Truckhaven Hills
Ocotillo Wells area (near the Salton Sea) · near Borrego Springs / Ocotillo Wells · California Desert
Off-Road
At a glance
- Skill level
- intermediate
- Size
- Part of the vast Ocotillo Wells open-riding complex · Sandy washes and eroded badlands
- Best season
- October–April · Summer is dangerously hot near the Salton Sea
Permits and booking
- Permit
- Part of the Ocotillo Wells open-riding area (California State Parks / adjacent BLM). Free open riding in designated areas — confirm current boundaries. Green Sticker or street-legal registration. Remote desert; carry ample water and supplies. Summer heat is dangerous.
What is here
- Terrain
- desert-wash · sand-dunes
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Off-Road detail
- Nickname
- The Salton Sea Badlands Playground
- Vehicles
- atv-utv · 4x4-jeep · any-ohv
- Signature routes
- The badlands washes · The slot canyons & formations
- Intl tip
- Truckhaven is near Ocotillo Wells SVRA (this guide) and Anza-Borrego (this guide) — the whole region is an off-road and desert-exploration hub. Borrego Springs (with its famous sky-art sculptures and, in spring, wildflower superblooms) is the base town. Winter and spring only; carry water always.
The guide
Truckhaven Hills is the scenic, badlands-flavored corner of the vast Ocotillo Wells open-riding country near the Salton Sea — a…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Truckhaven Hills — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 33.302, -116.094