Dog Valley
Mountain and forest travel: dirt-road navigation, changing traction, grades, ruts and ridge-country driving.
Route 01 · Nevada / California
Dog Valley
A high-elevation Sierra route northwest of Reno and Verdi, where pine forest, rocky grades and broad dirt roads replace open desert. Conditions can swing from dry and dusty to snow, mud and runoff, so the exact line changes with the season.
- Dog Valley Road and the historic Henness Pass corridor
- Forest-road connectors and Verdi Ridge viewpoints
- Rock, ruts, water bars and steep mountain grades
- Seasonal snow and mud that can change access quickly
- Terrain
- Forest & ridge
- Conditions
- Seasonal
- Difficulty
- Easy – moderate*
Route character
*Difficulty depends heavily on weather and the specific Forest Service roads used. Routes are adjusted to current legal access and conditions.
Route 02 · Nevada
Moon Rocks
A concentrated BLM OHV area north of Reno known for rounded granite formations, open riding and technical rock-crawling lines. This is the route area for hands-on spotting, wheel placement and recovery practice without needing huge mileage between obstacles.
- Rounded granite formations and rock-crawling lines
- Short steep climbs, loose dirt and uneven ledges
- Open OHV riding with multiple staging areas
- Technical spotting, tire placement and recovery practice
- Terrain
- Granite & dirt
- Access
- Open OHV area
- Difficulty
- Moderate – hard*
Route character
*Moon Rocks contains everything from easy access roads to serious rock-crawling obstacles. The guide selects lines that fit the group and vehicle.
Route 03 · Nevada
Black Rock Desert
The biggest and most remote of the three: a vast dry playa backed by rugged two-tracks, historic emigrant routes and high-desert country. The challenge is less about constant crawling and more about navigation, distance, self-sufficiency and knowing when the ground is safe to travel.
- Dry-playa travel when surface conditions allow
- Historic Applegate and Nobles emigrant-route country
- Remote two-tracks beyond the playa
- Long-distance navigation with little or no cellular service
- Terrain
- Playa & two-track
- Access
- Condition dependent
- Difficulty
- Moderate / remote
Route character
Motorized travel outside the unvegetated playa is kept to legal roads and two-tracks. Playa travel is avoided when wet, and seasonal closures are checked before every route.
Three personalities
Choose the terrain you want to learn on
The final route is still built around current access, weather, vehicle capability and the experience level of the guests booked for that departure.
Moon Rocks
Technical concentration: granite obstacles, line choice, spotting, wheel placement and controlled recovery work.
Black Rock Desert
Remote-distance travel: playa conditions, two-track navigation, self-sufficiency and managing a long way from services.
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.