Event Recap: The 9th Annual AETHER Rally in Pioneertown

History of the AETHER Rally: How it All Started

After several years of organizing group motorcycle rides starting at our San Francisco and Los Angeles stores, we had the idea to bring our entire two-wheeled community together. So, in 2016 we held the inaugural Central Coast Moto Rally, with riders departing from both SF and LA and convening in the middle at a winery in Paso Robles for a weekend of camping, riding, and camaraderie.

As the years went on, this moto rally grew in size and popularity until eventually needing a larger venue in order to accommodate the more-than-100 riders that showed up for the annual event. With its unique and distinctive vibe, and close proximity to a myriad of stellar on and off-road riding options, AETHER selected Pioneertown as the locale and basecamp for the ever-growing community event. The rally would then go from being a moto-only event to later allowing cars, trucks, and all manner of other vehicles. It would also continue to attract sponsors and partners that enabled us to put on even more ambitious iterations of the event each year.

Recapping the 2026 AETHER Rally in Pioneertown

Now, a decade after the inaugural Central Coast event, we’ve just wrapped up the 9th annual AETHER Rally in Pioneertown. On top of serving as an incredible reminder of just how far this event has come and how much our community has grown, the latest Pioneertown Rally proved to be an amazing weekend — and a clear reminder as to why so many people are eager to trek miles and miles into the desert for this annual meetup. So, with that in mind, we’re taking a look back at the 2026 AETHER Rally in Pioneertown and reliving some of our favorite memories and moments in this event recap.

The Road to Pioneertown: LA to the High Desert

Bright and early on Friday morning, roughly 70-to-80 individuals showed up at the AETHERla store at around 9:00AM. After a bit of coffee, a few pastries, and roughly half-an-hour of rubbing shoulders, two separate processions of vehicles departed the store and embarked on the journey to Pioneertown — with one group consisting of motorcycles and the other primarily comprised of vintage and classic cars.

After a few hours on the road, both groups arrived in Big Bear, where everyone stopped for lunch at Amangela’s Sandwich and Bagel House, giving the riders and drivers a chance to fuel up both themselves and their respective vehicles. On the heels of lunch everyone got back on the road for another hour-and-a-half before finally reaching Pioneertown a little after 4:00PM.

Setting Up Camp & Eco-Friendly Desert Activations

Upon rolling into camp, participants in the group ride and drive checked in and then were greeted with cold drinks and some light snacks. Over the next two hours, the remaining few hundred rally-goers would arrive in Pioneertown. Men’s skincare brand Caldera + Lab was also on-site giving out its sunscreen to help protect rally-goers skin from the desert’s harsh UV rays over the course of the weekend. All through both Friday and Saturday evening and night, Portable Propane Fire Pits from Howl Campfires provided light and warmth around the motel grounds, while also helping to set the vibe.

In order to do some last-minute gearing up for the event, the AETHERstream 2.0 — an Airstream trailer that’s been custom-converted into a mobile pop-up store — was open for business. Our official partner Rivian was also on-site to give attendees an opportunity to test-drive one of their fully-electric R1T trucks or R1S SUVs. After a bit of schmoozing and a few drinks, rally-goers lined up outside the dining area for a fresh-baked pizza dinner courtesy of Ceci's Gastronomia.

Thanks to the bevy of beverage sponsors, guests had a wide array of drinks to choose from, such as 805 Beer. In addition to sponsoring the rally’s vintage car drives, Roadie Beer also had plenty of cans of its zero-alcohol IPA available for attendees. Reunion & Company also had a wine bar set up that attendees could enjoy while Madre Mezcal had transformed one of the motel rooms into a tequila and mezcal-based cocktail bar.

Though they’re more commonly found inside overlanding rigs, event sponsor Dometic provided a slew of its insulated and powered coolers to help keep all the drinks ice cold all weekend despite Joshua Tree’s decidedly hot and sunny conditions. On top of keeping the drinks cold in the desert heat, Dometic also set up a myriad of spigot-equipped water coolers to help rally-goers stay hydrated.

Friday Night Welcome Party & Live Music on the Haybale Stage

After dinner, a Rivian-backed DJ performance by Oleg Shlyakhter set the mood for the first-night welcome party. Shortly after nightfall, Luke Tyler Shelton took to the motel’s Haybale Stage where he performed a set of his music — a unique style of rock and roll blending country-rock, folk-pop, and Southern soul. Once the intimate performance ended, some rally-goers headed back to their tents or motel rooms to rest up for the group rides and drives kicking off the following morning, while others kept the party going around camp or at the neighboring bar.

Saturday Morning Breakfast & Gear Prep

The next morning the crowing of a rooster served as the event’s alarm clock. Saturday commenced with a freshly-prepared breakfast from Ceci’s Gastronomia. Reunion & Co. was also present to provide coffee that was served in vacuum-insulated 350 Model tumblers that were given out by Dometic. Once everyone got their fill of breakfast and coffee, rally-goers geared up and then headed to the respective meeting location of their preferred group ride or drive.

The Rally’s Group Rides & Drives

Just like last year, the 9th annual Pioneertown Rally gave attendees the option of participating in one of four different group rides and drives; an on-road motorcycle ride; an off-road motorcycle ride; an on-road vintage car drive; and an off-road 4x4 drive.

4x4 Off-Road Drive Powered by Rivian

Leaving camp at around 10:00AM, the 4x4 Off-Road Drive Powered by Rivian was lead by professional driver, off-road racer, and Rivian test engineer, Gardner Nichols, who was piloting a Rivian R1S RAD (Rivian Adventure Department) — an upgraded, go-anywhere-spec R1S that first debuted at the FAT International Big Sky Ice Race. After a short drive a few miles east, the procession reached a massive dry Mojave lake bed that served as the perfect setting for doing donuts and drifting — and the perfect opportunity to put Rivian’s Drift Mode ON to the test.

