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Dune weather summary: Aden Hills Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 93°, 7 mph. Alkali Lake OHV Area, 95°, 8 mph. Amargosa Big Dune, 95°, 9 mph. Aurora Open OHV Area, 84°, 23 mph, active alert: Flood Watch. Bangs Canyon OHV Trails, 88°, 8 mph. Barnwell Mountain Recreational Area, 95°, 6 mph, active alert: Heat Advisory. Blue Creek OHV Area, 91°, 11 mph. Boulders OHV Staging Area, 98°, 3 mph. Buttercup Valley, 101°, 9 mph, heat caution: HIGH HEAT - HYDRATE. Cameo Cliffs/Hook and OHV Ladder Trail System, 82°, 5 mph. Chappie/Shasta Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area, 70°, 0 mph. Cinder Hills OHV Area, 82°, --. Copper Basin Dunes OHV Area, 86°, 17 mph. Coral Pink Sand Dunes, 61°, 7 mph, active alert: Flood Watch. Crescent Sand Dunes, 75°, 21 mph. Cross Bar Ranch Off-Road Park, 102°, 10 mph, active alert: Heat Advisory. Crossroads OHV Area, 89°, 17 mph. Dove Springs OHV Area, 67°, 1 mph. Dumont Dunes, 81°, 0 mph. Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 84°, 6 mph. El Mirage OHV Area, 68°, 8 mph. Escondido Draw Recreational Area, 91°, 14 mph. Fort Sage Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 71°, 22 mph, active alert: Lake Wind Advisory. Fossil Creek OHV Trail, 70°, 7 mph. Gemini Bridges, 84°, 0 mph. Glamis / Imperial Sand Dunes, 96°, 12 mph. Glenwood Open OHV Area, 84°, 23 mph, active alert: Flood Watch. Gordon's Well, 101°, 9 mph, heat caution: HIGH HEAT - HYDRATE. Grand Valley Open OHV Area, 88°, 8 mph. Greater Sand Dunes SRMA, 79°, 6 mph. Hackberry Lake Off-Highway Vehicle Use Area, 95°, 8 mph. Hayfield Draw OHV Area, 93°, 3 mph. Haystack Mountain Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 81°, 11 mph. Head Canyon OHV Recreation Area, 84°, 6 mph. Hog Canyon OHV Trail System, 61°, 7 mph, active alert: Flood Watch. Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area, 91°, 4 mph. Hungry Valley SVRA, 58°, 11 mph. Jawbone Canyon OHV Area, 59°, 1 mph. Johnson Valley OHV Area, 69°, 4 mph. Killpecker Sand Dunes Open Play Area, 79°, 6 mph. Knolls Off-Highway Vehicle Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA), 86°, 15 mph. Little Sahara Recreation Area, 79°, 23 mph. Little Sahara State Park, 99°, 10 mph. McCullough Peaks OHV Area, 79°, 11 mph. Mescalero Sands North Dune Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 81°, 11 mph. Millican Valley OHV Trail System, 59°, 0 mph. Moon Rocks OHV Area, 69°, 11 mph, active alert: Lake Wind Advisory. Nellis Dunes OHV Area, 82°, 16 mph. North Sand Hills OHV Area, 73°, 7 mph. Northwest OHV Park, 98°, 7 mph, active alert: Heat Advisory. Oceano Dunes / Pismo Beach, 74°, 7 mph, active alert: Beach Hazards Statement. Ocotillo Wells SVRA, 87°, 4 mph. Pipestone OHV Area, 61°, 8 mph, active alert: Red Flag Warning. Poison Spider / Gold Bar, 87°, 6 mph. Rabbit Creek OHV Trail, 70°, 7 mph. Radar Hill OHV Area, 54°, 15 mph. Rasor Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 70°, 8 mph. Red Sands Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 90°, 5 mph. Rice Canyon Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 64°, 20 mph, active alert: Lake Wind Advisory. Robledo Mountains OHV Trail System, 93°, 7 mph. Rosita Flats OHV Area, 91°, 11 mph. Samoa Dunes, 63°, 2 mph. Sand Flats Recreation Area, 87°, 6 mph. Sand Mountain Open Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 79°, 17 mph. Sand Mountain Pipeline Designated Dispersed Camping Area, 79°, 17 mph. Sand Mountain Recreation Area, 73°, 5 mph, active alert: Red Flag Warning. Seep Springs OHV Area, 88°, 9 mph. Shoshone OHV Trail System, 72°, 5 mph. Shotgun Creek OHV Staging Area, 50°, 7 mph. Silver Lake ORV Area, 75°, 10 mph. South Cow Mountain OHV Management Area, 63°, 10 mph. St. Anthony Sand Dunes, 79°, 11 mph. St. Helen Motorsport Area, 75°, 9 mph. Standard Wash OHV Area, 86°, 17 mph. Stoddard Valley OHV Area, 68°, 6 mph. Table Mesa Recreation Area, 99°, 5 mph. Virtue Flat Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 63°, 0 mph. Weiser Dunes, 68°, 0 mph. Whitewash Sand Dunes Open OHV Area and Trail System, 84°, 0 mph. Winnemucca Sand Dunes, 72°, 6 mph.

