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
Recommended Vehicle:
Lightly Modified 4X4 (Small Lift and Larger Tires)
Concerns:
Summary:
The trail gets it rating from waypoint 2, The John Bull Gatekeeper. In this area, there are rocks up to 3-foot around and a undercut ledge that is about 3 feet tall.
Community Consensus
1 votes
9 votes
2 votes
Easier
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Harder
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rating. As trail conditions change this helps us keep the community
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Mandatory
5 -
DIFFICULT
The hardest part of the trail that you
cannot bypass - you have to drive it.
Optional
7 -
SEVERE
The hardest part of the trail that is
purely optional - you can bypass it.
Rocky or undulated road surface. Potential rocks and/or tree stumps less than 24" tall and/or vertical ledges less than 24" tall and/or near vertical ledges or waterfalls less than 54" inches. Tire placement becomes more difficult. Can be steep and off-camber.Read More about our Rating System
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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.
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.
Starting Point
Fawnskin, CA
***East Trailhead***
Baldwin Lake
Options 1 - Follow Highway 18 east of Big Bear Lake, turn left onto Holcomb Valley Rd towards the Big Bear landfill. Turn left onto 3N16 just before the landfill entrance, after about 2 miles your come up to 3N02 on your right. Turn onto 3N02 and follow it about 1 mile to 3N10, turn left onto 3N10 to enter "John Bull Trail", at just under 3 miles you will find the "Gate Keeper" this is the official start of the trail.
Option 2 - Follow Highway 18 east of Big Bear Lake, turn left onto Holcomb Valley Rd towards the Big Bear landfill. Turn left onto 3N16 just before the landfill entrance, after about 2 miles your come up to 3N32 on your right. Turn onto 3N32 and follow it about 1.5 mile to 3N10, the trail dead ends into John Bull.
Fawnskin
From Fawnskin, take 2N09 north till it dead ends, turn right on 3N16 and travel roughly 1.5 miles and turn left on 3N32. Follow it about 1.5 mile to 3N10, the trail dead ends into John Bull.
***West Trailhead***
Fawnskin
From Fawnskin, take 2N09 north till it dead ends, turn left on 3N16 and quickly go right on 3N10. The trial dead ends into John Bull.
This trail is open year around. But they will randomly close trails in the area during certain times of year with no warning. They are also trying to close this area for the winters, thus please contact SBFS for access information before making your trip and let them know you want to keep this trail open year around..
For more information, please contact the Big Bear Discovery Center at 41374 North Shore Drive, Highway 38 Fawnskin, CA 92333 Mailing address: PO Box 290 Fawnskin, CA 92333 (909) 382-2790 (voice) (TDD/TTY dial (800) 735-2922)
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.
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.
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.
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!
This was our first time doing John Bull. We did run it solo only because we are both capable backpackers and weren’t afraid of hiking out. We did have some assistance for first 20 yards of the gatekeeper by a nice gentleman who was there hanging out and wanted to help spot. Once we warmed up and got through it was a fun day on the mountain. Picked our lines carefully, backed up and attacked again when needed. Finished in about two and a half hours. We had a great time and loved every minute of it.
Awesome trail!!! I’d say the gatekeeper is more challenging than tinman, so if you can do that you can do the rest of the trail! My jeep is 4” lift 33’s no lockers! I did not have to pull line and I did this trail alone. (not recommended.) this is definitely an intermediate trail, know your line and watch for drop ins that can high center you! Have fun!!
Ran the trail and it was a bit different. Lots of water on the trail and the obstacles changed up a bit. Still the same difficulty. Its worth doing while the water is running on it as it makes for a fun an unique experience.
The forest service has deemed the San Bernardino Forest unsafe for public off-roaders to use until June 30th.
For more information on this:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd1095216.pdf
If you disagree with the complete forest closure, please call (909) 382-2682 and ask to speak to the head ranger.
You can also contact the head office in Washington,DC, and voice your concern there. (202) 912-7055
Another person you could contact your senator and express your feeling - (949) 598-5850 (Alex Padilla) or (202) 224-3121 (DC switch board)
If you are unhappy with this at all, please make sure you sign up for the local off-road collations (Cal4wheel, and Corva). Feel free to reach out to them and ask what you can do.
Cal4Wheel - (916) 381-8300
CORVA - 916-710-1950
Super fun trail in the Big Bear area. Most run East to West. Ran with JTR, JL, and JK, all on 37's. Skids will be utilized. Three tougher obstacles...gatekeeper, middle waterfall "tin man", and the ledge adjacent to the huge tree "tipsy tree". Spotters helpful. Took us about 2 hours, but did not run into any traffic.
Harder than a 5 and harder than Holcomb if you’re running at a stock height. That said, I made it solo in my JLR. I’ve got skid plates but that’s it. Used my hi lift in one spot; other than that careful driving and picking decent lines got me through.
Did this with Jeep Jamboree. Fun trail but difficult in places. Good spotting will help. Definitely need rock sliders and some lift would be beneficial.
