch in a primitive campground a few miles to the south of the Racetrack, then the Lippincott Grade.
The road was rocky and slow going, but not too steep and totally doable. We were always worried about people coming up, as there is absolutely no room to pass, and a lot of backing up would have been required.
At one point, we saw a group of 9 vehicles coming up, and we were in the perfect and about only spot to pull over and wait for them to pass. It would have sucked had we met them further down the trail. Yay for good luck!
We ended the day blasting back down the smooth dirt road to the highway, and saw the most amazing cloud formation, lit up by the sunset.
Members: Check out the Club Members Page for pix and video. It’s worth a look!
This was a long day. We left just before the crack of 9am, and got back to camp at 6pm. Total trip length was about 160 miles. Well worth it!
If you’re going to Death Valley, and want any more info on these trails or the camping situation, please contact me.
Seven members of the Santa Barbara 4 wheel drive club hit the road last weekend for an early morning run for our November “Sunday Fun-day” run. After a short rally meet up we traveled up to the local Santa Barbara mountains where we met a couple more members and proceeded to traverse the West Camino Cielo Ridge Trail.
It was an absolutely beautiful Fall day with crystal clear skies. On the way across the ridge we were able to enjoy several challenging “off-shoots” that were new trails for some club members.
At the end of one of these “off-shoots” was a very steep, quite sketchy descent with deep, deep crevasse’s, large boulders and significant holes which could easily throw you into an off-camber pucker moment to remember.
After standing around pondering and scratching our heads for a while, a couple members after a few deep breaths decided to try it. After choosing their preferred lines, Bryan and Mike ended up making it down just fine.
With their experience, longer wheelbases and some skilled carefully planned driving they both navigated the steep rough descent.
After a couple more trails and some hill climbing,we all headed back to Santa Barbara by noon and enjoyed the rest of the gorgeous Fall day.
Club Members: Remember to check out the full image / video library from this trip within the Members Only section of our website. There you can see Mike and Bryan in action!
