Stoddard Valley OHV Area
Barstow — 10 miles south on Stoddard Wells Road · near Barstow · California Desert
Off-Road
At a glance
- Skill level
- intermediate
- Size
- 55,000+ acres of open desert riding · BLM managed
- Best season
- October–April · Summer in the Mojave is extreme — 110°F+ routine · Wildflowers in wet years Feb–March
Permits and booking
- Permit
- BLM managed. California OHV registration (Green Sticker) required. No entry fee. Dispersed camping free on BLM land. Helmets required. Area boundaries and current closures posted at the Stoddard Wells staging area.
What is here
- Terrain
- desert-wash · rock-crawling
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Off-Road detail
- Nickname
- Barstow's Backcountry Scramble Ground
- Vehicles
- dirt-bike · atv-utv · 4x4-jeep · any-ohv
- Signature routes
- The volcanic rock gardens · Stoddard Ridge · Sandy wash networks
- Intl tip
- Stoddard Valley is 10 miles south of Barstow on Stoddard Wells Road. Barstow has good services and is a natural overnight base for the broader Mojave OHV scene. Combine with Johnson Valley (this guide, 45 miles southeast on I-40/247) and the Mojave Road (this guide) for a multi-day Mojave off-road trip. Best November through March.
The guide
Stoddard Valley is the workhorse of the greater Barstow off-road scene — a 55,000-acre BLM open riding area 10 miles south of B…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Stoddard Valley OHV Area — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.896, -116.952