Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area

First visit and I loved it. I drove a quad through the trails. A nice variety of trails from kiddy to pro. Watched some jeeps 4×4 their way up mountains. Camp grounds have shaded areas, restrooms, bbq pit. Bring your beach chairs, canopy, kite, hammock and grill. The local police rangers patrol on the hour. Fast food, gas and Mini Mart was 4 miles away from our campsite.

The GOOD STUFF: Perfect off-​road heaven 40 mins from Los Angeles. If you’re a JEEP owner, you need to take your ride up here to kick in the 4X4 (I know you don’t have anywhere to do it in the city) and see how it works — it’s a great place to check out your vehicles abilities and get familiar with them. If you want a place to ride your 4 wheelers and dirt bikes, this is for you. The trails are three levels of difficulty, and the easiest are simple, wide and easy to maneuver. FOLLOW THE WARNING SIGNS, or you will end up rolling your Jeep off a cliff or bottoming out. But you can really kick up some dust and get a little mud on the tires for only a $ 5 entrance fee. Though, give yourself a few hours — the roads are not for speeding, and if you drive off the road or get stuck, it could be a while until you see someone else. There’s bathrooms throughout the parking lots (but not on the trails). Also, go on the weekdays, it’s EMPTY.
The BAD STUFF (or, not as good stuff): It can get really crowded on weekends — and the dirt bikers and 4 wheel junkies are kids hopped up on mountain dew and they will drive RIGHT INTO YOU. They are maniacs with a need for speed — so be really aware and listen for them — we had one whip around the corner at top speed and almost run head long into us. They aren’t paying attention, and if you have a 4X4 vehicle everybody’s day could end badly. Also, it’s a so-​so camping location (but they’re not private, it’s kind of parking lot camping). Don’t expect camping privacy, and your camping neighbors are going to want to drink and carry on.
The pics on Unilocal don’t do justice to how wide open this place is — there are tons of ways to get away from everyone, you won’t be crowded unless you want to be.
Overall, this place is country heaven not far from the city of Angels. if you have the vehicle for it — it’s a hidden gem right off the Gorman exit on Highway 5. Give it a try, it’s a mini vacation from the city noise.

One of SoCal best OHV and camping area
The rangers are on point
I have to personally thank
OFFICER LINCOLN and CUNNINGHAM
And sweet Argentinean Lady up front
Keep up the good work guys
Thank you for saving us
And our banshee yesterday

Went here today for the first time… Awesome awesome awesome place! Very easy to get to. There are gas stations and food places on the same exit. 5 dollars to enter for the day and the camping rates vary. The lady that was at the gate today was very happy, helpful, funny and exciting. She made the day even better! we parked at the first campground where they have an unloading dock/​ramp, bathrooms, fire pits, picnic benches, and shaded areas! Close to that is the practice and warm up area then you go down to whichever trail you choose! They are marked for the beginners to experienced trails and let you know which vehicles are aloud. I highly recommend to get a map at the front it came in very handy later on in the day. There are so many trails to choose from so they are not packed or busy at all. Overall this place is great and we will back plenty more times!

Awesome place to go off-​roading near Los Angeles. The trails are awesome, good place to camp, ride, bbq and relax over the weekend.

Love this place! Easy to get to, lots of fun to be had, good (dry) camping, dark night skies, fun trails, beautiful views, good times.

Dirt bike heaven we had a great ride 72 degrees light wind that all helps. We drove from San Jose and it was well worth it.
KTM 300 WR 250 and three KLX 110 ages are 9, 11, 12, 16, 42 and fun had by all. Great open fast flowing trails rocky and dusty with great views I loved it and the kids loved it. We’re coming back for sure

Just got back from having one of the best weekends at Gorman /​Hungry valley! went out there Friday night and stayed till Sunday. Great weather during the day, and not to cold at night. The kids had a blast! You can see them from camp in the Edison Campsite. Going back in two weeks to do it again!

I haven’t been to many OHV places but this one seems fairly large and very good for beginners. I did go on the trails for more experienced off-​roaders and although they take more thought and a little more skill (and courage), I surmised that they aren’t as treacherous as other parks’ «black diamond» trails. Friends have said it just wasn’t that bad. That’s fine with me, I’m not looking to tip or damage my vehicle… or die… I just like to get out and drive the Jeep off-​road.

Pretty good place to start a beginner and it’s also a beautiful area to look around when you are on a trail ride with friends. It is very crowded at times but that means when there is a lot of people there will be people in the way. I had some strange things happen I was just riding alone back to camp and randomly a mini van was «off-​roadies» and nearly hit me and I was so scared. Some trails are fun but narrow.

Fun place to off road and camp. They have bathrooms so that’s a plus. Through the practice area I was in 4×4. I did not use my lockers but also did not go through the rock garden. Through out the park I was 95% in 2wd. Camping wise is ok. Our neighbors were noisy but at least the camp sites were 50 yds from each other. Overall I had a fun time.

