Category: RZR

Camping and Off-roading in Johnson Valley

.Reading time 7 minutes.

If you like to cruise endless desert dirt roads, crawl up rocky trails, and blast through dry lake beds, then Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Area is a must do. Johnson Valley is located in Southern California’s high desert in Lucerne Valley off of Highway 247. Widely known as the home of King of the Hammers, an off-road Jeep race, Johnson Valley is full of dirt trails that meander amongst rocky mountains and wide open desert. I’ve camped at Johnson Valley several times to off-road and explore, and I’ve also watched Mojave Off Road Racing Enthusiasts (MORE) races zoom through the dusty trails. In fact, some of my friends used to race their class nine cars and class 1400 trucks and my husband and I would help out in the pits during their races. (And by helping, I would make racing videos; I’m not mechanically savvy!) Johnson Valley is a beautiful desert to camp and play in, so if you’re thinking about making the journey, here are a few tips and camping spots to check out.

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Dumont Dunes Camping and Off-roading

.Reading time 8 minutes.

Most people drive past Dumont Dunes on their way to Death Valley and wonder, “Are those giant sand dunes out there?” Yes, they are in fact sand dunes, and they are tall, steep, and incredibly fun to traverse in a dune buggy, side-by-side, dirt bike, or quad. Dumont Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area is located about 31 miles north of Baker, California and is accessible via Dumont Dunes Road. The dunes rise above the desert floor to create a towering, sandy, off-roading playground, and they are surrounded by rocky, dirt trails that jet out into the surrounding Mojave desert. I’ve camped at Dumont Dunes many, many times—my family embarks on a yearly memorial camping trip and occasionally we will head to Dumont Dunes to ring in the new year. So if it’s your first time making the trip to Dumont Dunes or your 20th time, here are my favorite camping spots and a few tips to make your trip memorable. Read More

Glamis Camping 101

.Reading time 13 minutes.

Summer winding down doesn’t have to signal the end of camping season, especially if you live in Southern California. Once the extreme heat lessens and we swing into autumn, desert season officially begins. One of my favorite desert camping destinations is Glamis, officially called the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area. It’s located in the southeast corner of California and borders Mexico, and it happens to be an offroading playground with giant, smooth sand dunes that stretch for miles. Keep reading for an explanation of the different camping areas at Glamis and what you need to know before heading out there.

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Aerial Views of Tectonic Gorge Trail, Ocotillo Wells

.Reading time less than 1 minute.

I decided to test my DJI Phantom quadcopter on our recent camping trip out in Ocotillo Wells to see what kind of aerial footage I could capture. Here’s a short video of my footage, along with a few aerial photos. Read More

Breaking in the New RZR XP 1000

.Reading time less than 1 minute.

We made a short day trip out to Johnson Valley to start breaking in our new RZR XP 1000, and wow, this machine is incredible! It’s a completely different offroading experience from Jeeping… now we can go very fast over crazy terrain! I made a quick video of our first ride, and if you get the itch to investigate XP 1000’s further, check out Polaris’ website.