The Roughwheelers
Johnson Valley Info


Trail Descriptions*
Sledgehammer
N 34º 24.872'
W 116º 28.464'
The original trail. It is non-stop technical rockcrawling from beginning to end, with steep hillclimbs and off-camber sections. The VV4W describes coming back down the canyon as "an experience all its own." It can be run in fullsize vehicles.
Rating: 5
Jackhammer
N 34º 24.872'
W 116º 28.464'
Considered by many to be the toughest of the Hammers, it is a string of narrow, off-camber sections that offer no relief until the very top. The rock formations demand tight turns and a lot of finesse. The downhill segment is very steep and replete with dropoffs that score high on the pucker factor. It is not recommended for fullsize vehicles.
Rating: 5+
Aftershock
N 34º 25.368'
W 116º 26.129'
A more traditional trail in the sense that it is not all rock from the beginning to the end; there are actually sections that run through sand and dirt. However, the rocks that are there force the trail to twist constantly back and forth and up and down. It is a difficult run for fullsize vehicles
Rating: 4+
Sunbonnet Pass
N 34º 24.190'
W 116º 26.007'
This is actually two narrow canyons that are fully equiped with a series of tight squeezes with names such as "Hell's Gate" and "Devil's Slide." It is not fullsize friendly. Even short-wheelbase vehicles will find that the walls quickly close in. Drivers will find a lot of sharp turns and steep climbs.
Rating: 5
Outer Limits
N 34º 27.263'
W 116º 27.11'
One of the newest trails, this one is replete with twisting, rocky ascents and three very tight, off-camber squeezes that nearly always take their toll in sheetmetal as drivers snake through. This trail is not for fullsize vehicles.
Rating: 5
Wrecking Ball
N 34º 25.355'
W 116º 28.328'
The name says it all. Possibly the toughest trail in the Johnson Valley OHVA, it is certainly the tightest and most technical. All rock from the very start, this trail is unrelenting in its demands of the driver and the vehicle. Body damage is almost a certainty, and probably the least of the carnage you can expect. It is not recomended for fullsize vehicles.
Rating: 5++
Clawhammer
N 34º 26.233'
W 116º 28.473'
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*credit to 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility, April 2000
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GPS coordinates are from Four Wheeler Magazine, January 2001, page 93
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Trail Map
Click to see the trail map
Click to see the trail map







Getting to camp
Thanks to Montego and Wheezy

Click to see a map showing the turn off to Means Dry Lake Bed
Click to see a map showing the
turnoff to Means Dry Lake Bed


Detail from our 1999 trip
Detail from the 1999 trip



A Graphical Description to Finding Camp
click to see the pictures fullsize

Step 1 Step 1
Step 2 Step 2
Step 3 Step 3
Step 4
620
Step 4
Step 5
619
Step 5
Step 6
618
Step 6
Step 7 Step 7
Step 8 Step 8
Step 9
617
Step 9
Map Map





The Visual Hammers
The Visual Hammers