This will always be Gorman to me, not Hungry Valley! My review is based on major holiday 3-​day weekend camping when EVERYONE GOES THERE! Watch out! Many novice to beginner riders haven’t quite grasped the meaning of blind curves, intersections, or hilltop horizon lines where you don’t know who’s coming at you from the other side. Be prepared for collisions. Always ride defensively and cautiously. You might be a great rider but you must assume at all times the other guy isn’t. Never ride alone, you could be in some remote area and crash or break down and NO ONE to find you. Cell phone reception is sketchy.
So my family and I just went there for Memorial Day weekend 2014 and here is what I observed. Cops were EVERYWHERE, issuing warnings and ticketing like crazy. You can’t ride RED sticker after April 30^th. You can take your chances if you are good at spotting the police vehicles. Some did and got away with it but I’m sure it causes anxiety. Red sticker ticket = $ 50 bucks. No spark arrester = $ 1000, that’s what I heard, I might be wrong. Anyway, it seemed liked this place was over-​policed and it felt intimidating. I guess the one good thing is cops kept the campgrounds in order where they controlled the loud drunks who always blast their music late into the night. Didn’t encounter any of that anywhere this time out. We used to hear the loud music and the drunken yahoos in years past, quite annoying. Trails that were washed out or damaged in the past were fixed! Wow, nice!
There was a time about 5 years ago I saw plenty of camping rigs flying the Mexican Flag, but not the US Flag. Made me kind of sick to my stomach because I am a proud American. Didn’t see any of that in recent times, none this time. I wonder what has changed?
Aside from all that, excellent riding for all skill levels, and close to L.A. If you really want a good experience, I would say to try this place on less popular weekends.

Disclaimer: I am not an OHV’er and am not writing about this California State Park as a place for offroading. I am a nature lover and came for a visit as a way to see the beautiful display of spring wildflowers and to hike in the company of my mother. We were not disappointed.
Poppies, lupine, scarlet bugler, and dozens of varieties of wildflowers were in full bloom today in all their splendor. Hiking was, I must say, much more exciting then usual by the prospect of impending death at the hands of an OHV’er; but we were safe and moved to the side of the trail every time we heard that «buzz…vroooom…buzz-vroooom…» that indicated that something dangerous was headed our way. I must say that all the drivers we encountered were super polite and courteous. Thank you!
The park is beautifully maintained. The campgrounds seemed lovely. Take a sturdy vehicle, preferably with 4WD (if you’re not already in an ATV, etc.) because there are lots of dirt roads with big ruts and dips.
It’s $ 5 per car per day, so better to consolidate all your wildflower-​viewing/​hiking friends into one vehicle. Upon paying fees, you will be given a map of the park and a lovely booklet entitled «Wildflowers of the Tejon Pass», which helps a lot with identification of the flowers you’ll see if you visit in spring.
Bring a sense of wonder and joy at what nature can do. And enjoy!

This place is great if you like the outdoors, and riding bikes/​quads. My in-​laws have been coming here for several years. I just started to ride a year or so ago, and love it. Hungry Valley OHV is a great place for any one of any skill level! It’s great to ride around and watch others too! This park is great so much to see, sometimes off the path too! If your into riding and have not been here, put it on your list!

Found this place by accident and I am so glad that I did! Alright, if you like to hike, camp or do some fun stuff this is the BEST location!!! people wrote great reviews and posted great tips here— instead of my repeating it go ahead and read them. Enjoy!!!
I felt alive again!!! loved it… next time I plan to invest my day @ that location:)

