College Classes and Tours
All Ecological 4-Wheeling tours and classes are offered on a
nondiscriminatory basis. The tours are operated with the strictest respect for
Mother Nature, under permits issued by Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest
Service or the California Department of Parks and Recreation, and only travel on
designated routes and in authorized areas!
- JAWBONE JOURNEY (offered spring and fall) Trip
Difficulty: EASY
- From high desert to high forest, explore
historic California.
Jawbone Canyon is the gateway to a land of contrasts. Its
mouth bridged with steel pipes of the Los Angeles aqueducts, the canyon
leads us from the Ricardo Formation to the old Kern River gold mining camps.
With emphasis on FUN, NOT ROUGH, you'll make new friends and discover
panoramic vistas.
- MAIDEN VOYAGE (offered spring and fall) Trip
Difficulty: EASY
- Seeing is believing! From the safety and
comfort of easy dirt roads, come see what hard-core 4-wheelers tackle!
Kick off the day with Indian rock art, cinder domes, lava
flows and scenic vistas. Then, settle down to lunch at the base of
sledgehammer, the roughest 4X4 trail in Southern California. Finally, watch
what the real 4-wheelers do, or better yet, ride in a specially equipped
rock crawler.
- OWENS VALLEY CARAVAN (offered spring and summer) Trip
Difficulty: EASY
- Step back into history. Spend a scenic and
educational three-day weekend exploring east of the Sierra Nevada.
From the volcanic past to the source of much of Southern
California's drinking water, Owens Valley is a land of contrasts. Our
Journey (2WD acceptable) near Bishop takes us to an ancient rock writing and
a natural hot creek and then we'll explore Mono Lake by canoe and by foot.
Monday offers an optional excursion and hike into Devil's Postpile area.
- DISCOVERING FOUR WHEEL DRIVE (offered fall, spring
and summer) Trip Difficulty: EASY
- This one-day, hands-on seminar is designed to acquaint you with your
4WD, and our methods and philosophy.
- Your four-wheel drive is just waiting to show you the backcountry, but it
makes good sense to learn the fundamentals first. Let the “clean and easy”
expert show you driving techniques and backcountry etiquette with slides and
lecture. Learn the ins and outs of handling different terrain, getting
unstuck the easy way and what tools and spares to carry. Then it’s out to
the college parking lot for hands-on experience. He personally inspects and
instructs on each vehicle. Open Mother Nature’s back door to a lifetime of
adventure with Discovering Four Wheel Drive.
- BACKROAD TRIPS AND TIPS (offered fall, spring and
summer)
- The Backroad Trips and Tips lecture provides practical backcountry
travel tips. A must for solitary travelers.
- Discover the fun and intrigue of our local mountains and deserts. If you
own a four-wheel-drive (4WD) vehicle, you won’t want to miss Harry
Lewellyn’s approach to backcountry exploration. Using his BACKROAD TRIPS
AND TIPS book, you learn how to plan, map and navigate the unpaved terrain.
Culminating in a slide show of near and far 4WD excursions, you’re left
with the enthusiasm to go exploring for that lost gold mine or discover your
own secret oasis.
- INDIAN ROCK ART ADVENTURE* (offered fall and spring)
Trip Difficulty: EASY
- This easy, introductory tour is a great way to get acquainted with
our clean and easy style.
- Are you looking for something different to do? Do you own a four wheel
drive (4WD) vehicle? Hidden away in the desert near Barstow are scenic and
ancient petroglyph sites. Mother Nature shows off her colorful geologic past
in Rainbow Basin, and Inscription Canyon offers one of the most impressive
Indian rock-art displays available to the public. Let the Silver Coyote lead
you on an exciting clean and easy one-day adventure into the Mojave Desert.
Mom, the kids love this one!
- EXPLORING BIG BEAR* (offered fall, spring and
spring) Trip Difficulty: MORE DIFFICULT
- You'll marvel at the natural beauty and the neatest little mine in
the local mountains.
- With emphasis on FUN, NOT ROUGH, learn some of the intriguing secrets of
the San Bernardino Mountains the clean and easy way. Then return to explore
the many abandoned gold mines, cabins and Indian sites that await the
adventuresome. Let this ECOLOGICALLY COMPATIBLE 4-WHEELING adventure treat
your new sport utility to what it’s built for.
- EXPLORING THE INDIAN RESERVATION (summer only)
Trip Difficulty: MORE DIFFICULT
- This Weekend training follows our progressive learning process -
crawl,-before-you-walk-before-you-run!
Presenting a cross section of terrain from beginner to impossible, this tour
is designed to help all 4WD owners improve their backroad skills. Make new
friends luxuriating and dining at the nearby Warner Springs Ranch or camp on
the reservation.
- MOJAVE EXPEDITION* (offered fall and spring) Trip
Difficulty: MORE DIFFICULT
- If you yearn for the things California was built on - gold, old
mines and relics - this one is for you.
- The legend and lore of Colorado Camp, Schmidt’s Tunnel, Painted Canyon,
Bonanza Gulch and the Yellow Aster Mine ignite the imagination. Your new 4x4
makes them a reality. On this one-day tour, we’ll make new friends,
discover the historically rich gold-mining area of Randsburg and improve our
four-wheel-drive skills under the watchful eye of the Silver Coyote.
- CARRIZO BADLANDS EXCURSION* (offered fall and
spring) Trip Difficulty: MORE DIFFICULT
- It's common to hear, "I had no idea anything of this sort
existed in California!" We dwell on Mother Nature.
- Travel the old Butterfield Stage route, drive through breathtaking canyons
and explore the most spectacular badlands in Southern California. Meet new
friends and learn ecologically compatible four wheeling in the little-known
state park of ANZA-BORREGO. With the emphasis on FUN and NOT ROUGH, we’ll
open Mother Nature’s back door to years of adventure!
* Stock 4Xs encouraged and no prior 4WD experience required. Load
up the 4X with friends - PASSENGERS RIDE FOR FREE ON ALL COLLEGE TOURS! However,
tour drivers must attend the lecture and have their own insured, street-legal
4WD vehicle. All Ecological 4-Wheeling Adventure tours
and classes are offered on a nondiscriminatory basis.
Schedule: Contact Ecological 4-Wheeling
Adventures at the address/phone/fax below:
Call the colleges for fees and reservations:
Glendale College, Glendale - (818) 548-0864
Golden West, Huntington Beach - (714) 891-3991
Mt. San Jacinto College, (classes at Menifee campus) - (909) 487-6752
Pierce College, Woodland Hills - (818) 719-6425
Rancho Santiago College, Santa Ana - (714) 564-6220
Saddleback, Mission Viejo - (714) 582-4646
Ecological 4-Wheeling Adventures
P.O. Box 12137
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
voice: (949) 645-7733
fax: (949) 645-7738
email: info@eco4wd.com
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