Top Ten Iconic Locations from the Rebelle Rally
July 31st, 2025
Ten years in, and the Rebelle Rally has covered some serious ground. The Rebelle Rally isn’t just about competition, it’s about pushing limits in places most people will never see. Places that mostly go undiscovered. These hidden gems have become a defining part of the Rebelle story. From ghost towns to sand dunes, these are the spots that have defined a decade of Rebelle. The terrain is real. The stories are earned. And these locations have delivered every single time.
As part of the Top Ten series marking a decade of the Rebelle, the rally looks back at the locations that helped shape its course. Check out the top ten rally locations now!
1. Imperial Sand Dunes (Glamis), CA – 2016–2024 (every year)
For our first eight years, this was the rally’s final proving ground. With dunes reaching over 300 feet, Glamis is part of the largest dune system in the U.S. These vast dunes extend across the Mexico border, and are the backdrop to countless movies including Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Casablanca. Not to mention the perfect place to end the rally. And, of course, the spot for the traditional sunset-in-the-dunes “class” photo!
2. Dumont Dunes, CA – 2016, 2017,2020, 2023, 2024
A favorite for multi-loop navigation days, this area sits on the edge of Death Valley, framed by towering volcanic peaks and the Amargosa River. It’s a small Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) zone, but don’t let that fool you. One dune hits approximately 500 feet tall. With steep climbs, deep washes and jagged volcanic rock, it’s as physical as it is unpredictable. The terrain looks open but drives tight.
3. Gold Point Ghost Town & International Car Forest of the Last Church, NV
Gold Point Ghost Town: 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023
International Car Forest of the Last Church: 2017, 2018
Southwest of Goldfield in Esmeralda County, Nevada, Gold Point started as a silver mining camp in the 1880s under the name Hornsilver. A gold strike in the early 1900s changed its fate, and its name (goodbye Hornsilver, hello Gold Point). During the gold boom, the town reached an estimated population of 1,000 with over 200 buildings. Today, about 50 buildings remain, along with a population of just 7 to 10 residents, including Walt Kremin. A well-known local who maintains several historic buildings, Walt has become part of the town’s lore, always ready with a story, a smile, and a warm welcome..
Just outside of Goldfield sits one of the rally’s most unexpected visuals: the International Car Forest of the Last Church. It’s the largest car forest in the country, with over 40 cars, vans, trucks, and buses buried nose-first in the desert sporting ever-changing artwork. It’s part scrapyard, part open-air art gallery, and completely surreal. Competitors pass through a mashup of mining history and modern desert art in a single sweep.
4. Rhyolite Ghost Town, NV – 2018, 2021, 2023
Once a booming mining town, now a haunting checkpoint. Back in 1907, Rhyolite was the picture of cutting edge with electric lights, water mains, telephones, newspapers, a hospital, a school, even an opera house, and a stock exchange. The population was around 5,000. But by 1920, it had all but vanished.
And over 100 years later in 2021, Rebelle teams found themselves navigating this ghost town in sandstorms and brutal headwinds, a dramatic backdrop that’s hard to forget.
Just outside town is Goldwell Open Air Museum, home to some seriously surreal art including the The Last Supper. This row of eerie, hollow, life-size figures draped in flowing plaster robes is a haunting desert rendition of Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous piece. Adding a strange visual twist for competitors along the course, it feels right at home on the Rebelle Rally.
5. Death Valley National Park & Titus Canyon, CA – 2017, 2021
Death Valley National Park is the largest in the Lower 48, covering 3,000 sq miles. It’s home to Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the U.S. at 282 ft below sea level and 95% salt. It’s also the hottest and driest spot in the nation, hitting 134° in July 1913. Just 76 miles away is Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the Lower 48 at 14,505 ft.
When it comes to remote, Titus Canyon tops the list. This one-way dirt road starts just outside Rhyolite, passes through the ghost town of Leadfield, and drops into a steep, cliff-lined slot canyon that narrows dramatically toward the end. While the Rebelle course first entered Death Valley in 2017, we received special permission in 2021 to include Titus Canyon, marking the first time any organized competition had done so.
