Buy a state map

Look for public lands: State Parks, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) (listed under the US Department of Interior), National Forest (under the US Department of Agriculture), Off Highway Vehicle Parks, State Forest or any other public lands. Contact the office and ask for the Outdoor Recreation Officer, OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) Coordinator or the person who handles backroad travel (usually the receptionist is not trained to answer specific questions about off highway travel). Be persistent.

There are four separate Forests surrounding the Los Angeles Basin (Los Padres, Angeles, Cleveland, San Bernardino). Each of these Forests has their own set of rules regarding backroad travel and camping. Quite often within each Forest the individual Districts have their own policy toward backroad travel, so it is important to contact each individual District Office within the BLM or the Forest. Often these District Offices will have 4WD trail handouts and other material that can be mailed to you.

Buy a Trail Specific Map or Guidebook

Check four wheel drive accessory stores, motorcycle accessory stores and map stores for Off Highway maps or guidebooks. These vary in detail from the very detailed Sidekick Off Road Maps that cover a small area to the Byways Books with general maps that cover a larger area. Another helpful technique is to buy a DeLorme Atlas. This atlas covers the whole state (except California is divided into two books: Northern and Southern). Each atlas shows topographical detail and the major backroads. They are indexed like a Thomas Bros. Guide with a quick reference to the detailed page.

Personally I use the atlas as a reference book. If someone begins to tell me about an area, I open up the atlas and make notes on the map pages for future reference. I note the forest district (BLM, state park, etc.) where the trail runs, contact the OHV Coordinator at that district, inquire as to other available maps, acquire those maps, and conduct a quick search on the Internet for that trail name.

4WD Clubs can be a good source of trails

4WD clubs usually have meetings and scheduled trips. Joining a 4WD Club can introduce you to other enthusiasts who are familiar with many existing back roads. I always suggest attending a club meeting before leaving the pavement with a group 4-wheelers. During the meeting you can get a flavor for the club’s behavior and habits. For example some clubs are family oriented while others party-hardy, so try a couple of clubs.

The best way to find a list of clubs is to look for an Association of 4WD Clubs nearest you. At last count, there were seventeen regional 4WD associations in the United States -- check with United 4 Wheel Drive Assoc. www.ufwda.org In California there is the California Association of 4WD Clubs, www.cal4wheel.com Regardless of whether you join a club, I recommend that anyone thinking about traveling off the paved highway join the Association nearest you. For a small membership fee ($40-$50) the Association will keep you up-to-date on issues and will work to keep public lands open to public access and they usually mail a newsletter -- a bargain.

Buy Sidekick’s Off Road Event Calendar:
Each year Sidekick publishes a calendar ($9.95) with cool four wheel drive pictures and a listing of about 250 national and local off road events that are open to the public. Phone numbers or websites are included for each event.

Buy Rick Russell’s Off Highway Adventure Videos:
These videos show vehicles driving on specific trails. You can see what the trails are really like: easy, hard or super-hard. These videos also describe the vehicles’ specifications: some trails can be driven by a stock vehicle while many trails require considerable upgrades.