Johnson Valley OHV Area

Johnson Valley OHV Area
Bureau of Land Management: Barstow Field Office

Area Location: the area lies west of Interstate 15 and south of Interstate 40 in the Mojave Desert. Camp Rock Road borders the riding area to the west, CA Highway 247 borders the area to the south, and Twenty-Nine Palms Marine Corps Base (no entry) borders the area to the east. This riding area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Open: year-round
Best Months: October to May (hot in summer)
Type of Area: OPEN; 140,000 acres.
Vehicles Permitted: all OHVs
Elevation: 2300 to 4600 feet

Terrain: rocky mountains, rolling hills, open valleys, and dry lake beds. The area of Cougar Buttes has numerous large rocks on the butte, many that are fun to check out and explore. Dark scars on some of the rocks give evidence that someone has used them when cooking. Most of the lakes are dry, with the exception of Anderson Dry Lake and Karabonick Dry Lakes that have deep sand. Joshua Trees and creosote shrub are prevalent in the area.

Directions:
From Interstate 15, exit Bear Valley Road (CA Highway 247) and take it east to Camp Rock Road. Camp Rock Road has access to areas such as Cougar Buttes, Anderson Dry Lake, and North Anderson Road.
Or, continue on CA Highway 247 to Bessemer Mine Road, which has access to areas such as Soggy Dry Lakes, The Rockpile, and Bessemer Mine. This road runs through the center of the riding area.
If you have a four-wheel drive vehicle, continue on CA Highway 247 to Boone Road in the southeast corner of the riding area to access areas such as Means Dry Lake, Karabonick Dry Lakes, and Melville Dry Lake. A road from Daggett also connects to the northwest corner of the riding area.


Camping
Campsites: there are no established campsites, but the area has many turnouts available for day use or overnight camping. Preferably, use previously used turnouts. Cougar Buttes has many spots for camping, but beware of sand. Camping is limited to 14 days.
Facilities: two bathrooms at Cougar Butte, one at Anderson Dry Lake, and two at Soggy Dry Lake; no running water.
Fees/Reservations: no fees, no reservations accepted.
Trailer Length Limit: none

Rules and Regulations:
-Camping is allowed anywhere within the riding area that does not block travel on a road. Camping is limited to a 14 day stay.
-Draining of holding tanks, littering and trash dumping is prohibited. Pack it in, pack it out!
- All vehicles must have a muffler or spark arrester and have either a street-legal license or be registered as an off-highway vehicle.
-Vehicles being operated at night must have head and tail lights.
-Helmets required on all ATVs! No passengers allowed on ATVs.
-Shotgun shooting only in the Rasor OHV Area! No pistol or rifle shooting allowed!
-Digging up or destroying trees and shrubs or harassing wildlife or livestock is prohibited.
-The desert tortoise lives here and is a federally protected species. Please do not handle or disturb these animals.
-It is illegal to damage or destroy archeological sites or remove artifacts.
-Possession or use of any glass container, empty or not, used for carrying any liquid for drinking purposes is prohibited.
-Possession or burning of pallets or wood containing nails is prohibited.

Forecast:

Hospital:
St. Mary Regional Medical Center
18300 Highway 18
Apple Valley, CA
(760) 242-2311

Victor Valley Community Hospital
15248 11th Street
Victorville, CA
(760) 245-8691

Contact:
Bureau of Land Management
Barstow Field Office
2601 Barstow Road
Barstow, CA 92311
Phone: (760) 252-6000
Fax: (760) 252-6098

Official Site: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/barstow/johnson.html