United States District Court Orders OHV Route Closures in the West Mojave Desert
A federal judge has handed down a decision that will reshape how we use some of the Mojave’s most familiar dirt.
A January 2026 ruling against the Bureau of Land Management requires the closure of up to 2,200 miles of off-highway vehicle routes inside designated Desert Tortoise Critical Habitat unless and until the BLM completes a new route designation plan. The closures could begin as soon as March 2026. There are many hard conversations ahead.
Last week’s storms slammed the length of California, dumping heavy rain, triggering floods and debris flows from the Coast Range to the Sierra and through the Transverse Range all the way to the tip of the Peninsular Mountain Range.
King of the Hammers is back. The world’s most extreme off-road race and a week-long desert festival, KOH mixes high-speed desert runs with brutal rock crawling that chews up equipment and separates the finished from the wrecked.
The sky over California puts on one of its best displays this weekend. From desert flats to high mountain vistas, the Geminid meteor shower peaks between December 13 and 14 — and under the right conditions, it’s the year’s most spectacular meteor show. Get away from town lights and clouds, and you’ll see fast, bright streaks and the occasional fireball that make a late night worth it.
This month, Grant Grove in Kings Canyon will host the 100th Annual Trek to the Nation’s Christmas Tree. On December 14, assembling at 2 p.m. with the official ceremony beginning at 2:30 p.m. The event honors the General Grant Tree, the long-lived, enormous, and officially recognized “Nation’s Christmas Tree.” December 14 is also a free entrance day at Sequoia and Kings Canyon, so Grant Grove will see heavier foot traffic and limited parking.