Aden Hills Off-Highway… 93° 7 mph Alkali Lake OHV Area 95° 8 mph Amargosa Big Dune 95° 9 mph Aurora Open OHV Area 84° 23 mph Bangs Canyon OHV Trails 88° 8 mph Barnwell Mountain… 95° 6 mph Blue Creek OHV Area 91° 11 mph Boulders OHV Staging Area 98° 3 mph Buttercup Valley 101° 9 mph Cameo Cliffs/Hook and OHV… 82° 5 mph Chappie/Shasta Off-Highway… 70° 0 mph Cinder Hills OHV Area 82° -- Copper Basin Dunes OHV Area 86° 17 mph Coral Pink Sand Dunes 61° 7 mph Crescent Sand Dunes 75° 21 mph Cross Bar Ranch Off-Road Park 102° 10 mph Crossroads OHV Area 89° 17 mph Dove Springs OHV Area 67° 1 mph Dumont Dunes 81° 0 mph Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area 84° 6 mph El Mirage OHV Area 68° 8 mph Escondido Draw Recreational… 91° 14 mph Fort Sage Off-Highway… 71° 22 mph Fossil Creek OHV Trail 70° 7 mph Gemini Bridges 84° 0 mph Glamis / Imperial Sand Dunes 96° 12 mph Glenwood Open OHV Area 84° 23 mph Gordon's Well 101° 9 mph Grand Valley Open OHV Area 88° 8 mph Greater Sand Dunes SRMA 79° 6 mph Hackberry Lake Off-Highway… 95° 8 mph Hayfield Draw OHV Area 93° 3 mph Haystack Mountain… 81° 11 mph Head Canyon OHV Recreation… 84° 6 mph Hog Canyon OHV Trail System 61° 7 mph Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area 91° 4 mph Hungry Valley SVRA 58° 11 mph Jawbone Canyon OHV Area 59° 1 mph Johnson Valley OHV Area 69° 4 mph Killpecker Sand Dunes Open… 79° 6 mph Knolls Off-Highway Vehicle… 86° 15 mph Little Sahara Recreation Area 79° 23 mph Little Sahara State Park 99° 10 mph McCullough Peaks OHV Area 79° 11 mph Mescalero Sands North Dune… 81° 11 mph Millican Valley OHV Trail… 59° 0 mph Moon Rocks OHV Area 69° 11 mph Nellis Dunes OHV Area 82° 16 mph North Sand Hills OHV Area 73° 7 mph Northwest OHV Park 98° 7 mph Oceano Dunes / Pismo Beach 74° 7 mph Ocotillo Wells SVRA 87° 4 mph Pipestone OHV Area 61° 8 mph Poison Spider / Gold Bar 87° 6 mph Rabbit Creek OHV Trail 70° 7 mph Radar Hill OHV Area 54° 15 mph Rasor Off-Highway Vehicle Area 70° 8 mph Red Sands Off-Highway… 90° 5 mph Rice Canyon Off-Highway… 64° 20 mph Robledo Mountains OHV Trail… 93° 7 mph Rosita Flats OHV Area 91° 11 mph Samoa Dunes 63° 2 mph Sand Flats Recreation Area 87° 6 mph Sand Mountain Open… 79° 17 mph Sand Mountain Pipeline… 79° 17 mph Sand Mountain Recreation Area 73° 5 mph Seep Springs OHV Area 88° 9 mph Shoshone OHV Trail System 72° 5 mph Shotgun Creek OHV Staging Area 50° 7 mph Silver Lake ORV Area 75° 10 mph South Cow Mountain OHV… 63° 10 mph St. Anthony Sand Dunes 79° 11 mph St. Helen Motorsport Area 75° 9 mph Standard Wash OHV Area 86° 17 mph Stoddard Valley OHV Area 68° 6 mph Table Mesa Recreation Area 99° 5 mph Virtue Flat Off-Highway… 63° 0 mph Weiser Dunes 68° 0 mph Whitewash Sand Dunes Open… 84° 0 mph Winnemucca Sand Dunes 72° 6 mph

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Rice Canyon Off-Highway Vehicle Area

Open OHV use for various vehicle types.

Locationeast of Susanville, California
Entry points1 verified
Size120 acres
Conditions64° · 20 mph

Trip check

Before you go

  • Permit status not confirmed. Check with the managing agency.
  • Although OHV riders do not have to stay on the trails, some of the more popular track loops are marked with numbered signs displaying difficulty rating and recommended vehicle type. The trails run both ways, so anticipate users riding in both directions.

Guide

About this area

The Rice Canyon off-highway vehicle (OHV) Open area is a 120-acre public land managed primarily for open OHV use, offering excellent motorcycle hill-climb opportunities and loop track riding. The area is popular for both experienced and novice riders. Visitors can access the OHV area by trail or from the main staging…

Facilities

The main trailhead has facilities such as BBQs, picnic tables, loading ramps, and a vault toilet facility.

