Field GuideBLM · Jawbone

Jawbone Canyon
Dirt Bike Routes

Jawbone Canyon is the classic Mojave green-sticker country: open BLM desert off Highway 14 in Kern County, with miles of designated routes climbing west from the canyon toward the Piute Mountains, plus the Dove Springs and Butterbredt drainages alongside. Unlike the national forests, this is open OHV land, so almost the whole designated network is open to green-sticker (non-street-legal) bikes, including real motorcycle singletrack. Route geometry and elevation come from the BLM travel network and public terrain data.

Jawbone Canyon, California · BLM Ridgecrest Field Office · Mojave Desert · 5 routes

This is open OHV land. Green-sticker (non-street-legal) bikes and plated bikes alike can ride the designated routes here; the badge on each route flags its BLM access designation.

Green sticker OK

Non-street-legal (green-sticker) OHVs allowed on the route.

New to this, or riding an electric or 2022-plus bike? The sticker & access guide covers green, red, and tan stickers, street-legal plates, electric bikes (SB 586), spark arresters, the Adventure Pass, and the penalties, all sourced from California government pages.

Where can I ride?

BLM Ridgecrest

Every designated motorized route in the Jawbone area, from the BLM travel network. This is open OHV land, so the whole designated network here is open to green-sticker (non-street-legal) bikes. Stay on the routes shown; the map leaves out roads closed to OHV recreation. Hover any line for its name.

What can ride here

  • Green-sticker OHV allowed
  • Street-legal plate only
  • Dashed = seasonal access
Loading area map…

Make a day of it

2 suggested loops

Ways to string these routes into a full ride instead of a single road. Mileage is a rough composite; segments overlap and connect, so plan time and fuel with a margin.

Dove Springs Big Day

~24mi↓ GPX

The northern open-route network strung into a full day of high-desert miles.

The north end of the complex, around Dove Springs, is where the open mileage is. Start east near Highway 14 on SC-94, work west across the benches on the long SC-103, then drop toward Butterbredt Spring on the quieter far side toward the Piute Mountains. All of it is open green-sticker desert, sandy washes trading off with rockier two-track. This is a real day of seat time, open and exposed the whole way, so carry fuel and water and plan a margin.

SC-94SC-103 EastButterbredt Canyon Road

Canyon Stage & Singletrack

~10mi↓ GPX

Come in up Jawbone Canyon, then session the moto singletrack to the south.

A shorter, more focused day at the south end. Come in on Jawbone Canyon Road from Highway 14, the area's main artery off the highway, then head for the designated singletrack to session tight, sandy tread that's open to motorcycles only. It's less about mileage than about trading the open two-track for real singletrack, a good half-day on its own or a warm-up before pushing deeper into the network.

Jawbone Canyon RoadJawbone Motorized Singletrack

The Routes

5 rides
GPX Track↑ 518 ft↓ 568 ft
3,914 ft4,383 ft

Jawbone Motorized Singletrack

Green sticker OK
Distance
3.3mi
Difficulty
Difficult

Per the BLM travel plan, this is designated motorized singletrack open to motorcycles, so green-sticker (non-street-legal) bikes are allowed; it's motorcycle width only, no ATVs or wider machines. Stay on the designated tread. Registration + spark arrestor required.

Source: BLM Ground Transportation Linear Features (GTLF), 2026

The designated motorcycle singletrack the area is really known for.

Beyond the roads, Jawbone carries a network of designated motorized singletrack: narrow, twisting motorcycle-only tread through the desert that's the real reason dirt-bikers come here. Tight, sandy, and technical in spots, it's true singletrack, not a two-track, and it's strictly motorcycle width. This entry stitches the area's designated singletrack segments into one line so you can see where it runs.

Elevation
3,900–4,400 ft
Best season
October–April (hot in summer)
Surface
Narrow motorcycle-only singletrack, sandy and technical
  • Designated motorcycle-only singletrack
  • The real draw for dirt-bikers here
  • Tight, sandy, technical desert tread
GPX Track↑ 2,595 ft↓ 1,959 ft
2,671 ft4,692 ft

Jawbone Canyon Road

Green sticker OK
Distance
4.8mi
Difficulty
Easy

Per the BLM travel plan, Jawbone Canyon Road is a designated open route, so green-sticker (non-street-legal) bikes are allowed. This is open OHV land: stay on designated routes, registration + spark arrestor required.

