i know of a small place off of HWY 50 E. you take the Cameron Park exit and make a right at the end of the ramp. then take the very first left at the light and go down until you hit the dirt. I'm not sure if it's legal exactly but I've been there lots of times and I've seen plenty of people out there as well.
In fact, heres a video of me spotting my wife on one of the more difficult spots out there;
you can also go to Prairie City OHV park. $5 to get in. its a pretty cool place but its not very big but if you go with a couple other people you can have a fun time.
Just got back from the Lakes Basin Recreation Area- only a couple of hours from Sacramento. Lots of trails, from scenic to difficult. Great in October-- not too crowded and great fall foliage.
Great! I'm not ready for the Rubicon Trail yet. I've been off road in Montana with my old Ford but never with my Wrangler. Any of these places good for getting to know your vehicle but not so difficult that you end up frustrated and penniless?
A good site for local trail info is pirate4x4.com, there are many trails of all kinds of levels. Prairie city is a cool place to test you and your rig. Go the the local Ranger station and ask for maps of the areas you are interested in exploring. Then you should also have a US Forestry map, also available at the Ranger station or online, or a good gps/mapsoftware. Many quality maps will show roads listed as 4 wheel drive or jeep trails. In El Dorado County alone (where the rubicon is located) we have about 2200 miles of forest roads. So you need to just take the time to adventure. So, have a great time and please always stay on the marked trails.
A good site for local trail info is pirate4x4.com, there are many trails of all kinds of levels. Prairie city is a cool place to test you and your rig. Go the the local Ranger station and ask for maps of the areas you are interested in exploring. Then you should also have a US Forestry map, also available at the Ranger station or online, or a good gps/mapsoftware. Many quality maps will show roads listed as 4 wheel drive or jeep trails. In El Dorado County alone (where the rubicon is located) we have about 2200 miles of forest roads. So you need to just take the time to adventure. So, have a great time and please always stay on the marked trails.