On weekends and holidays, and practically any other day of the year, the barren sand dunes of Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area are alive with the buzz of high-revving engines and low-torquing gears. Motocross superstars like Brian Deegan, Mike Metzger and Jeremy McGrath can be found jumping gaps and throwing down stunts like Indian Airs, backflips and no-handed Heart Attacks, while amateur enthusiasts on dirt bikes, ATVs, and dune buggies put their rigs through the paces and party hearty in the campground.

Desert Trails

For those more interested in breaking ground than busting their kidneys, the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park offers more than 600,000 acres and 100 miles of offroad tracks and trails, leading to badlands and box canyons, Indian petroglyphs and abandoned settlements, refreshing oases and hidden hot springs. There are fire roads in the local mountains, but most of them traverse private lands and protected parks so access can be restricting. If the San Diego scene doesn't satisfy your appetite for offroad adventure, look south to Baja California - 1000 miles of bone-jarring, four-wheelin' fun.

Biking and BMX

Mountain bike enthusiasts will find San Diego's many offroad dirt trails inviting, with the added bonus of the on-road option to take a spin through Balboa Park or a cruise down the Mission Beach Boardwalk. Popular urban assaults include the serpentine singletrack of Tecolote Canyon, the steeps of Iron Mountain, and riding on the Silver Strand beach at low tide. Up in the hills around Cuyamaca, Palomar and Mount Laguna are mixed-use hiking trails that offer longer and more challenging trips. BMXers should check out the Kearny Moto Park, with its super-size tabletops and gap jumps.

Discover more about biking from dirt to track and more in San Diego County.