I moved to the area recently from up north, and I want to do some good mountain trails wheeling. Ive heard big bear is good but dont know much about it. Wondering if theres anything else close by. I am in the orange area and looking for something within 3-4 hours. We're going to JV at the end of the month and I was looking to go somewhere in addition, possibly during the week when it would be less crowded. What are your guys favorite spots?

I like Big Bear, and I hit up Gorman this weekend.

If you go to Gorman, go with a guy that knows the area. I went with a buddy who knew where the a lot of challenging stuff is. We found stuff that a full blown buggy would have had issues with.

Seven Oaks http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=693868

Seven Oaks http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=693868

that place looks fun.

gorman is more desert type right frank? I know theres truckhaven as well, and a friend wants to go there, but I miss stuff like the rubicon and want to do some wheeling like that. If theres some good day trips I could do from a "base camp" type thing, leave my camping gear somewhere and do a few trails close to there that would be cool too.

Gorman has some trees and forest, some washes, and a lot of erosion crevaces from what I saw. There is a lot more brush at Gorman than Truckhaven. There are a lot of campgrounds inside Gorman.

I have heard that the Miller Jeep Trail which is in that area is a fun easy enough trail, but I have not done it and I am not exactly sure where it is.

I have yet to find a trail similar to the Rubicon in So Cal. I may go try joh Bull pretty soon in Big Bear.

gorman is more desert type right frank? I know theres truckhaven as well, and a friend wants to go there, but I miss stuff like the rubicon and want to do some wheeling like that. If theres some good day trips I could do from a "base camp" type thing, leave my camping gear somewhere and do a few trails close to there that would be cool too.


Big Bear is good for that. Most of the trails are pretty close by, they just aren't anywhere near as long as the Rubicon. You can probably do John Bull in an hour easy if there's no traffic and a good rig.

These guys are always doing weekend runs:
http://socalultimate4x4.com

Big Bear is good for that. Most of the trails are pretty close by, they just aren't anywhere near as long as the Rubicon. You can probably do John Bull in an hour easy if there's no traffic and a good rig.

Ive got a SASd toy on 35s, locked and dual cases. John Bull seems fun, id like to hit that up as well as a few others. Is it a kind of place I can set up camp and go run trails during the day, then come back to camp and hang out?

check out www.rockgardenoffroad.com

place is super fun. Next run is 8/9 starts at 4pm.

Ive got a SASd toy on 35s, locked and dual cases. John Bull seems fun, id like to hit that up as well as a few others. Is it a kind of place I can set up camp and go run trails during the day, then come back to camp and hang out?
Yes, but you have to camp in a designated camp ground. Here is a link to more info: http://www.bigbeardiscoverycenter.com/camping.html

check out www.rockgardenoffroad.com

place is super fun. Next run is 8/9 starts at 4pm.

And camp at Vail Lake nearby: http://www.vaillakeresort.com/

Ive got a SASd toy on 35s, locked and dual cases. John Bull seems fun, id like to hit that up as well as a few others. Is it a kind of place I can set up camp and go run trails during the day, then come back to camp and hang out?

Definetely. There are a number of organized camp grounds in the area and also some yellow post sites that offer primitive camping away from other campers. John Bull and Gold Mountain are the hardest trails that are currently open (some are closed due to recent fires) and they can both be run together in the same day.

I don't have any good links right now, but so some searching on Big Bear camping, there is some good info already on here.

While Gold Mountain is certainly fun, I wouldn't call it one of the hardest. But it can be done in conjuction with John Bull to make a nice run.

Deep Creek is a fun trail with a couple of challenging sections.

Something you should consider when planning a wheeling trip here is the weather, namely the heat. You'll be much better off at higher elevations in the summer, or avoid being out in the sun during the middle of the day by running in the early morning or evening.

I moved to the area recently from up north, and I want to do some good mountain trails wheeling. Ive heard big bear is good but dont know much about it. Wondering if theres anything else close by. I am in the orange area and looking for something within 3-4 hours. We're going to JV at the end of the month and I was looking to go somewhere in addition, possibly during the week when it would be less crowded. What are your guys favorite spots?
Johnson Valley??? I'm about 20 min from there and I enjoy going out their...a lot of people are far from there so it hard to get people to go. Is there a trail run going on at the end of the month?

Great sorce for the Local So Cal Runs and Locations.
http://socalultimate4x4.com/

Great sorce for the Local So Cal Runs and Locations.
http://socalultimate4x4.com/

Dude are you going to pimp your website in every thread?

Im planning on going to JV with some guys from my club, the polygoats on the 22-24 i think, then hitting up big bear for a day or two on the way back. If anyones in the area those dates PM me and maybe well meet up. In JV we probably wont run alot of super hard trails, although my friend is good at talking people into it. Ive got the rig mentioned earlier, and havent wheeled it since it was IFS, but I did alot on IFS and am no newbie to wheeling.

If you are interested my club is doing a run to jon bull sat morning. You are welcome to join us. Just send me an e-mail to oldguy4x4@yahoo.com we can exchange information.

If you're with the TTORA so cal group i noticed they had a group going, but im going to be in JV sat/sun and then ill be wheeling big bear mon/tues

I have heard that the Miller Jeep Trail which is in that area is a fun easy enough trail, but I have not done it and I am not exactly sure where it is..

Miller is a good long trail. I went with the JC Fab Trail Crew for the Midnight Run a few years back when I had my Rubi. I ran it bone stock with the front sway bar disconnected. Like he said "easy enough." It is a little tricky to find. We actually entered in Fraiser park and came out in Gorman. Ask any ranger they'll point you in the right direction.