SXS Havasu to Topock to Oatman Without Street Registration?

[Captain Dan]

I apologize because I know this has been discussed before, but from my search, nothing real recent. I'm going to be in Havasu Sat/Sun/Mon and would like to travel to the Bunker Bar (that's simple if I just trailer to Walmart), but what about continuing to Topock Marina? Is it still impossible to be legal because of the wildlife preserve? Topock to Oatman requires some on-road registration, correct? What about trailering to Golden Shores and going off road to Oatman thereafter?

We have CA Off-Road registration and non-resident AZ Offroad permits.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I apologize because I know this has been discussed before, but from my search, nothing real recent. I'm going to be in Havasu Sat/Sun/Mon and would like to travel to the Bunker Bar (that's simple if I just trailer to Walmart), but what about continuing to Topock Marina? Is it still impossible to be legal because of the wildlife preserve? Topock to Oatman requires some on-road registration, correct? What about trailering to Golden Shores and going off road to Oatman thereafter?

We have CA Off-Road registration and non-resident AZ Offroad permits.

You can get to Topock pretty easily with less than a mile of on road driving. Worst case it is a mile or 2 if you don't parallel the railroad tracks and go around the preserve.

You will be on the road a bit to get to Oatman no matter what. You can do most of it in the dirt. Take Polaris Rd. That is the most direct. There is also the gas line road.

 

[Mikes56]

Each time we go to Havasu with the SxS we go to the Bunker Bar and Topock for lunch. We drive them on London Bridge Rd, then across the 95 to the Bunker Bar on the dirt trails. While on London Bridge Rd, we drive the speed limit, be respectful of the other drivers, etc.

Going to Topock is similar, but we drive on the 95 in front of the Loves Gas Station by the I-40, then down into the sand wash and along the RR tracks. all the way to Topock. There’s about a 1/2 mile section of roadway to get to Topock. Again, while on the roadways, drive slow and respectful.

Until recently I had only a CA green sticker on my X3. Several of us have done this a lot and never had a problem.

Ive never been to Oatman in my SxS.

 

[TPC]

The Preserve is usually patrolled when we roll in the area. Hold that thought.

 

[dirtslinger2]

I'm in Golden Shores/Topock, so I can't speak to the roads in Havasu, but from the Bunker bar, you can parallel the 95 leaving the Bunker bar, it will pop you out near the RDP storage units, you can veer right, and get behind them, and behind the Pilot to the storm drain which goes under the 40. That will dump you into Sacrament Wash, and hang a left towards Topock. You should be able to do all of that with no registration.
To get to the actual Topock Marina, on the left side of the tracks, you will have to cross a small section of the the Preserve, there are signs that tell you not too, I have done it many times, and just ignored the signs. A couple years before covid, there was a Ranger who started posing up there, and stopping vehicles. I never got stopped, but I heard if you were cool, and not a drunk douche, that you got let off with a warning. I also heard a few people were cited, but I never heard of any DUI arrests.
To skip the preserve, you would stay on the right side of the tracks, but that puts you on RR land, as you'd be solely using the RR road. This would dump you out a little N. of the Marina, and you'd probably have to drive maybe 1/4 mile on Rt. 66, and unlikely you'd get hassled by any LEO if you were cruising the speed limit. I have heard, as recently as New Years weekend, that Topock Marina, got permission from the RR for off roaders to be able to use the road, I have no idea how to confirm that.
You can take this information as you see fit, but I'll say that I have been off-roading to the Marina for 20+ years, using both of these routes, and even a couple more, that are inaccessible now and I've never been stopped or hassled, I've even had my kids behind me on bikes, or a mini RZR.

If you want to know the easiest and least amount of street to get to Oatman, let me know, I do that ride also, and just did it last week.

 

[Captain Dan]

Thank you very much for the replies. We didn't do Topock but we dd Desert Bar one day, Bunker Bar the next, and Standard Wash area the 3rd. The roads to the bars were fairly hammered with washboards.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Thank you very much for the replies. We didn't do Topock but we dd Desert Bar one day, Bunker Bar the next, and Standard Wash area the 3rd. The roads to the bars were fairly hammered with washboards.

