Cal City MX Park

Cal City MX Park is the High Desert's go-to. The 1.3-mile main loop produces the kind of ruts and rhythm sections that riders remember on the drive home, which is the working definition of a good practice track. John and Inge Elmes have been running the property since 2005, and the operating culture they have built is part of why Cal City has stayed busy through the cycles of High Desert moto facilities opening and closing around it. The property has two tracks. The Main is the long loop, sand mixed with clay and decomposed granite on a layout that takes real lap craft to read. The PeeWee track gives 50cc and 65cc kids their own appropriately sized layout. The soil mix is unusual for the High Desert. Most California desert tracks run on a single dirt type. Cal City's blend of sand, clay, and decomposed granite gives the surface real variety through a session and is part of the property's distinguishing character. Free overnight camping outside the fence is the operating detail that tells you most. Most California motocross facilities charge for camping, and many do not allow it. Cal City lets riders sleep in the parking lot for free. The $5 water fill-ups during the day are another small thing. Owners selling water for $5 a fill instead of charging $5 a bottle says something about the culture. Tri-tip on the BBQ during race weekends is the John and Inge touch. Saturday and Sunday practice runs $40 per rider. The weekend-only schedule keeps the track fresh and lets the Elmes prep between sessions. Riders who try to show up midweek tend to find an empty property. The location is two hours up from the Los Angeles basin via Interstate 14 and California City Boulevard. California City itself is one of those high-desert towns that exists almost entirely because of the cumulative property held by the city limits. The motocross park is a small piece of that footprint, in the southeastern corner of the city near Edwards Air Force Base. Cal City MX serves Antelope Valley riders, broader LA basin weekend traffic, and a steady stream of Inland Empire racers who make the trip when the lower-elevation tracks get too hot. The High Desert climate keeps the property usable through summer windows when the IE tracks shut down because of triple-digit afternoon heat. (760) 373-2226 for the current schedule.