Many people know of Johnson Valley for the famous King Of Hammers and the Hammer Trails, but until recently many people were unaware of the western part of Johnson Valley. Cougar Buttes is a offroading paradise all packed into a small 4x4 area. One such off-road rock crawling trail in this small area is Bull Frog. The trail got its name due to several rocks that took on the look of a bull frog. The trail itself is a an epic difficult rock crawling trail full of severe and extreme obstacles that will put any Toyota and Jeep to the test. The question is can they make it without body damage? Well that is something to prove if possible. While out on this Jeep Trail expect several waterfalls, large rock obstacles, and narrow v-notches. This legendary trail really is everything in a small package. On top of some legendary offroading, the area is perfect from everything from RV camping, to overlanding, to tent camping. Thus you can make a day trip of it or weekend adventure. So pack the camera, and prepare yourself for one awesome time on the legendary Bull Frog trail near Lucerne Valley, California.
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From the Inland Empire take Interstate 15 North towards Victorville. Exit Bear Valley Blvd. and turn right (East). Follow Bear Valley Blvd. roughly 13miles to HWY18, turn right onto HWY 18 and continue following for about 16 miles to Camp Rock Rd. Turn left onto Camp Rock, follow Camp Rock Rd for 3 miles and keep an eye open for a street sign on the right that says Cambria (Google Maps calls it Astral). Turn right on Cambria (dirt road) and follow it to the trail head.
Johnson Valley is enormous, to say the least, but there are certain areas that belong to the U.S. Armed Forces, so check with BLM before you end up somewhere you're not supposed to be! They do close parts of this desert throughout the year, thus be prepared for a sign saying the area is closed.
Tried this area for the first time and loved it. We definitely got turned arround a few times and were probably off trail 50% and ended up doing some of the obstinate forward and backward. Ended up using the GPS option on the App and it helped alot. There are a few fun Geo cashes in the area that were also great fun. Over all the 07 JK on 35's with 2 1/2" lift did it all (used the rock rails a bunch and a few hard hits). Quite a few camping spots out there and a bunch of RV's up by the rocks looked like a good time.
I went with Matt's group (One of the other reviews) and had a great time. My Tacoma on 33s did surprisingly well, although I did take easier lines. All around a super fun trail, I definitely will come back.
Brought a group here and played on some of these obstacles. So much fun! Love this place and although I’ve done some of the obstacles a bunch of times, there’s many that I haven’t even found yet!
First time in Cougar Buttes. Highlights from the #jeeptalkshow Event 2022 on Bullfrog and Cake Walk Trails. Apparently these two trails overlap a little and the first and last obstacles in this video are actually on Bullfrog trail. 9 rigs all but one on 37's, 2 door JKR on 35's. You will use for skids/armor out here.
JTR with #rockjock4x4 Pro 3.5 Lift and CurrectLynk HD steering, #bilsteinus 5160 shocks, 37x12.5 R17 #toyotires R/T Trail tires, #metalcloak Undercloak and FAD skids, RC M210 Diff Skid and Rancho M220 Diff Skid. IG #muhjeepsrock
Had a blast on Bull Frog in Cougar Buttes today. There are some great obstacles along the way. It is hard to follow an obvious trail but that ok because it is a huge open play area. And if you don’t feel good with an obstacle there are ways around.
Absolutely LOVE this trail! Such a great trail to get a little bit of everything rock crawling! Steep drop-offs, v notches, and massive waterfalls. It truly doesn’t get better than this because you can wheel practically anywhere and pick and choose which obstacles you want to try. I do recommend going with a good spotter as some spots even the most experienced and technical driver will want someone outside watching very careful tire placement. The rock is also close to slip rock you usually only get from Moab, which allows you to have more confidence and control which helped me get through some obstacles I didn’t think my Jeep was capable of doing with only LS in the rear. The views from the top are just as epic, so don’t forget to look past your line and get a quick look off into The Valley!
Fun Fun Fun!!! If this is your style of off-roading then add it to your To-Do! Great day on the trails with some good scars to be proud off. Bring some lunch and spend a day or whole weekend out here.
What a fun area. Always worth the visit.
My new Falken tires did awesome on the trail. They gripped way better then my previous tires and I was able to do all the hard obstacles with open riffs that I couldn't do before. I was able to do everything the and locked up vehicles did and in some spots even easier... Just shows you, tires can really make a big difference.
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Joshua Noesser grew up in Southern California but has lived in different parts of the country during his young adult life. Josh was first turned to four wheeling when he road with one of his friends dad up Surprise Canyon in the Panamint Valley at age14. After nearly 3 different roll overs later and a half dozen intense waterfalls, Josh was hooked. At 16 he purchased his first Jeep a CJ 7 and by 17 was putting his first locker in it.
Currently, Josh is the owner and CEO of Nybble, an IT Solutions Company based in Orange County, California. Nybble isn't your normal IT company where everyone stays in and plays video games. Nybble's average company trip is out on the trails since a good amount of his staff enjoy wheeling too. As Josh likes to say, he offers the only IT Company with the ability to provide services in extreme locations. "If you want a server at the top of The Hammers, we will take care of that for you."
Today you can find Josh out on the trail behind the wheel in one of his three different off-road vehicles. See the vehicles below for more information.
If you ever run into Josh, please say high, he is a very friendly person and is always happy to have a new person join the group.
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