Those are the 3 most heavily traveled routes in and around Havasu. They are the worst.

 

[Captain Dan]

Definitely. We did get pretty far east from Standard and found some good high speed stuff

 

[Bpracing1127]

rule of thumb the further you get from havasu the better the offroading gets

 

[JAK Classic]

I'm in Golden Shores/Topock, so I can't speak to the roads in Havasu, but from the Bunker bar, you can parallel the 95 leaving the Bunker bar, it will pop you out near the RDP storage units, you can veer right, and get behind them, and behind the Pilot to the storm drain which goes under the 40. That will dump you into Sacrament Wash, and hang a left towards Topock. You should be able to do all of that with no registration.
To get to the actual Topock Marina, on the left side of the tracks, you will have to cross a small section of the the Preserve, there are signs that tell you not too, I have done it many times, and just ignored the signs. A couple years before covid, there was a Ranger who started posing up there, and stopping vehicles. I never got stopped, but I heard if you were cool, and not a drunk douche, that you got let off with a warning. I also heard a few people were cited, but I never heard of any DUI arrests.
To skip the preserve, you would stay on the right side of the tracks, but that puts you on RR land, as you'd be solely using the RR road. This would dump you out a little N. of the Marina, and you'd probably have to drive maybe 1/4 mile on Rt. 66, and unlikely you'd get hassled by any LEO if you were cruising the speed limit. I have heard, as recently as New Years weekend, that Topock Marina, got permission from the RR for off roaders to be able to use the road, I have no idea how to confirm that.
You can take this information as you see fit, but I'll say that I have been off-roading to the Marina for 20+ years, using both of these routes, and even a couple more, that are inaccessible now and I've never been stopped or hassled, I've even had my kids behind me on bikes, or a mini RZR.

If you want to know the easiest and least amount of street to get to Oatman, let me know, I do that ride also, and just did it last week.

@dirtslinger2 Hello Dirt Slinger, I'm responding to your detailed directions earlier this year for SxS drive from LHC to Topock. Thanks.
You ended by offering easiest ride from Topock to Oatman. Might you be able to explain here. Our little group frequents Topock often from LHC and are hoping to start venturing a little further. Any guidance is appreciated. Thanks,

 

[dirtslinger2]

@dirtslinger2 Hello Dirt Slinger, I'm responding to your detailed directions earlier this year for SxS drive from LHC to Topock. Thanks.
You ended by offering easiest ride from Topock to Oatman. Might you be able to explain here. Our little group frequents Topock often from LHC and are hoping to start venturing a little further. Any guidance is appreciated. Thanks,

If you search here, I drew it out on google maps several years ago. I didn't save those images, so it might be faster to search it.

Just a quick note,
From Topock/Golden Shores, you want to get on the pipeline trail on the W. side of town, it's West of town, East side of Hwy 1. It's super burned in, and well trafficed now. You'll take this N. until about 1/2 mile S. of the Powerplant on Rt. 1, close to Ft. Mohave. From there, take the double rusty power pole rt. East back towards Rt. 66. Left, at Polaris Rd/Double Powerlines. You'll notice your getting close to Boundry Cone, the mountain thats at Oatman. From the double powerline trail, you can head east on a few different trails over to Rt 66, near the Y in the hwy, and then head into town.

Check out Google earth, and see if it makes sense to you.

 

[JAK Classic]

If you search here, I drew it out on google maps several years ago. I didn't save those images, so it might be faster to search it.

Just a quick note,
From Topock/Golden Shores, you want to get on the pipeline trail on the W. side of town, it's West of town, East side of Hwy 1. It's super burned in, and well trafficed now. You'll take this N. until about 1/2 mile S. of the Powerplant on Rt. 1, close to Ft. Mohave. From there, take the double rusty power pole rt. East back towards Rt. 66. Left, at Polaris Rd/Double Powerlines. You'll notice your getting close to Boundry Cone, the mountain thats at Oatman. From the double powerline trail, you can head east on a few different trails over to Rt 66, near the Y in the hwy, and then head into town.

Check out Google earth, and see if it makes sense to you.

Thank-you sir. I'll search and find your images. Thanks.

 

[dirtslinger2]

This is the pipeline trail