Any of you SoCal, NV, or AZ boys ever been to Johnson Valley? Would be interested in your views on the area and any tips for the best areas to ride the ol' DS. My local bike shop tells me that there are some dunes out there but I can't find any mention of them on the www. And they aren't real reliable on other info either so I'm not sure what to prepare for.
Probably heading out there this weekend so I'll have a report come Monday if no one else has ever been.

 

I have not been...Looking forward to hearing what ya think about the place though

 

I've been Jeeping there but not on my quad. Personally I prefer Anza-Borrego there is more to do and see.

Let us know what you think of JV

 

We race our truck(pics on my page) out there but I've never brought my quads with me. I heard there were some dunes out there also but haven't looked for them. It looks like it would a decent place to ride. Lots of sharp rocks if I remember correctly.

 

Johnson Valley was a good time with lots of different types of riding areas. Dry lake beds, very hard packed with no ruts! Sandy hill climbs, rocky hill climbs, lots of trails with great sandy whoops, tons of old mining roads, some wide enough to race five wide safely for about a four mile stretch! Lots of long and wide washes. And oh yes, sand dunes.
Spent two days out there and probably didn't see a tenth of it. 140,000 acres so there is alot to see, but we found a couple of areas that were just plain fun to ride so we hung out at them for the most part. In the area in which we spent most of our time there are three back to back dry lake beds with fairly smooth transitions between each so it's fifth gear pinned for a mile plus. There is an old bombing range that was just hella fun. Crater after crater and mad air to be had, just had to watch out for the ones that unexpectedly were full of water.
We found two dunes about a mile apart form each other and both about a half mile across each, hundred plus or so feet high. Smooth, wind blown sand with no small rocks. Plenty of boulders though, in strategic places, to keep you on your toes. Was pretty windy and not crowded at all so the sand was always smooth.
Overall, it is a great place to go for a family outing as there is every type of terrain imaginable, and something for every skill level. As I stated, we saw a very small but fun portion of the area and will definitely go back to explore the rest soon. We took Boone Road, the Southern most entrance, to Means Dry lake to set up camp. The dunes were to the East about a mile and the three lake beds that are together were about a mile to the West, over a pass.
Man, I wish I had an Outlanedr 800 for all of the trails up in the mountains. Too rocky for the DS.
No pit toilets so go prepared.

 

Very cool Vic...sounds like im gonna have to put that on my places to ride list for this season[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]