Field GuideCleveland N.F.

Santa Ana Mtns
Dirt Bike Routes

The Santa Ana Mountains sit between Orange County and the Inland Empire, the Main Divide country about an hour from LA. These are mostly plated dual-sport and adventure roads, headlined by the ~35-mile North Main Divide over Saddleback. (For green-sticker OHV riding, the Cleveland's Wildomar OHV area sits on the southeast edge of the range — a separate, staging-based trail system not detailed here.) Route geometry and elevation are pulled from the Forest Service MVUM and SRTM.

Santa Ana Mtns, California · Cleveland National Forest · 7 routes

Plated street-legal bikes are fine on every route here. The badges below show where green-sticker (non-street-legal) OHVs are allowed — that's the part that varies, sometimes segment by segment.

Green sticker OK

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

Green sticker: partial

Green-sticker allowed on some segments only — read the note.

Street-legal plate only

Street-legal, plated vehicles only — no green-sticker OHVs.

Access unverified

Couldn't verify green-sticker access — confirm on the MVUM.

Sticker rules & the 2026 e-bike law (SB 586)

Electric bikes are OHVs now: under California's SB 586, off-road electric motorcycles count as OHVs. A Sur-Ron or a race-bred Stark Varg (MX) needs a green sticker, a helmet, and visible ID — and like any green-sticker bike, it's restricted to OHV-designated areas. So they follow the same green-sticker access shown on each route, and they can't be plated.

The exception is the road-going Stark Varg EX: it's fully road-homologated in the US (lights, indicators, foot rear brake), so it registers and plates like a street-legal dual-sport — and can ride every route here, including plate-only roads.

Sticker note: since Jan 1 2025, red and green stickers are treated as equally valid year-round in OHV-designated areas; model-year 2022+ non-compliant gas bikes use the new tan sticker. Always carry current registration and a working spark arrestor.

Where can I ride?

Cleveland National Forest MVUM

Every legal motorized road and trail in the Santa Ana Mtns area, straight from the Forest Service's Motor Vehicle Use Map. Most numbered roads are open to street-legal plated bikes only — the green routes are the comparatively few where a green-sticker (non-street-legal) bike is allowed. Hover any line for its road number and access.

What can ride here

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

Make a day of it

1 suggested loop

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.

The Main Divide Traverse

~50mi

The signature Santa Ana day: climb to the crest and ride the spine the length of the range.

Climb Indian Truck Trail (5S01) from the Corona side up to the crest, then run the full North Main Divide (3S04) over the shoulder of Saddleback and continue onto the South Main Divide (6S07) toward the Ortega Highway. A big, exposed, all-day plated ride along the top of the range — high-clearance dual-sport and adventure terrain, no green-sticker bikes. Carry water and watch the sky: the Divide bakes in the heat and the clay turns greasy after rain, when the gates often close.

Indian Truck TrailNorth Main Divide RoadSouth Main Divide Road

The Routes

7 rides
GPX Track↑ 5,217 ft↓ 5,381 ft
2,628 ft5,548 ft

North Main Divide Road

No. 3S04
Street-legal plate only
Distance
34.7mi
Difficulty
Difficult

Per the MVUM, 3S04 is open to highway-legal vehicles only: plated, street-legal bikes only, no green-sticker (non-street-legal) bikes.

Source: USFS Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM), 2026

The legendary ~35-mile crest of the Santa Ana Mountains over Saddleback.

The North Main Divide Truck Trail (3S04) runs the spine of the Santa Ana Mountains past Santiago and Modjeska Peaks (Saddleback), a long, exposed ridge road with rocky, rutted high-clearance sections and enormous views from the Inland Empire to the Pacific. A classic SoCal plated dual-sport / adventure ride, highway-legal only, and a serious day of riding.

Elevation
2,650–5,550 ft
Best season
Year-round (avoid heat and after rain)
Surface
Long, rocky high-clearance ridge road
  • Rides the crest past Santiago Peak (Saddleback)
  • Inland-Empire-to-Pacific views
  • Marquee plated adventure ride near LA/OC
GPX Track↑ 1,204 ft↓ 2,287 ft
1,365 ft3,327 ft

South Main Divide Road

No. 6S07
Street-legal plate only
Distance
16.2mi
Difficulty
Moderate

Per the MVUM, 6S07 is open to highway-legal vehicles only: plated, street-legal bikes only, no green-sticker (non-street-legal) bikes.

Source: USFS Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM), 2026

The southern half of the divide toward El Cariso and Lake Elsinore.

South Main Divide (6S07) continues the ridge south from the Ortega Highway toward El Cariso and the Lake Elsinore side, generally smoother than the north divide with chaparral ridgetops and overlooks of the lake and valley. A scenic, moderate plated ride, highway-legal only.