That year, teams were set to run an On Route Enduro through the canyon, but a sudden windstorm and rain brought flash flood risk, forcing a pause. Once conditions were deemed safe, teams were released gradually and resumed their trek, proving their mettle by making it through the canyon despite the harsh conditions.
6. Amargosa Big Dune Recreation Area, NV – 2018, 2020, 2021
Just outside Beatty and Pahrump sits the Amargosa Dunes, home to a standout feature known as Big Dune. Rising about 500 feet, it dominates the landscape and easily lives up to its nickname. Covering roughly 5 sq miles, Big Dune is a rare, isolated formation surrounded by dry lake beds. The valley’s shape funnels wind straight into this zone, where it slows and drops sand. Layer by layer, the dune builds over time.
In 2021, while teams were facing white-out conditions in Titus Canyon, staff at Big Dune basecamp were getting hammered by those same winds. For 21 hours, sustained gusts between 35-70 mph beat down on base camp. Tents filled with sand, collapsed or disappeared entirely. Rebelles and staff had to dig deep, breaking out emergency survival kits, food supplies, and taking shelter in their vehicles.
That storm didn’t just test driving and navigation skills. It pushed resilience, team preparedness, and the ability to adapt under off-grid survival conditions. Around here, you can’t talk about Big Dune and without bringing up the windstorm of 2021!
7. Trona Pinnacles, CA – 2019, 2020, 2023
Prehistoric. Other-wordly. Famed. Silent. Welcome to Trona Pinnacles. To the east of Ridgecrest, California and west of Death Valley, more than 500 tufa spires rise from an ancient dry lake bed, standing like sentinels across the open plain. Some stretch up to 140 ft, making them ideal reference points in navigation challenges. In 2023, the Rebelle passed them en route to basecamp at sunset, catching light that looks straight out of a sci-fi movie. Fitting, since Planet of the Apes was filmed here. Of course it was.
8. Johnson Valley, CA – 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024
Rugged, open, and full of surprises. South of Barstow, Johnson Valley OHV area is known for its rocky terrain and iconic trails know as the “Hammers.” It’s also home to the legendary King of the Hammers, held here each year.
This area has high-speed potential and high-consequence terrain, with casualties ranging from shredded tires and broken shocks to bent tie-rods and punctured oil pans. At the Johnson Valley basecamps, the Pennzoil Mechanics Zone tends to stay busy. And that might be an understatement.
The rocky OHV terrain, combined with demanding navigation and timing strategy, makes this a pivotal, pressure-filled zone where smart driving matters.
9. Area 51 Corridor, NV – 2020, 2021, 2024
The rally never crosses the line, but it’s definitely brushed the edge. Area 51, tucked deep in southern Nevada within the Nevada Test and Training Range, is one of the most secretive military sites in the world. Officially, it’s used for testing experimental aircraft and weapons systems, developing advanced aviation technologies (often before they’re made public), and training pilots and analyzing foreign aircraft. What exactly happens there? Still classified.
Surrounded by no-fly zones, military patrols, and signs warning of deadly force, the place has long-fueled UFO rumors and alien conspiracy theories. The U.S. government didn’t admit to its existence until 2013, when CIA documents finally confirmed it as a flight test site.
Routes near this region are remote and dead-quiet. Long empty stretches. Vanishing GPS. The kind of place that makes you double-check your maps, and maybe glance at the sky.
10. Mammoth Lakes, CA (Tech Inspection) – 2023, 2024, 2025
There’s something about starting in the mountains. For the past two years, and again in 2025, the Rebelle kicks off in Mammoth Lakes. It’s a high-elevation hub between Yosemite and Death Valley, known for big mountain views, alpine terrain, world-class skiing, and hot springs that just hit different after a long day of adventure.
At 7,880 feet, Mammoth serves as the rally launch pad. Cool mornings, clear mountain air, and big energy as the teams roll into town. It’s not a checkpoint, but it sets the tone. In 2023, Tech Inspection was held for the first time on the side of Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, giving competitors stunning views of the Minaret Range and a proper Sierra sendoff.
