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California Trails

2N17X - Pilot Fuelbreak aka The Old Pilot Rock Trail

4.9/5 (12 reviews)

Apple Valley, California (San Bernardino County)

Last Updated: 08/02/2022

Trail Information

Highlights

Altitude

Desert

Iconic

Rock

Scenic

Snow Wheeling

On the north side of Canyon Pass near Apple Valley, California is a fun and exciting trail that can challenge even the most experienced of drivers. 2N17X Pilot Fuelbreak, or the old Pilot Rock Trail, is a short but extreme off-road trail that winds up the hills near Lake Arrowhead and Silverwood Lake. Full of steep hills and amazing views, there is no wonder why Southern Californians come from far to wheel this epic offroad trail. But don't be worried if you are not in some built rock buggy, the trail is perfect even for people in stock vehicles. That is because it has bypasses around the very hard lines, but still, some fun stuff for the more stock vehicles to struggle on. So jump in your 4x4, and check out this ultimate Jeep trail in SoCal.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

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Josh Noesser

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Trail Navigation

The trail is full of loose dirt hill climbs with angles over 50 degrees. Many of the hill climbs are longer than 100 feet. Around the area is mostly an old burnt forest with a few trees here and there. Not much shade is on the trail making it hard to escape the heat of the sun. Airing down will be required to run this trail, as well as an SUV with 4 low.

1. Trailhead 2N17X at 2N33 and Hill Climb - Go East (0 mi)

2N17X - Pilot Fuelbreak aka The Old Pilot Rock Trail - Waypoint 1: Trailhead 2N17X at 2N33 and Hill Climb - Go East

The trail splits off of 2N33 - Pilot Rock Truck Trail and heads west. It is easy to see the trailhead as it is a large hill climb with an optional hard line on the right that has a two-foot ledge at the base.

2. Hill Climb (Required) (0.11 mi)

2N17X - Pilot Fuelbreak aka The Old Pilot Rock Trail - Waypoint 2: Hill Climb (Required)

The first of many hill climbs, this one is steep and has several holes in it from people spinning tires.

3. Hill Climb - Easy on South Side/Hard on North (0.89 mi)

2N17X - Pilot Fuelbreak aka The Old Pilot Rock Trail - Waypoint 3: Hill Climb - Easy on South Side/Hard on North

The next hill climb is probably the hardest optional obstacle. With three different lines, there is a path for everyone. The far right is the easiest line while the far left is the intermediate line. If you go straight up the center, there are several large holes that will eat up a 37-inch tire making it very hard to get up without a little Moab bump. Be careful as the far left line is loose and your vehicle can easily get into an awkward position if you don't pay close attention to your tire placement.

4. Hill Climb with Rocks (2.35 mi)

2N17X - Pilot Fuelbreak aka The Old Pilot Rock Trail - Waypoint 4: Hill Climb with Rocks

The next hill climb s-turns up the hill and has a few large rocks sticking up near the top. This is the hardest required spot of the trail. A good line will be required for vehicles with no lockers.

5. Final Hill Climb - Easy on West (2.57 mi)

2N17X - Pilot Fuelbreak aka The Old Pilot Rock Trail - Waypoint 5: Final Hill Climb - Easy on West

The final hill climb is nothing to take lightly, just like the other hard hill climbs this path has its fair share of challenge and risk. There are roughly 3 lines up the trail and it is normally changing with the weather. Often the far right is the easiest while the middle is hardest leaving the far left the intermediate line. Be careful about using speed because it can get hairy quickly.

6. Southern Trailhead at 2N33 - Go North (3.28 mi)

2N17X - Pilot Fuelbreak aka The Old Pilot Rock Trail - Waypoint 6: Southern Trailhead at 2N33 - Go North

The trail quickly ends at the top of the final hill climb at 2N33 - Pilot Rock Truck Trail. You can go west to take you back to the other trailhead or east to take you to Pilot Rock or Lake Arrowhead.

Trail Reviews

4.9/5 (12)

Joe Zumwalt

150

Open

Visited: 02/21/2023

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

The trail is very hard right now. The rains have created huge ruts, and created crazy off camber sections. I rolled my Jeep on the Gatekeeper in early January. My rig was well equipped and I am a seasoned driver, but this trail can sneak up and get you in a split second like it did me. Do not go alone and make sure you use spotters in it's current condition.

landon shook

300

Open

Visited: 01/14/2023

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Trail was great but in very rough shape due to recent rains. We took old pilot rock and got stuck a couple times due to soft ground and v notches. The majority of the trail was v notches due to wash outs which created alot of fun challenges. Do not go alone! I would run this trail again but not until summer after ground hardens and other rigs fix what the rain created haha

Paul Crawford

3150

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 05/26/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Challenging trail out of Hesperia, near lake Silverwood. Gatekeeper at the beginning is as difficult as it looks and a challenge, but the rest of the trail looks harder than it is do to long steep climbs. Trail is rated 4-7/10, but that gatekeeper may be a 5-6 now? It looks and feels intimidating. The main obstacle further up the trail has three lines and the middle is the most difficult and would take a very well equipped rig to make it up. However the other lines are easier and would still say the gatekeeper was harder. Ran with 3 very well equipped JK/JL on 37's, and my TJ is on 35's with a rear locker and front Tru-Trac for reference. There are some tougher lines that can be taken, and tons of challenging off-shoots along the trail to play around on.

Richard Penaloza

200

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 05/01/2022

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Amazing trail, challenging and with fantastic views. We had everything from a mild ZJ to built XJ, JK and even a Sequoia get through. Not without a few challenges but definitely doable with experienced drivers. Definite pin-stripping and rock slider hits on the harder obstacles. Well worth it!

Margarita Luna

100

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 10/02/2021

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

This trail was amazing. Adrenaline rush for sure. First time on a trail like this but my Jeep did great! Can’t wait to do it again. There were a couple of intimidating parts but we had a great spotter and it was great fun overall.

2N17X - Pilot Fuelbreak aka The Old Pilot Rock Trail

Trail Information

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Trail Navigation

1. Trailhead 2N17X at 2N33 and Hill Climb - Go East (0 mi)

2. Hill Climb (Required) (0.11 mi)

3. Hill Climb - Easy on South Side/Hard on North (0.89 mi)

4. Hill Climb with Rocks (2.35 mi)

5. Final Hill Climb - Easy on West (2.57 mi)

6. Southern Trailhead at 2N33 - Go North (3.28 mi)

Trail Reviews

From the Community

Josh Noesser

2N17X - Pilot Fuelbreak aka The Old Pilot Rock Trail

Trail Information

Highlights

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Recommended Vehicle:

Concerns:

Summary:

Community Consensus

0 votes

3 votes

2 votes

Mandatory

Optional

Start your next adventure on 2N17X - Pilot Fuelbreak aka The Old Pilot Rock Trail

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Trail Navigation

1. Trailhead 2N17X at 2N33 and Hill Climb - Go East (0 mi)

2. Hill Climb (Required) (0.11 mi)

3. Hill Climb - Easy on South Side/Hard on North (0.89 mi)

4. Hill Climb with Rocks (2.35 mi)

5. Final Hill Climb - Easy on West (2.57 mi)

6. Southern Trailhead at 2N33 - Go North (3.28 mi)

Trail Reviews

From the Community

Josh Noesser

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