California Trails

3N10 – John Bull

5/5 (46 reviews)

Big Bear City, California (San Bernardino County)

Last Updated: 08/14/2023

Trail Information

Highlights

Altitude

Camping

Desert

Forest

Ghost Town

Iconic

Mine

Mud

Overland

Rock

Sand

Scenic

Snow Wheeling

One of the must do off-road trail in Southern California and maybe even the United States. 3N10 - John Bull is a legend in the off-road community and there is no question why this epic offroad trail is on the Jeep Badge Of Honor App. Often used as the proving grounds when planning for legendary trips the Rubicon or the Dusy-Ershim, this trail will test a vehicle to their breaking point and further. If you are thinking about attempting to conquer this extreme 4x4 trail, you can expect large boulders over 36 inches round, loose rocks that love to do body damage, and big trees that seem to jump out of nowhere and kiss your vehicle and leave a body damage mark that you will get to tell stories about for a long time. But be warned though, this trail will put the driver to the test just as much as the machine. So if you are in Southern California and looking for an amazing yet challenging trail, look no further then this difficult trail, 3N10 - John Bull Trail in Big Bear's Holcomb Valley settling within the San Bernardino's National Forest in Southern California.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

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Josh Noesser

Official Crew

Trail Navigation

Commonly referred to as the mini Rubicon Trail, John Bull is one of the most difficult trails in the San Bernardino Forest trail system. Large boulders, tight turns, and small squeezes between trees are just some of the obstacles you will encounter. Once you arrive at the infamous "Gate Keeper" you will start crawling your way up boulder fields with rocks the size of small cars. Mixed with loose dirt, traction is minimal and ground clearance is your friend. Short wheelbase vehicles tend to fair better, but a properly armored SUV or pickup truck can make it though without many hang ups. There is no right or wrong way to run the trail, but most run it west to east. There are a few areas where it would be tricky to get by a group of vehicles that are going the opposite way.

1. 3N32 Cutoff - Stay West (0 mi)

3N10 – John Bull - Waypoint 1: 3N32 Cutoff - Stay West

The trail starts at the end of 3N32. You will want to stay to the west to get to the main trail and the famous John Bull Gate Keeper. East is John Bull East aka Little John Bull. The trail to the gate keeper is doable in most high-ground clearance stock 4x4s.

2. John Bull Gate Keeper (0.22 mi)

3N10 – John Bull - Waypoint 2: John Bull Gate Keeper

This obstacle is probably tied in difficulty with the large rocky area aka as Tin Man, this area is a popular gathering spot because of the ample shade, cell service, and entertaining show of watching many people try to make this one area and fail. It is recommend that you have 33 inch tires, rock sliders, and a working locker to make it through this spot. Expect rocks larger then 32 inches and ledges over 24 inches. The rock garden is more then what you see as you turn around the corner. In fact John Bull Gate Keeper is actually about 300 yards long and is the full S-Turn up the mountain to where this wild obstacle ends. So if you think you go through the first rocks you can relax, just wait to see what is around the corner. The area is constantly changing meaning the line will likely be different each time you go. Sometimes the area is easy and other times the area is difficult. That is just one of the exciting reasons people like this trail. Recently in Aug of 2020, a large bolder fell in the hill climb of the obstacle which you can see in the 2nd photo. This is probably the hardest obstacle of this section at this time.

3. Large Rocky Area - AKA Tin Man (0.43 mi)

3N10 – John Bull - Waypoint 3: Large Rocky Area - AKA Tin Man

This area is the other super hard part of the trail. If you don't have a lift and at least 33 inch tires, you will likely drag your rocker panels. The rocks in this area are over 36 inches large and have drop-offs over 32 inches tall. Because of all this, the area does see rollovers and major breakage. If you break, please try to get your vehicle off the trail into the open spot just at the top of this obstacle.

4. Tipsy Tree - Continue Straight (1.5 mi)

3N10 – John Bull - Waypoint 4: Tipsy Tree - Continue Straight

Once a tree squeeze with a off-camber drop/climb, this obstacle has seen some wild times throughout the years. Now, one of the trees has fallen leaving the tree that did most of the damage. The obstacle itself is an off-camber ledge of roughly two and half to three feet tall. When dropping down or going up, due to the racked ledge, it causes the vehicles to fall over and hit the the tree. The best line is to swing wide and keep your distance. Do not make a bypass and go off trail. Things like that close trails in a national forest.

5. Overlook (1.68 mi)

This overlook used to be a yellow post campsite. At some point, a tree fell blocking the path down to the area. However, many people still stop close to the overlook and hike over. On top of the overlook, you are roughly 3,000 feet above the valley floor in front of you.

6. West Long Rock Garden (2.13 mi)

3N10 – John Bull - Waypoint 6: West Long Rock Garden

This is the longest rock garden on the trail, and it has some rocks that would love to catch your differential. Keep an eye out, and you will be fine.

7. West Small Rock Garden (2.26 mi)

3N10 – John Bull - Waypoint 7: West Small Rock Garden

This is the first rock garden when traveling from the west side outside of the west gate keeper. This little play area is fun, but be warned, the rocks are big enough to do damage to your rocker panels.

8. Dirt Hill / Tailing Pile (2.73 mi)

3N10 – John Bull - Waypoint 8: Dirt Hill / Tailing Pile

The dirt hills are a popular hang out and photo spot on the trail. This is actually a tailing pile from the old mining days in Holcomb Valley. Because the area is so large. This is a good spot to camp away from the crowds and get a good show of nice rigs going by from time to time.

