Barrel Springs Back Country Byway

The Barrel Springs Back Country Byway is a loop that straddles the California-Nevada border just south of Oregon. This is a road that begs for high clearance 4WD in spots as it works its way across this arid, high desert landscape filled with dry lake beds, alkali flats, old ranches and abandoned homesteads. Part of this route is along the old Applegate-Lassen Trail from the Emigrant Trails days, and you'll probably be scratching your head thinking "those pioneers walked and drove wagon trains through this countryside?" Figure on seeing lots of pronghorns, mule deer and coyotes. There's more than one ghost town along the way. It's not just barren desert, either. At times you'll be in the junipers and even in the aspens, depending on the elevation.

The 93-mile loop route begins and ends in Cedarville, CA and can be driven in 3 hours, unless you get into it and stop often...