The last time I was at Hungry Valley I crashed at the end of the day by endo, landed on my head, broke my arm, sold my Yamaha TT 125-​R-​LE dirt bike and retired so I thought.
Never say say never because I’m here five years later riding an ATV which I said I would never ever do. My hubby and son have been going without me for four years and I finally decided some family bonding was in order with the teenager. I still think bikes are more fun, but my hubby said no more dirt bikes for me after my third and major crash since I’ve known him. I had dirt bikes way before I met my husband, but he’s an ATV guy and he can’t stand them.
There are over 20,000 acres and 130 miles of scenic trails for motorcycles, ATV’s and four wheel drives in Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area. There is also hiking within the 60 acres of the Oak Woodland Natural Preserve. The wildflowers should be blooming in about three weeks according to one of the rangers or staff members who answered the phone yesterday. See the following website for more info:
We parked in the Lower Scrub Oaks campground and there were a few covered picnic tables. It is in the middle of the park and right next to the following trails: Roadrunner, Pipeline Road, Schmidt Ranch Road, Jack Rabbit Trail, Cougar Trail (no comments about Cougars here) and it is right next to the Los Padres National Forest.
Tips:
* Safety is very important, so young riders should obtain a Safety Certificate or be under the direct supervison of a parent who has completed the ATV safety course.
* Slow down inside the campgrounds. Nobody wants all the extra dirt blowing around.
* Be considerate to other riders. Offer to help someone if they need it. We helped someone with our air compressor today and then a few guys helped my hubby when one of our ATV’s fell off the loading ramps. When I broke my arm and landed on my head about 5 years ago someone was just sitting in a campground about 30 feet from me and didn’t even bother to help. I was pinned under my bike and I couldn’t lift it due to my broken arm. This is not the norm though as my husband pointed out.
* Slow down when you see other riders on the same trail in the opposite direction or when you approach various trail intersections. Hold up fingers to let them know how many riders are behind you.
* When the terrain gets extra bumpy by whoops or rocks make sure you’re standing on your foot pegs. It really does help.
* Bring food, drinks, charcoal, wet wipes and a jacket. It could be warm down in L.A., but it can be really windy and colder up in Hungry Valley.
* If you have a green sticker you can ride here all year long. If you have a red sticker you are limited to: October 1 — April 30
* If you’re driving up the 5 from L.A. and don’t have really good offroading rims and tires don’t take the southern route into Hungry Valley at Smokey Bear Road. Go up the freeway a little further to the Gormon Exit and turn left. Turn right on Peace Valley Road and you’ll see the main entrance.
Be safe and be considerate!
For your listening pleasure here is a song I heard on the way to Hungry Valley this morning called «Breakdown» by Jack Johnson. It was a fitting song since I finally broke down and rode an ATV.

Joined the husband for a little 4-​wheeling fun a couple of weeks ago knowing that I may or may not like it. My husband actually took his wheeling classes here so I thought since I was pretty much free, why not go.
I was pretty surprised how large this park is. Everything is very streamlined with park maps available and signs all around the ground whether your vehicle is allowed there and what level of difficulty the terrain was. We skipped around in the wrangler and at some point I got too over confident about going over hills. Needless to say, the jeep was more capable than my confidence or what I could handle so I was ok with that.
There are plenty of restrooms and shaded picnic tables. The facilities are clean and the park itself is definitely very clean.
I’m aboslutely looking forward to coming back here and wheel some more. This park has somewhat made me and my husband think about buying bikes. These moto people looked like they were having a blast.
On another note: day use is only $ 5…score!

So much fun!
Came here to off road in a truck, and had a blast. I had no idea places like this even existed, I can’t wait to come back! It’s a dream for an off road vehicle, atv, dune buggy, dirt bike, etc. You can camp here too, although we came just as day use ($ 5 per car).
The map we got didn’t exactly match the real life trails, but the trails were mostly well-​marked with clear signs.
Be aware if you’re coming from the LA area, it was way colder here even though it’s only about an hour away– so dress warmly!

Fun filled weekend in the hot desert sun in the middle of nowhere!
Plenty of trailers, hidden spots and big cliffs that go way down to the depths of… you get what im going at!
Since this is my second time here, i would recommend it to new comers.
Now the reason for NOT getting a 5 star is the people who come here and just trash the place, Okay so thats not really the parks fault but the point im making is this is a state park and we all need to look after it. The people who come here just to mess the place up really need to do it at home. Upon leaving the camp site I found myself picking up trash that wasnt left by us.
Also, i get we are in a public park for motor sports BUT this aint no concert ground. No one wants to listen to your stoopid music blasting out at all hours of the day.
Park rangers need to be mindful of noise that isnt the sound of gas burning within a metal box.
This place is JAM packed on holidays so take note, come early to stake your camping claim.
Planning to come here during a week day when NO one is around!

This off-​highway area, California’s second largest off-​highway vehicular (OHV) recreation area, has hills and valleys, grassland, coastal sage scrub and oak woodland.
The park is a motorcycle, four-​wheel drive, and all-​terrain vehicle use area. There are about 130 miles of marked trails for all levels of OHV operators and hikers, from flat and level trails to steep and narrow.
A four-​wheel drive obstacle course and a one-​mile long practice track for motorcycles 100cc or larger are open to the public.
There is also a practice mini-​track for beginning riders on ATVs and motorcycles up to 90cc. The track is located at the Smith Forks campground. The Quail Canyon Special Use Area is open to the public and has three tracks to accommodate most ages and rider abilities. There is a large motocross track, a vintage track, and a Pee Wee track. Please click on: More Information about Hungry Valley SVRA to view details and hours of operation for the Quail Canyon Special Use Area.
All off-​road vehicles used in the park must be equipped with a spark arrestor and must have either a current highway registration or current off-​highway vehicle green or red sticker.
Visitors to the park should bring water, sunscreen, hats, and dress accordingly. Hikers should be aware that the park has ticks and chaparral, so shorts should not be worn.