3N10 – John Bull

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5/5 (46 reviews)
Big Bear City, California (San Bernardino County)
Last Updated: 08/14/2023

Trail Information

Highlights

Altitude Category Icon Altitude
Camping Category Icon Camping
Desert Category Icon Desert
Forest Category Icon Forest
Ghost Town Category Icon Ghost Town
Iconic Category Icon Iconic
Mine Category Icon Mine
Mud Category Icon Mud
Overland Category Icon Overland
Rock Category Icon Rock
Sand Category Icon Sand
Scenic Category Icon Scenic
Snow Wheeling Category Icon 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

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.

Trail Reviews

5/5 (46)
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Official Crew
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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
Trail Review: 3N10 – John Bull - Josh Noesser
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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.
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Official Crew
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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.
Trail Review: 3N10 – John Bull - Josh Noesser
Trail Review: 3N10 – John Bull - Josh Noesser
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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
Trail Review: 3N10 – John Bull - Richard Cwynar
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6550
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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!

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