After kicking up plenty of dust and capturing a ton of stellar content, the group then made its way to an area comprised of rolling sand dunes — a venue that also allowed us to try out Rivian’s Sand Mode ON which optimizes traction and torque distribution for driving in deep sand and dunes. Before heading back to camp, the group stopped at the Rivian Outpost in Joshua Tree to recharge vehicles and grab lunch. The drive also saw the more experienced drivers assist the more novice participants, showing them the ropes and giving them behind-the-wheel lessons in off-roading in realtime. The sheer amount of fun this entire experience offers made it abundantly clear why it’s the rally’s most popular group ride or drive.

Backroads To Big Bear Moto Run

Reserved exclusively for experienced riders piloting off-road-capable bikes, the Backroads To Big Bear Moto Run is a trek that saw participants navigate a highly technical, mostly single track trail featuring a wide variety of conditions and terrain types, from rock to dirt to gravel to deep sand. As the group headed southeast, the environment transformed from a rocky desert landscape to bright red dirt littered with old growth conifer trees. Largely utilizing Burns Canyon Road, this route also saw riders climb over 4,000-feet in elevation, which also saw temperatures drop considerably by the time the group reached Big Bear.

In typical AETHER group ride fashion, the Backroads To Big Bear participants worked as a team. When larger displacement adventure bikes struggled to get through deep sand, multiple riders would hop off their motorcycle and assist the big-bore machines. Anytime a rider went down, they were helped back up by several fellow riders. At one point, one participant had a drill bit puncture their back tire — at which point a handful of riders were quick to dismount their bikes and work together to remove the back wheel and swap out the deflated tube. The roughly 90-mile trip served as a reminder as to what makes AETHER’s community rides so special, with everyone coming together to complete a shared goal — and have an absolute blast in the process. All in all, the entire route embodied the unity and camaraderie that AETHER always aims to foster on these group rides.

Desert Blacktop Moto Run

For the Desert Blacktop Moto Run, the ride’s organizers selected a combination of some of the most scenic roads in the region, and some of the twistiest, most exhilarating sections of tarmac that the Joshua Tree area has to offer. After departing from camp, the group headed towards the National Park’s West Gate. Before entering the park, the procession of two-wheelers came across a very large — and very angry — rattlesnake in the middle of the road, which made for an interesting way to begin the trip.

After entering the park, the group made its way up to Keys View — the highest point in the park. From there, everyone descended back down toward Skull Rock before eventually exiting for lunch in Twentynine Palms. The highlight of the entire journey was undoubtedly the ride through the park itself, as Joshua Tree has such a unique rhythm to it — winding desert roads, wide-open views, and those surreal rock formations and Joshua trees lining the route. With such a large group, there was this great sense of synchronization as everyone flowed through the turns together, like one long line of bikes jetting through the landscape.

Roadie’s Vintage Drive

Sponsored by Roadie Beer, the Roadie’s Vintage Drive was a relaxed but spirited procession of vintage and classic cars that spent the day exploring some of the best roads in and around Joshua Tree. The group included everything from multiple generations of Porsche 911s to a vintage Lotus and Ferrari. Despite the drive only being a few hours long, the scenery throughout the route changed drastically, with a good mix of desert scenery, open roads, and changing elevation.

More than anything, the Roadie’s Vintage Drive proved to be a celebration of the connection between man and machine, as well as a reminder as to why so many people still thoroughly appreciate air-cooled, carbureted engines bolted to manually-shifted transmissions. Aside from getting stuck behind a slow-moving truck that refused to pull over despite passing a plethora of turnouts, the drive went off without a hitch. And, though the group of vehicles were all several decades old, there wasn’t a single breakdown or mechanical issue throughout the entire journey.

Saturday Night: The Fun After The Rides

By around 5:00PM, all the cars, trucks, and bikes had returned to camp. From there, drinks started flowing as attendees reminisced and traded stories from the group rides and drives from earlier that day. Saturday afternoon and evening also gave rally-goers an opportunity to check out some of the activations and samples being offered by the event’s various sponsors and partners.

After the group rides and drives, Caldera + Lab also gave attendees bottles of its facial cleanser to help clean the dirt and dust off of their faces after a long day of off-roading. Hyperice also set up a post-rally recovery station where attendees could recover from the day’s rides and drives using the brand’s advanced massage guns. Valentina Trentini of Brushetta Signs also set up shop at the rally where she put her sign-painting and pin-striping skills to use, decorating attendees helmets, gear, and vehicles. Noovo Vans also brought out some of the company’s adventure-ready camper vans for attendees to check out.

Once again, Ceci's Gastronomia served up another fantastic dinner on Saturday night that featured grilled Italian sausages, crispy roasted porchetta di ariccia, potatoes gateaux, and Cannoli Siciliani for dessert. A few hours after dinner, everyone made their way a little down the road to the Red Dog Saloon where an after party was being held by Madre Mezcal. Saturday night went out with a bang, and after some drinks, dancing, drinks, socializing, and more drinks, the second night of the rally finally came to an end.

Saying Our Goodbyes

The next morning, attendees got up for breakfast, and then hung around camp for a bit before ultimately packing up their tents, saying their goodbyes, and departing at their own leisure. And just like that, another successful AETHER Rally in Pioneertown is in the books.

As always, we’d like to thank everyone that attended the 9th annual rally, and our sponsors and partners that helped make it all happen. We hope to see you out in the desert next year on May 14—16 for the 10th annual AETHER Rally in Pioneertown — and be sure to keep an eye out for when tickets go on sale in March of 2027.