9. Western Rock Garden / Gatekeeper (2.87 mi)

3N10 – John Bull - Waypoint 9: Western Rock Garden / Gatekeeper

The rocks in the area are about 3-foot round and this area is often called the west gatekeeper. In 2019, there was a large tree that block the trail, but the not long after, the tree was cleared (See Picture 3 for what it looked like).

10. Western Trailhead - Stay West (2.92 mi)

3N10 – John Bull - Waypoint 10: Western Trailhead - Stay West

If you decide to run this trail from west to east, this marks the beginning of the John Bull Trail. You will want to stay to the west to avoid the other trails in the area. About 200 yards up the trail you will see the sign for John Bull. To the west is 3N43 Harvey Mine which is a moderate trail that take you to 3N07 Van Dusen Creek.

11. 3N10 meets with 3N16 (3.4 mi)

3N10 – John Bull - Waypoint 11: 3N10 meets with 3N16

To get to John Bull, turn North at 3N10 - West Connector from 3N16 – Holcomb Valley Road at this location.

Dispersed

Even though John Bull is a difficult trail, there is plenty of places to dispersed camp along the trail if you wanted to make it a multi-day event. One of the more popular places is up on the peak after the couple main rock gardens on the east end. The other is the lookout point on the west end of the trail even though the path down to it is now washed out. Past that you can setup camp at the Dirt Mounds aka Tailing Pile which is a great place with a lot of open area to camp. If you are looking for something a little nicer, you can camp at the Holcomb Valley Campground or check out one of the many public campgrounds in the area. The San Bernardino National Forest is a nearby oasis for millions of Southern Californians who want to escape for the weekend and go camping. The higher elevations of the forest mean that the summertime temperatures are cooler than the valleys below. And as an added bonus most campgrounds have shaded sites and some are near streams or lakes. Many campgrounds are adjacent to beautiful natural areas and you can find solitude on quiet wilderness trails. Some campgrounds are reserved campsites, and on weekends or holidays we definitely recommend making a reservation. To do this, visitors can go online to www.recreation.gov or call toll-free 1-877-444-6777. Most campgrounds can accommodate both tent campers and RV's. All campgrounds have picnic tables and restroom facilities, and some even have showers and other amenities. Most campsites accommodate up to 6 people and 2 tents. There may be an additional cost for more than one vehicle. The Forest Service describes camping as either "developed" (usually accessible by road and including facilities like picnic tables, restrooms and fire-rings) or "undeveloped/dispersed" (remote areas accessible only by dirt roads or trails, no facilities). During winter months some locations may be inaccessible due to snow or closed, check with the local Ranger Station for updated conditions. More info can be found at http://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/sbnf/recreation/camping-cabins. You are allowed to dispersed camp anywhere in the forest, but you are not allowed to have any open wood or charcoal fires any time of the year.

Trail Reviews

5/5 (46)

Josh Noesser

Official Crew

130500

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 08/14/2023

Good Old John Bull, A lot of fun like always. I managed to do something dumb and cost myself a brand new drive shaft.

Trail Review: 3N10 – John Bull - Josh Noesser

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Chuck Heald

550

Open

Visited: 06/23/2023

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

A friend and I ran this solo, in my JLUR w/37s, 3.5" lift, skids, big rails, as our 7th and most challenging trail. We are novice off roaders with little experience and none in any trails like John Bull. The first rock garden on the east side about sent us home, but we pushed through. The more difficult rock gardens were just ahead as you climb up the face of the mountain. Several times we wondered what 2 old novice off-roaders were doing there. But, success on each obstacle brings confidence in man and machine. The east face of the mountain is the most difficult and unrelenting part of the trail. We picked our lines from one small releif area to the next, maybe 25-50 yards at a time, building confidence with each seemingly impassible/impossible obstacle. With good spotting and slow going, we made it through the east face with no damage and maybe only touching the bottom once or twice. The top has few or no obstacles and is basically a dirt road for a few hundred yards. Then it starts down and the fun begins again. Although the west downhill only has a few places where it gets technical and they are short. We ran it on a Friday and started around 11 am. We saw no traffic the entire trail until we were halfway down the west side, when we were overtaken by a string of half a dozen jeeps. We pulled out and let them pass, as they were moving much faster than we were. I recommend this for anyone that is either a novice looking for their next challenge or the more experienced jeeper. This is a trail where bigger tires are better. 35s will feel small on a 4 door. With 2 old guys in my big 4 door, spotting every pebble, we completed it around 4 hours.

Josh Noesser

Official Crew

130500

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/05/2023

Ran the trail with a good group of people. Overall the trail was in the same condition as always. The water was dry on the trail making me a little sad. PS - new trail guide coming.

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Richard Cwynar

1000

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 05/28/2023

Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

First time running this trail and it was definitely challenging. Completed it solo without body damage in a 2 door jk rubicon with a 1 inch body lift and 35s. Needed to winch about halfway through the gatekeeper as I got high centered on massive boulder. Lots of skid plate contact. This is a challenging trail without any significant bypasses. Had an amazing time and would do it again. Really fun trail and the views are worth it.

Trail Review: 3N10 – John Bull - Richard Cwynar

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Matt

6550

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 05/27/2023

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Got to the trailhead early and had the trail to ourselves most of the time. We started with little John Bull to do the whole trail together. By the time we got to the west gatekeeper the people were hitting the trail and we got done just in time! Had a blast with my friends in a 2dr Bronco and another Jeep buddy. This trail is a lot of fun!