Back Road from Apple Valley to Big Bear (updated 2020)

This virtual road trip will take you on a dirt back road from the High Desert town of Apple Valley to Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains. This video was updated in 2020 that explains its history and points out more information. Our trip traverses a road with several names: Coxey Truck Trail, Coxey Road, 3N14, BLM 3255 and, if you read your history books, Van Dusen Road. Learn more more at www.backroadswest.com/blog/bac...
#roadtrip
#bigbear
#applevalley

[@jeremiahbarron5255]

I am 20 years old and live in apple valley for years didnt know about this way to big bear thanks

[@alanmiller9681]

As a big history and geography buff, I love exploring old roads and railway right of ways.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Glad you enjoyed the video. Hopefully you've discovered the other videos we have covering old roads and a few rail journeys thru Calif.

[@johnb9394]

I love the information provided. The way this guy talks to us is like he is a cross between Jim Nabors and Mr. Rogers. LOL it sounds like one of those educational films you watching in 6th grade when it was raining outside.

[@YahshuaLovesMe]

I love old roads too...

[@stevenrey56]

Big fat YES to historic roads. Love it.

[@kimbixler6821]

I did that in the 80s all the time.

[@patgregg3232]

That's a great drive!

[@williamschoemann4209]

That was a fun trip. I haven't been there. I have been to Holcomb Valley. In the summer of '69, after my first year of college, I spent the summer with my grandad at Big Bear Lake (near Boulder Bay). I drove out to HV in my '59 Chevy sedan. I was young and adventurous. I explored any trail I could find until I couldn't go any further.

[@nacona5114]

We used to take dirt bikes up to Chads in Big Bear on this road back in the day. It was great, no traffic, relaxing and a lot of fun!

[@DT-sb9sv]

I've driven that. There is another awesome one from Pioneertown to Big Bear. Burns Canyon. Deep Creek Hot Springs are pretty cool as well.

[@garrettswoodworx1873]

We used to have property in Yucca Valley and I made countless trips through Burns Canyon over the years, starting back in the 60s. Always an adventure because you never knew how the road was going to be..

[@kuyang03overland41]

Hi DT do u have route on that?

[@aaydenhuson4271]

Have u done the walk from by Hesperia lakes to hot springs

[@christineberry3076]

Lovely wild roses!

[@alexhaywood9706]

I like finding overgrown roads as well, some are very well built.

[@normgibson6565]

Have been over this road many times since the mid 1950's and always in 2 wheel drive pickup only used 4 wheel drive once in 1974 with snow on the ground. As a kid use to fish the beaver ponds at Coxies Ranger Station (Meadows).

[@JesusDiaz-ow8ir]

How was the fishing there? And what would you catch?

[@jerroldshelton9367]

@@JesusDiaz-ow8ir The fishing there used to be pretty darn good, and I never saw anybody fish the ponds except me, one of my cousins, and my sister. My family used to own 20 acres that bordered the National Forest on two sides. That parcel is south of Oak Springs Ranch, with another 20 acre parcel between them. I spent A LOT of my life on the land covered by the Butler Peak USGS Map, which includes Coxey Meadow. We had a Honda Trail 70, and we used ride that from our gate, then down 3N59, more or less southbound, to a place called Carbine Flat. From Carbine Flat, there was a Jeep Trail, whose route number I can't remember anymore, that followed Coxey Creek from Carbine Flat to Coxey Meadow. The route linking Carbine Flat to Coxey Meadow was a piece of cake on the little Honda but was a kind of "Mini-Rubicon" in a low-range four-wheel drive. When it was really bad, you could spend three hours of your life trying to get a Jeep down the roughly 2.5 mile trail. The Forest Service closed it in 1990 or 1991, if I remember correctly. Anyhow, at Coxey Meadow, we used to catch A LOT of bluegill from the ponds there, and some largemouth bass, too. My sister caught her first fish there, when she was six and I was fifteen. It was a largemouth bass. We used little 1/8 ounce Kastmaster lures on spinning rods when fishing there. The ponds had catfish in them at one time. I never caught one there, but I know someone did, because there used to be an open, legal route that crossed the earth dam of the largest of the ponds and then followed an old fire break up near the summit of Shay Mountain, which Coxey Meadow lies at the base of. Where that dirt road went across the dam, there was a three-tier barbed-wire fence running parallel to the road on the pond side of the dam. As a kid, I used to see the fillited remains of catfish stuck on the poles of that fence, heads intact, then skeleton, and, finally, intact tails. A couple of those carcasses on that fence were shockingly big, too. The ponds were drained in fighting a fire in, I believe, 1994. That fire burned a whole lot of countryside, including our cabin on our family land. It is only by the grace of God that I didn't die in that fire. I was there the day before it happened and would have been there WHEN it happened, but work paged me, so I went to Hesperia and called, and found out my presence was required. So I went back to L.A., took care of business, and stopped to visit my mom and dad for a bit instead of being stuck in L.A. traffic. My mom convinced me to spend the night there and go back up the cabin the following morning........ The ponds were drained again for the fire discussed in the video. Anyhow, I used to fish those ponds at Coxey Meadow A LOT and I never seemed to make a dent in the fish population of them. I used to fish for brown trout at Devil's Hole on Deep Creek a lot. That's in the same basic "neighborhood." I used to catch trout out of Holcomb Creek, too, which is also featured in this video. "Usta Could" doesn't mean "Still Can," though. After that '99 fire, there was so much "crapola" in Deep Creek that it pretty much killed all of the fish. I imagine the 2007 fire mentioned had the same effect on the little trout in Holcomb Creek, too.

