The Fort Sage OHV Area is located off of Highway 395 north of Reno, Nevada and back across the California border. Fort Sage is managed by the BLM with the use of California Department of Parks and Recreation Green Sticker Funds. I have been aware of the existence of the Fort Sage OHV area for some time, but because if it's remote location I had not had the opportunity to check it out for myself. Now I know what I have been missing.

Single track leading out of staging area.	Maps of the area are posted at the staging area.
	The cleanest, nicest facilities that you will ever find in a California OHV area.
One of the dead end trails on Loop 3 with incredible views of the Nevada desert.

Doesn't it just make sense that one of the most remote OHV areas funded by California Green Sticker fees would be one of the nicest? Entering the staging area you are immediately impressed by the quality and cleanliness of the facilities. There are a variety of nice graveled parking areas and the nicest bathroom that I have ever found in an OHV area. It almost looks as though a landscaping crew was just there.

The Fort Sage area is designated as a Limited Use Area by the BLM, which means that you must stay on existing trails that are posted. No new trails are to be developed within this area without authority of the BLM. The BLM also has the right to close trails that could potentially be seen as harmful to the local environment for concerns such as erosion or illegal trail widening. What this should mean to you is that you should take great care to stay on existing trails and not give into the temptation to create new trails. Much of the terrain at Fort Sage is susceptible to illegal trail creation, so be sure to educate everyone in your party as to the repercussions of straying off of the existing trails.

The trail system at Fort Sage is located on the west face of a decomposing granite monolith. The farther you are toward the top the more solid rock and sand you will find. As you head towards the bottom you find more broken rock and hard soil.

The trails at Fort Sage are broken into three main loops with lots of sub-loops and dead ends. There is a fourth trail that is not a loop trail and is not accessible from the main staging area. It is connected to the larger trail system by a hiking trail.

Past fire damage is the reason for common Fall closures of the area.	The Milford MX Facility is to the north of the Fort Sage OHV Area along the foothills.

Most of the trails are wide and easy to navigate. The central trail (trail 3) is a continuation of the road that leads in to the staging area. This is a jeep trail with a variety of short trails that lead off of it. Sub-trails and sub-loops off of the main loops are marked with a dash number. For example, a dead end or sub-loop off of trail 3 would be 3-1 or 3-2, etc?

Each loop offers a different type of terrain. Loop 3 is primarily made up of roads or jeep trails which are smooth and flat for the most part. This offers lots of opportunity for high speed runs. Loop 2 is much more of a roller coaster ride. It runs through a variety of shallow, steep gullies. It also obviously gets the most use and contains more whoops than any of the other trails. Loop 1 is more of a ridge type trail and runs on mainly hard pack ridgelines with more hill climbing than on the other loops.

One of the most interesting things about the Fort Sage OHV area is the wide variety of terrain, even though the actual area is relatively small. In addition, most of the trails are relatively easy, which makes it perfect for teaching younger or new riders what to expect for desert terrain. The soil at Fort Sage ranges from fine, deep, blow sand to solid granite, with rock strewn hardpack in between. There are only a few slightly difficult hill climbs, and this is mostly due to the soft sand.

	The main trail of Loop 3 consists mostly of high speed jeep road. The loose sand makes this lots of fun.
Occasional exposed granite makes the high speed sections kind of interesting.

Loop 3 contains many dead end trails that shouldn't be missed. Most of these end at overlooks that have incredible views of the massive expanse of desert floor across the Nevada border. Some of these dead ends also contain sandy hill climbs, or cross single track trails that seem to drop right off of the edge of the world. For the truly adventurous there is a trail called Widow Maker that can be fairly challenging at times. It is not as steep as difficult hills usually found in Northern California, but because of the deep sand found at Fort Sage it can get very interesting.

Loop 2 is the best trail for those looking for a bit more of a challenge. There is really nothing that is all that difficult to navigate, but because of the deep whoops and potential for high speed, it can be a blast to ride. It is obvious that this trail is also used the four legged set, so be cautious and courteous if encountering groups on horseback. Much of Loop 2 runs through steep, shallow gullies, so there is lots of deep berm riding to be found as you switch back and forth from wall to wall.

My favorite section of trail ended up being the lower section of Loop 3 that runs from the beginning of Loop 1 back to the main staging area. This is a long section of undulating desert that is super smooth and can be run at relatively high speed. This trail is exactly what Southern California desert riding would be like of the trails there weren't so hammered and whooped out. It was a true pleasure to be able to enjoy this type of terrain without the usual spleen pounding that comes from riding in areas that have been hammered so hard for so long that there is nothing left but miles of deep, hard whoops.

	The few semi-steep hills in the area are made more challenging by the deep blow sand covering the steeper slopes.
Some of the single track at Fort Sage seems to just disappear off of the edge of the world. Getting down is easy, coming back up is a bit more challenging.	The sand whoops do get fairly deep in some areas, but are still relatively easy.

The Fort Sage OHV area is not very large and an average rider could ride the entire trail system in two to three hours, so if you are looking for days of riding on new trails this is not the place for you. If you are looking for a place where you can experience a wide variety of desert terrain, and particularly if you have children or inexperienced riders, then this is the place for you. Because of the relative remoteness of this area it very rarely gets crowded. There are occasional off road events held in the area, so it is always a good idea to call ahead to make sure that the area is open. It is also in an area that can experience high fire danger, so tends to be closed in the Fall due to fire concerns. In winter the area receives fairly regular snow fall, which can help to add to the challenge.

The Fort Sage OHV Area does not allow overnight camping, but there are several camping facilities on Hwy 395 North of the OHV area. There is also a nice, new MX facility just a short distance north on 395 in Milford that has been host to WORCS races and 4-Stroke Nationals. If you plan it right you could make a great riding/racing weekend out of a trip to this forgotten stretch of Northern California. The area is also a very easy drive from the Reno, Nevada area. So, if you are a bit adventurous and can find a way to secure your bikes, it is very easy to set up a home base at a Reno hotel or casino.

As always, please be courteous and leave the area better than you found it. It is obvious with the Fort Sage OHV Area that the people who manage it take great pride in what they do. Show your respects by keeping it clean so that everyone can enjoy this very special place.

If you want to learn how to ride sand, this is the place for you. Not all of the trails are this sandy, but the ones that are will definitely teach you to hammer the throttle and put your but over your rear fender.	Lower section of trail 3 leading back to the main staging area is typical rolling desert without all of the whoops.

To get to the Fort Sage OHV area, take Hwy 395 North out of Reno to the town of Doyle. On the north end of Doyle you will see a sign pointing to the Fort Sage Mountains. There is a small road on the right called Laver Crossing Road. Turn right on Laver Crossing Road and follow it to the end. The "T" is Hackstaff Road. Turn Right on Hackstaff Road then Left on Fort Sage Road. At this point you should be seeing signs guiding you to the staging area. You may also want to view the map that is featured on this article as it shows all of the roads that lead from 395 to the staging area.

Remember, it is always a good idea to call ahead to ensure that the area is open. The Fort Sage OHV Area is managed by the Eagle Lake Resource Area. Their office is located in Susanville, CA and their phone number is 530-257-0456.