Full agency description

Overview The Rice Canyon off-highway vehicle (OHV) Open area lies within the Antelope/Shaffer/Bald Mountain Special Recreation Area (SRMA). The open area is about 8 miles east of Susanville, California, and consists of 120 acres of public land managed primarily for open OHV use. All OHV use beyond the open area is limited to designated routes and trails. The OHV open area is on the west side of Rice Canyon Road and is recognizable by the entrance sign, adjacent hill-climb area and large OHV staging and parking area. Rice Canyon is open to all types of vehicles such as motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATV), utility terrain vehicles (UTV) and four-wheel drive vehicles. The area provides excellent motorcycle hill-climb opportunities for the more experienced rider as well as loop track riding. Rice Canyon is also popular for training the more novice rider. Visitors can also access the OHV area by trail off Highway 139 at Antelope Mountain. Although OHV riders do not have to stay on the trails, some of the more popular track loops are marked with numbered signs displaying difficulty rating and recommended vehicle type. The trails run both ways, so anticipate users riding in both directions. The main trailhead has facilities such as BBQs and picnic tables, loading ramps, a vault toilet facility. Additional improvements will continue including construction of new trails and rock crawling areas. For comments or ideas for improvements to the Rice Canyon Open OHV area, contact the BLM Eagle Lake Recreation Planner at 530-252-5303. See more photos of the Rice Canyon OHV Area. Funding for the area has been through the California State Parks OHV green sticker grant program. For more information or to review current and past grants visit the: CA State Parks . For information about ATV safety visit the: ATV Safety Institute. For safety information or Recreational Vehicle training visit: Recreational Off-highway Vehicle Association Visit these other BLM Managed Off-Highway Vehicle Areas: Fort Sage OHV Area Dry Valley OHV Area Chappie Shasta OHV Area

Access

Getting there

  • Rice Canyon RoadEntrance

    From Susanville take CA-36 E / Main Street toward Reno. Turn LEFT onto County Highway A27 / Johnsonville Road. Veer left onto County Highway A27 / Center Road. Turn LEFT onto Rice Canyon Road and follow it 0.8 miles to the open OHV area.

    Pin from the managing agency

Rules

Rules

Standard OHV rules (10)

Common equipment, registration and trail-use rules still apply.

  • ⭐ RIDE TO THE HIGHEST SAFETY STANDARD, NOT THE LEGAL MINIMUM. What is written below is what the managing agency requires. A helmet, eye protection, a flag and proper gear are what get you home — wear them whether or not the law where you are riding insists on it.
  • 🪖 Side-by-side / UTV (factory-built, steering wheel, bucket seats, under 1,000cc, does over 30 mph): helmets on the driver and every passenger, and seat belts or a harness fastened whenever it is moving. That is California law on public land.
  • 🪖 Sand car, sand rail, dune buggy, Jeep, or anything home-built or over 1,000cc: no helmet or seat-belt law applies. Wear them anyway — State Parks recommend it, and so do we.
  • 🪖 Quads and ATVs: helmet on every rider, any age. Dirt bikes: helmet required under 18.
  • ⚠️ Tuned it past 30 mph? A machine built for 30 or under that now goes faster is treated like a side-by-side — helmet and belt rules apply.
  • 👶 A child seat does not replace a helmet. In a side-by-side, a child in a car seat still wears one.
  • Source: California Vehicle Code §500, §38505, §38601–38602 — checked Aug 2026.
  • 🪖 Any helmet the law requires must meet FMVSS 218 and carry a DOT label — CVC 27802.
  • 📖 CHECK THE LAW YOURSELF — these requirements come from California State Parks OHMVR — Laws & Safety. Rules change, and you are responsible for compliance: ohv.parks.ca.gov
  • 🗺️ NO SIGNAL? TAKE AN OFFLINE MAP. BLM publish free GEOREFERENCED PDF maps that show your live GPS position with no cell service, in the Avenza Maps app or similar. Download the map for this area BEFORE you leave tarmac: www.blm.gov

Permits

Permits & registration

Permit and registration details

Funding for the area has been through the California State Parks OHV green sticker grant program.

State residents
California residents: OHV must display a current Green Sticker or Red Sticker registration from the CA DMV.
Out-of-state riders
Out-of-state riders: a California Nonresident OHV Use Permit is required unless your OHV carries current registration from your home state. $30 ($31.95 online), valid from purchase through December 31 of that year.
Bureau of Land Management official page (current closures & alerts)

Permit and registration rules change. Confirm current requirements with the managing agency before you ride — you are responsible for compliance.

Trip support

Fuel, food & local help

Local fuel notes (4)
  • Nearest towns with services, per the managing agency:
  • Susanville — about 8 miles
  • ��️ Fill your tanks and cans before you turn off the highway.
  • Backcountry stations keep short hours and some close seasonally.

Pump gas & diesel

  • Susanville, CA — the resupply townfuel

    THE START OF THE DIRECTIONS · Fill in Susanville. The county roads out to Rice Canyon have nothing on them.

Marketplace

Rigs and vehicles

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