We ran the trail from East to West and didn't really have any issues. Our group consisted of a fully locked Comanche on 35's, a fully locked CJ5 on 33's, and a YJ on 35's with a hard locked front and LSD rear. The East Gate Keeper has significant ice right now, but it looks much worse than it actually is. If you're locked up, you'll be able to make it up no problem. The YJ had to bump up one small section, but otherwise had no issues. After the gate keeper, there was no snow until you jump back into the forest towards the Tipsy Tree. From that point onwards there is significant snow accumulation until the tailing pile. We had no issues with it though. Go with a buddy and have at least one hard locker and you'll be fine on this trail. Only the Comanche had to pull cable due to a bad line.
The weather was perfect this weekend would highly recommend it this time of year. John Bull does not disappoint, definitely one of my favorite trails. Looking forward to running it East to West I believe it will be tougher. We’ll definitely be back and would go anytime we were invited.
Trail in great shape, 9:30 am. We ran it East to West only ran into a single going the other way once. Still amazed at what the 07 JKU can do with 2 1/2" inch lift on top of 35's. The factory break lock differential assist is working great. Following a Rubicon TJ with Air Lockers with no problems. Definitely used the rock rails on this run and needed to use a little momentum in a place or two :)
Definitely one trip to remember!
John Bull has become my favorite trail. The gate keeper was a good challenge and the rest of the trail had some tough sections. Looking forward to doing it again.
Awesome trail to build some rock crawling skills. It was not as hard as they hype I have heard, but that could be my build and awesome spotter who joined. Went for my birthday along with Holcomb Creek and felt Holcomb was the more difficult of the two contrary to what I’ve been told. Either way it was an absolute blast. Tin Man was awesome to wheel and watch my friend go up the center line. Epic trails for a memorable day! Definitely need some ground clearance to run, all three rigs that went are built and were still polishing metal on the bigger rocks.
We ran this trail 06/13/2021 with 7 rigs.
2 Jeeps and a few 4runners all built.
Everyone was on 35s and 37s
This is a great SoCal trail we are lucky to have trails like this so close to us.
It was a beautiful day, so it seems everyone came out to run John Bull. The east gatekeeper wasn't too challenging, but then we ended up in a traffic jam. It was hard to get a good feel of the trail after stopping so often. But I definitely see why people were having trouble, this trail is no joke. You have to pick your lines well and will still need a bit of skinny peddle in spots. I only have a working front locker, and I only engaged maybe twice. Although crowded, it was still a good day on the trail (3-4 hours with the traffic). I enjoyed talking to the other wheelers during the breaks.
EPIC! Action packed from start to finish! We ran the trail from East to West starting at Little John Bull. John Bull definitely lives up to its reputation. Definitely a trail I would love to do again and again. Our group didn't have too many issues but like all hard trails we did have a few hiccups here and there with people getting hung up on rocks but quick recoveries the whole time. All in all it was an amazing day out with great people!
Really fun day on the trail. A bit crowded. East gatekeeper wasn't incredibly difficult, but. still fun. Only issue was one guy who didn't unhook his swaybar.
A giant rock fell in on the trail at the gatekeeper as you start climbing the hill. I am guessing someone winched it down but it's not clear if it was done on purpose or accident. Overall, it gave the area a little bit of a challenge.
Had to go check out the trail for myself to see if the tree was removed. It was a busy day on the trail with a bunch of large groups. We were only running 3 vehicles with all drivers that could complete the trail in under 20 minutes. When not stuck behind traffic, we got moving pretty well.
Fun day and the tree was gone.
I received word that the tree has been cleared that was at the west gatekeeper. If you run the trail, please share a photo with us or leave it in the trip report and say we can use your photo.
Awesome trail got hung up a little on the gatekeeper. Open diffs 33 inch tires 15 psi had a guy in our group with ifs. Finished in the dark due to a traffic jam. Smooth sailing fun trail.
Ran the trail from West to East today....fun run, only ran into 10 other jeeps on the trail. The Eastern Gate Keeper is pretty destroyed, only 1 real rock to get over now. :(
Love this trail!! Depending on traffic in front of you this trail can be ran relatively quick. However John Bull keeps you on your toes from start to finish! Rock rails, skids and lockers will be needed. Damage is very possible however it is worth the good times. If your rig isn't up to the match drive up to the gate keeper and pull up a chair for lunch you're sure to catch groups on the weekend.
Great little trail, ran it in about 30 minutes. The weather was amazing... Couldn't believe it was April.
Someone did tear up the east rock garden something fierce. Sad to see when someone moves all the rocks out of the way.
But my New Falken Tires were amazing on the trail. Best decision I have done with the jeep was putting these bad boys on.
A small group of us decided to escape the heat and do some wheeling up in the Big Bear area. The John Bull sounded like a good time. This last winter has made the trail a little more technical than last year, but nothing too difficult. Once you get past the gate keeper you have seen the worst of it. The changes in the trail made for a great time. I will probably run it again very soon.
Well, the snow is gone and the trail didn't change much this winter. Maybe got a little easier
I do think we might have found John Bulls Cabin and mining area which was pretty cool.
Great day on John Bull. The trail was really slippery making it fun. Our group was able to make it through with minimum stacking. We watched several other groups go through and just destroy their rigs.
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From the Community
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Josh Noesser
Mapping Crew - California
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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