Off-road enthusiasts gather by the thousands in Johnson Valley OHV Area for the King Of the Hammers event. Image provided by Ultra4Racing.

Johnson Valley OHV Area in Southern California will not be closing for the expansion of nearby Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California. On December 11, 2013, Hammerking Productions, the founders of The Griffin King of The Hammers, announced that its week-long off-road event will continue in the same location that it has been since 2007. The off-road community has been coming together in a massive show of strength to negotiate with the Marine Corps in an effort to work out a compromise and keep the much of the area open to off-road vehicle use.

The final deal provides Johnson Valley OHV Area with 43,431 acres or year-round use, and an additional 53,231 acres open for vehicular recreational use for 305 days out of the year. The military will have exclusive use of the shared land for 30 days, twice a year, but is prohibited from using “dud-producing ordinance,” meaning artillery shells, bombs, etcetera. Recreational OHV patrons will have nearly 100,000 acres to play in most of the year.

In the early stages of the proposed base expansion, much of Johnson Valley was to be enveloped. Many groups and supports of the sport came together to lobby at the federal level to save one of our nation’s top off-highway vehicle areas. “This deal is something that couldn’t have happened without the tireless support of the entire off road community.” said Dave Cole, founder of King of the Hammers. “Thousands of people have donated time, energy and money for us to reach this point. Thank you to all.”

Congressman Paul Cook and groups such as SEMA Action Network (SAN), Off-Road Business Association (ORBA),  California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs (Cal4Wheel) , California Off-Highway Vehicle Association (CORVA) and many others are some of the major collaborators to help make this happen.

For more information, visit www.ultra4racing.com and www.semasan.com.