Zero Bar Expeditions
Overland expedition vehicle on a remote backcountry ridge at sunset

California & Nevada · Expert-guided · High-end 4x4 vehicles

Remote treks through grueling terrain

Expert-led small-group off-road expeditions through Dog Valley, Moon Rocks and the Black Rock Desert — three very different northern Nevada and Sierra backcountry environments, with 1–4 guests per booking group and camp support that scales by tier.

Where the map runs out and the crew doesn't.

Design my expedition See the three tiers
terrain forest / granite / playa region northern Nevada + Sierra travel high-clearance 4x4 signallimited
10+ yrsBackcountry experience behind the routes
1–4 guestsPer booking group
0 barsSatellite comms on every rig
3 tiersFrom $4,800 to the full Grand Traverse

The routes

Three routes. Three completely different kinds of terrain.

Every departure is route-planned from scratch around the guests booked for that date. These are the areas we build routes in and know by access, surface, weather and seasonal conditions.

Dog Valley

High-elevation Sierra backcountry northwest of Reno, with forest roads, rocky grades, ridge connectors and weather that can change the route quickly.

Character
Forest & ridge
Surface
Dirt, rock, mud
Best for
Mountain travel

Moon Rocks

BLM OHV terrain north of Reno built around rounded granite formations, short steep climbs, loose desert ground and technical rock-crawling lines.

Character
Technical OHV
Surface
Granite, dirt
Best for
Spotting & crawl

Black Rock Desert

Vast playa, remote two-tracks and historic emigrant-country travel where distance, navigation and changing ground conditions matter as much as obstacles.

Character
Remote high desert
Surface
Playa, two-track
Best for
Range & isolation

All three routes in detail

Hour six, day two

The last mile anyone else drives

Past the last maintained road the surface stops being a road at all. That is where the trip actually starts, and where having a crew ahead of you stops being a luxury.

Traverse 0% · scroll to advance

Technical instruction

Trained, not chauffeured

You drive. We teach you how to read a line, air down for sand, pick a rock crawl, and recover your own vehicle with a winch and a shovel. By the last day our guides are riding behind you, not in front.

  • Convoy protocol, spotting and radio discipline
  • Winching, kinetic recovery and anchor rigging
  • Tire repair, air management and field triage
  • Navigation and route-finding without signal

Camp, training and table

Guide rigging a winch line and traction board during off-road recovery training

Three tiers

Pick how much of the backcountry operation you want carried in for you

Every tier is priced per booking group of 1–4 guests. A departure may include your group plus as many as two other independently booked groups on the same expedition date. What changes between tiers is the length, vehicle count, and how much of camp the crew builds for the departure.

Traverse

2 – 3 days · compact format

$4,800 per group · 1–4 guests

The short form. One guide, one support vehicle, a real route and a proper camp.

  • Small-group departure
  • Lead guide and one support rig
  • Core recovery training
  • Standard canvas camp
  • No chase crew
  • No chef service
What's included
Most requested

Expedition

4 – 5 days · extended format

$7,400 per group · 1–4 guests

The full training arc and a chase crew that builds camp ahead of you.

  • Everything in Traverse
  • Dedicated chase and camp crew
  • Full technical instruction arc
  • Backcountry chef, dinner service
  • Hot spring routing
  • No massage service
What's included
Maximum tier

The Grand Traverse

5 – 7 days · full-length format

$9,600 per group · 1–4 guests

Everything, carried in. One price for your 1–4 guest group, nothing stripped back.

  • Everything in Expedition
  • Expanded 4x4 fleet
  • Premium glamping suites
  • Multi-course menu with pairings
  • Licensed massage therapists
  • Fully tailored departure design
What's included

How a trek is built

Each departure, drawn from scratch

  1. Day 00

    Route design

    We build the trek around the departure: difficulty, mileage per day, camp locations, and the dietary and comfort requirements of the booked groups.

  2. Day 01

    Rig briefing and training

    Vehicle handover, comms check, and a technical driving session before the pavement ends.

  3. Day 02+

    Deep terrain

    Guided convoy travel through the route's hardest sections. Support and camp logistics follow the tier you booked, from the lean Traverse setup to a dedicated camp crew on Expedition and Grand Traverse.

  4. Nightly

    Camp and recovery

    Every tier includes backcountry camp infrastructure. Chef service, hot-spring routing and massage are added according to the tier shown on the pricing page.

Luxury canvas glamping tent and candlelit fine dining table in remote backcountry at night

Grand Traverse camp

Premium canvas suites, proper beds and the highest level of camp service are Grand Traverse features; Expedition uses a simpler crew-built camp and Traverse is intentionally leaner.

Steaming remote hot spring pool at twilight

Tier-dependent recovery

Hot-spring routing is available on Expedition and Grand Traverse where conditions allow. Licensed massage service is a Grand Traverse feature.

Limited departures

Tell us where the pavement should end

Send your dates, group size and appetite for difficulty. We'll return a proposed route, camp plan and menu within two business days.

Request a route Compare tiers