Elevation
1,350–3,350 ft
Best season
Year-round (avoid heat and after rain)
Surface
Graded-to-rocky ridge road
  • Overlooks of Lake Elsinore
  • Smoother companion to the north divide
  • Chaparral ridgetop scenery (plated only)
GPX Track↑ 3,015 ft↓ 417 ft
1,873 ft4,495 ft

Maple Springs Road

No. 5S04
Street-legal plate only
Distance
7.3mi
Difficulty
Moderate

Per the MVUM, 5S04 is open to highway-legal vehicles only: plated, street-legal bikes only, no green-sticker (non-street-legal) bikes.

Source: USFS Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM), 2026

Climbs from Silverado Canyon up to the Main Divide.

Maple Springs Road (5S04) climbs out of Silverado Canyon through oak and bay woodland to meet the Main Divide near Modjeska Peak. A scenic graded-to-rocky climb and one of the main ways up to the crest from the Orange County side, highway-legal only.

Elevation
1,850–4,500 ft
Best season
Year-round (avoid heat and after rain)
Surface
Graded dirt with rocky upper sections
  • Shaded climb out of Silverado Canyon
  • Connects to the Main Divide crest
  • Oak-and-bay woodland (plated only)
GPX Track↑ 3,114 ft↓ 627 ft
1,280 ft3,766 ft

Indian Truck Trail

No. 5S01
Street-legal plate only
Distance
7.1mi
Difficulty
Moderate

Per the MVUM, 5S01 is open to highway-legal vehicles only: plated, street-legal bikes only, no green-sticker (non-street-legal) bikes.

Source: USFS Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM), 2026

Long graded climb to the divide from the Corona side.

Indian Truck Trail (5S01) climbs the eastern flank of the Santa Anas from the Corona / Lake Mathews side up to the Main Divide, a steady graded ascent through chaparral with expanding Inland Empire views. A popular plated dual-sport climb, highway-legal only.

Elevation
1,300–3,750 ft
Best season
Year-round (avoid heat and after rain)
Surface
Graded dirt, steady grade
  • Long steady climb to the crest
  • Inland Empire views
  • Popular plated dual-sport route
GPX Track↑ 988 ft↓ 285 ft
1,322 ft2,034 ft

Trabuco Canyon Road

No. 6S13
Street-legal plate only
Distance
3.2mi
Difficulty
Difficult

Per the MVUM, 6S13 is open to highway-legal vehicles only: plated, street-legal bikes only, no green-sticker (non-street-legal) bikes.

Source: USFS Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM), 2026

Rough, rocky canyon road to the Holy Jim trailhead.

Trabuco Canyon Road (6S13) runs up the boulder-strewn Trabuco Canyon to the Holy Jim trailhead, a notoriously rocky, rutted, creek-crossing road that demands real high-clearance riding. Short but technical, shaded and scenic, highway-legal only.

Elevation
1,300–2,050 ft
Best season
Year-round (avoid heat and after rain)
Surface
Rocky, rutted canyon road with creek crossings
  • Rough, technical canyon riding
  • Shaded Trabuco Canyon and Holy Jim
  • Short but demanding (plated only)
GPX Track↑ 1,736 ft↓ 164 ft
2,106 ft3,684 ft

Bedford Ridge Road

No. 4S03
Street-legal plate only
Distance
3.5mi
Difficulty
Moderate

Per the MVUM, 4S03 is open to highway-legal vehicles only: plated, street-legal bikes only, no green-sticker (non-street-legal) bikes.

Source: USFS Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM), 2026

Short ridge spur off the northern divide country.

Bedford Ridge (4S03) is a shorter high-clearance ridge road in the northern Santa Anas, mixing rocky benches and chaparral with valley views. A compact plated ride best linked with the Main Divide, highway-legal only.

Elevation
2,100–3,700 ft
Best season
Year-round (avoid heat and after rain)
Surface
Rocky high-clearance ridge dirt
  • Compact northern-divide spur
  • Chaparral ridge and valley views
  • Pairs with the Main Divide (plated only)
GPX Track↑ 1,227 ft↓ 217 ft
2,398 ft3,415 ft

Long Canyon Road

No. 6S05
Street-legal plate only
Distance
3.4mi
Difficulty
Easy

Per the MVUM, 6S05 is open to highway-legal vehicles only: plated, street-legal bikes only, no green-sticker (non-street-legal) bikes.

Source: USFS Motor Vehicle Use Map (MVUM), 2026

Mellow graded road in the El Cariso / Blue Jay area.

Long Canyon Road (6S05) is a gentler graded road around the El Cariso and Blue Jay campground area on the south end of the range, good for an easy plated cruise and reaching trailheads and camps. Highway-legal only.

Elevation
2,400–3,400 ft
Best season
Year-round (avoid heat and after rain)
Surface
Wide graded dirt, generally smooth
  • Easy graded riding near Blue Jay / El Cariso
  • Campground and trailhead access
  • Beginner-friendly plated route