By: Dave Helgeson

Places to Ride: Superstition Mountain, California

Open area. Pleanty of room to play. Nice hills to climb. Large area to camp. Great riding opportunities right from camp. Dust can be a factor on busy days.

The Superstition Mountain ORV area is located northwest of El Centro in Imperial County, California. This area presents a variety of challenging ORV riding opportunities. This 13,000-acre riding area is designated as an open area by the BLM which permits cross-country ORV use within the boundaries of this area. Limited use areas and military practice bombing targets adjoin the boundaries of the open area. Please observe all posted signs and for everyone’s well being do not enter the bombing ranges. Kids can ride their ATVs on the easier areas near camp and more experienced riders can head for the more vertical terrain in the hills. This area is desert country which consists of sand dunes, dry lakes, rocky mountains, mud hills, and badlands. Very little vegetation is present. Come prepared with plenty of water and shade.

A map of the riding area can be found at:
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/ ... drg100.pdf or you may download the 2008 copy here: 2008 Superstition 8x11 Map

Getting There:

From the North: From Highways 78 and 86 in Westmorland

• Turn south on S30
• Turn West onto Imler Road. Imler Road will turn south becoming Huff Road
• Huff Road will soon intersect the far east side of the riding area
• To access more of the area, continue south to Wheeler Road

From the South: From Interstate 8
Interstate 8 Eastbound:

• Take the Dunaway Road Exit North
• Turn east onto County Hwy S80 - Evan Hewes Hwy
• Turn north onto Huff Road
• In about six miles you will reach Wheeler Road
• Turn west onto Wheeler Road
• Follow Wheeler Road to one of several popular camping areas, or continue to the base of the Superstition Mountain

Interstate 8 Westbound:

• Take the Drew Road. Exit north
• Turn west onto County Hwy S80 - Evan Hewes Hwy
• Turn north onto Huff Road
• In  about six miles you will reach Wheeler Road
• Turn west onto Wheeler Road
• Follow Wheeler Road to one of several popular camping areas, or continue to the base of the Superstition Mountain

Camping:

Camping is allowed anywhere within the riding area. Most visitors camp along Wheeler Road or Huff Road.

Services:

Food, lodging, fuel, and other services are available at the nearby communities of Westmorland, Imperial, Brawley, and El Centro.

Rules & Regulations:

•  Camping is allowed anywhere within the riding area that does not block travel on a road. Camping is limited to a 14-day stay.
• Only street-legal vehicles are permitted on Wheeler Road.
• Draining of holding tanks, littering, and trash dumping is prohibited. Please take your trash with you.
• All vehicles must have a muffler or spark arrester and have either a street-legal license or be registered as an off-highway vehicle.
• Vehicles operated at night must have head and tail lights.
• Helmets are required on all ATVs. Passengers are not permitted on ATVs.
• Superstition Mountain is designated as an Open Area. Open areas are available for all forms of cross-country travel. Vehicles may be operated anywhere within the posted boundaries of open areas.
• Digging or destroying trees and shrubs or harassing wildlife or stock is prohibited.
• The desert tortoise is a federally protected species. Please do not handle or disturb these animals. Look but don’t touch.
• It is illegal to damage or destroy archeological artifacts.

For More Information:

Bureau of Land Management
El Centro Field Office
1661 S. 4th Street
El Centro, CA 92243
Phone: (760) 337-4400
Fax: (760) 337-4490
Contact them by email: http://www.blm.gov/ca/forms/feedback/index.php?fo=8

Be safe, enjoy, and I hope to see you on the trails.