Source: BLM Ground Transportation Linear Features (GTLF), 2026

The main artery up Jawbone Canyon from Highway 14 into the OHV network.

Jawbone Canyon Road is the way in: a graded sand and gravel route running west off Highway 14 up the canyon, past the old aqueduct siphon pipe, into the heart of the Jawbone OHV area. It's the staging spine that the rest of the network branches off, easy going on its own and the natural warm-up for a day out here.

Elevation
2,650–4,700 ft
Best season
October–April (hot in summer)
Surface
Graded sand and gravel canyon road
  • Primary access from Highway 14
  • Passes the landmark aqueduct siphon pipe
  • Connects the whole Jawbone OHV network
GPX Track↑ 2,779 ft↓ 2,884 ft
2,844 ft5,305 ft

SC-103 East

No. SC-103
Green sticker OK
Distance
13.4mi
Difficulty
Moderate

Per the BLM travel plan, SC-103 East is a designated route open to motorized use, so green-sticker (non-street-legal) bikes are allowed. Stay on designated routes; registration + spark arrestor required.

Source: BLM Ground Transportation Linear Features (GTLF), 2026

A long designated route working east across the Jawbone backcountry.

SC-103 is one of the longer designated routes in the area, miles of natural-surface two-track winding through Joshua tree and creosote on the high benches above the canyon. Sandy washes give way to rockier climbs and back again. It runs well out past the staging areas, so it's a quieter ride than the canyon, and it's green-sticker the whole way.

Elevation
2,850–5,300 ft
Best season
October–April (hot in summer)
Surface
Natural-surface desert two-track, sand and rock
  • Miles of high-desert two-track
  • Joshua tree and creosote benches
  • Quieter than the canyon staging areas
GPX Track↑ 869 ft↓ 75 ft
3,530 ft4,344 ft

SC-94

No. SC-94
Green sticker OK
Distance
6.4mi
Difficulty
Moderate

Per the BLM travel plan, SC-94 is a designated route open to motorized use, so green-sticker (non-street-legal) bikes are allowed. Stay on designated routes; registration + spark arrestor required.

Source: BLM Ground Transportation Linear Features (GTLF), 2026

Designated open desert route threading the benches above the canyon.

SC-94 is a shorter designated route of natural-surface two-track linking the Jawbone benches, sandy straights broken up by rockier pitches. It ties into the rest of the SC network, so it's an easy piece to fold into a bigger loop rather than a destination on its own.

Elevation
3,550–4,350 ft
Best season
October–April (hot in summer)
Surface
Natural-surface two-track, sandy with rocky sections
  • Green-sticker desert two-track
  • Ties into the SC network for a loop
  • Sandy straights and rocky pitches
GPX Track↑ 584 ft↓ 3 ft
4,459 ft5,039 ft

Butterbredt Canyon Road

Green sticker OK
Distance
2.1mi
Difficulty
Moderate

Per the BLM travel plan, Butterbredt Canyon Road is a designated route open to motorized use, so green-sticker (non-street-legal) bikes are allowed. Stay on designated routes; registration + spark arrestor required.

Source: BLM Ground Transportation Linear Features (GTLF), 2026

Sandy canyon route toward Butterbredt Spring on the north side of the area.

Butterbredt Canyon Road runs up its namesake canyon toward Butterbredt Spring, a sandy, scenic route on the quieter north side of the complex toward the Piute Mountains. The spring is a well-known desert oasis and migratory bird stop, so it's a mellower, prettier ride than the open flats, sandy in the wash bottoms with firmer benches.

Elevation
4,450–5,050 ft
Best season
October–April (hot in summer)
Surface
Sandy canyon bottom with firmer benches
  • Toward the Butterbredt Spring oasis
  • Quieter north side near the Piute Mountains
  • Scenic sandy canyon riding