• Four-wheeling in a dry and rugged area.4x4 image by photlook from Fotolia.com
  
  California, with its diverse terrain and wide, open areas, is great place for off-roading in your 4X4 vehicle. The variety in geography provides trails of all lengths and difficulties for enthusiasts. For those looking for the most difficult of trails in California, explore a sampling of these extreme, expert-only trails here, and consider visiting them during your next off-road challenge.
  
  

The Rubicon Trail

• The Rubicon trail is perhaps the most well known and most traveled 4X4 trail in the world, according to Glenn Wakefield of 4X4now.com. It is located in the Sierra Nevada mountains about 80 miles east of Sacramento. The trail can be completed in two or three days, is open to all vehicles year-round and requires no fees or permits. It is high in elevation, averaging 6,000 to 7,000 feet with very technical terrain. Large boulders, steep inclines and descents, and technical sections are common throughout the length of the 22-mile trail.
  
  

Dusy-Ershim Trail

• Dusy-Ershim Trail is located near Fresno; the trailhead is just off Highway 168. The 30-mile-long trail can usually be completed in two to four days and is for expert drivers only. Full size trucks and those with long wheel bases are not recommended. The trail can get very tight at spots and wider vehicles simply can't pass through them. There are several campgrounds along the trail for accommodation.
  
  

Fordyce Creek Trail

• Fordyce Creek Trail is located in the Sierra Mountains and carries a the highest rating for difficulty, a 10, by Californiajeeper.com. The trail takes four to six hours to complete and has several deep water crossings that can be impassable during high snow years. For vehicle equipment, a lifted truck with a locked and short wheel base with rocker guards, tow hooks and straps are a must. There are campsites located along the trail.
  
  

Deer Valley Trail

• Deer Valley Trail is also located in the Lake Tahoe area, about 22 miles west of the small town of Kirkwood. The trail can be done in about three hours but the amount of large boulders can add significant time to the trip to safely navigate around these difficult sections. There are also two water crossings that can get up to two feet deep. Most 4X4 vehicles can make it through this trail, though longer wheel bases will have more difficulty.