Ah, holiday weekends! They're like the ultimate adventure package—standstill traffic, bustling trails, sardine-packed surf breaks, and campsites that resemble a game of Tetris. When a holiday falls mid-summer, you can expect a few others with the idea to get out of the house and enjoy the outdoors. When you find that all your local campsites are booked out, you can thank the Bureau of Land Management for the option to get outside - for free. 

We made a short list of a few of our favorite local spots to get outside and escape the mess of the masses.

LATITUDE/LONGITUDE:

35.312571, -118.050022

DIRECTIONS:

Jawbone Open Area is located off State Highway 14, approximately 20 miles north of the intersection of State Highway14 and 58 in the town of Mojave. A left turn from State Highway 14 onto Jawbone Canyon Rd., when traveling from the south. Traveling from the north, it is a right turn onto Jawbone Canyon Rd.

LATITUDE/LONGITUDE:

34.51764167, -116.7532

DIRECTIONS:

The riding area can be entered from Highway 247 at Old Woman Springs Road or Camp Rock Road, 55 miles southeast of Barstow. Most visitors access the area off Camp Rock Road by driving north off of Highway 247. Staging for many competitive events is at Anderson Dry Lake, 10 miles north of Highway 247 and east of Camp Rock Road. These are graded dirt roads.

LATITUDE/LONGITUDE:

35.07, -116.278

DIRECTIONS:

The riding area is between Interstate 15 and the Mojave National Preserve, about 25 miles southwest of Baker (CA). Access roads are Basin Road and Rasor Road east of the I-15. Both of these roads are graded dirt roads.