[@wisemindsclothingco]

Thanks for taking the time on doing this informational coverage. Looking forward to doing to this off-road trip soon!

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Glad you enjoyed the tour! Thanks for commenting.

[@teresaluther9416]

Drove that little dirt road many times back in the day

[@BackRoadsWest1]

So have we! Thanks for commenting.

[@donnkelley6823]

BRW1, I can't tell you just how much we appreciate all the work you do.......

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Thanks for commenting Donn! I appreciate hearing the appreciation.

Love your channel. Took my brand new 2018 Harley Deluxe on rt66 from Ohio to Ca (again) On the way, different state, 66 turned into big gravel, them dirt, then WWI battlefield road. Couple field hands came out to see what lunacy was going on only to see this dress bike exploring. Your channel saves me figuring out how to plan this years trip inside Cal. Last year turned around from SanBernadino the next day. Horrible homeless populated area and ccards hacked. This site would have saved me! You really help! Love the GPS. Again, thank you. Lived in Ca 60s, Heaven.

[@teufel314]

Cool road. Drove it a couple of months ago. A lot of fun and an awesome alternative up to Big Bear. High clearance 2wd would be fine on this road, but 4wd is always good peace of mind. Never know what you will run across on a back road like this.

[@clarkeugene5727]

2006 Toyota Prerunner ok?

[@trashman1694]

I drove part of this road from big bear in my 1994 ranger and blew my mind how quickly I went from being in the mountain forest to the desert terrain

[@JAM76ER]

Watched your Video this morning and took the trip! Left at 12:30pm got home at 7:30pm. Perfect trail

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Excellent! Thanks for commenting.

[@ValleyRock13]

I seriously want one of those long HD bridge trucks, very cool .

[@carla4260]

Your videos are great!! You target a wide range of people. You always include a great drive, lots of scenery, an opportunity for some exercise, and most importantly...FUN!

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Thank you! Glad you're enjoying the tours.

[@Crumb_Trails]

That's a great video. Really makes me homesick for those hills. Lots of good memories wheeling with my dad up there as a kid and an adult.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Glad you enjoyed the tour. Lots of memories from as far back as the 1980s for me.

[@lanefrank6208]

Very nice update to an old favorite and great explanation of vehicle requirements and area history.

[@westlos13]

The original video of this Trail encourage me and my bro to hit this Trail... its pretty cool for a beginner

[@verdantacres4460]

What a wonderful video with so much detail thank you!

[@toshibavoodoo]

Great Video, Added to my list of Cyber Truck adventures in 2021

[@thomasandrews8033]

Another fantastic video! My son and I really like your style and format.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Excellent, glad you guys enjoy them!

[@thomaslee2159]

thank you, we may never travel this route, but we just traveled it and enjoyed it 100000% Tom and Viola, Dade City FL

[@Dadzilla2]

Great traveling video. Makes me ready for another Vituscan ride.

[@marcosaguilar9781]

Thank you so much for this video as i been wanting to run this trail for days now

[@richardduke9788]

Interesting road trip , thanks !

[@markserrano7715]

Good stuff!

[@bradfromthevalley]

I stayed a few times at Hanna flat while in high school and really enjoyed it good friends and a cool place to camp.

[@andrewmargo4564]

Appreciate this video! I drove this route home from Big Bear yesterday. Beautiful drive!

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for commenting.

[@JoseSanchez-mo9ch]

Where do u stared and finished can u send me the route o locations and can i used my dirtbike

[@mr2ti41]

Incredible. I’ve been looking for something like this type of visual information for over a year! Subbed!!!!!!!!!

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Glad the video gave you some ideas. Thanks for commenting!

[@bedubia]

Thanks for all the great content.!

[@BackRoadsWest1]

You're welcome! Thanks for commenting.

[@brianimoto4634]

Great info!

[@Detachedc14]

Very well thought out. The mapping that you show was really cool. Good job on the content. I’ve been driving back roads for the last two years, from the Eastern Sierra‘s to the Cascades into the back roads in Moab Utah and Canyonlands. It breaks my heart every time I see burnt out forests.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Thank you! It's a labor of love :-) Yea, real bummer with all the fires in Calif. Our Holcomb Valley tour (near Big Bear) was shot just before a fire destroyed the last 5 miles of the tour. At least Eastern Sierras (one of our favorite areas) and Utah (where we live) has been little affected by fires. Have you watched our tours in those 2 areas?

[@toshibavoodoo]

I love MAPs, your videos are Fantastic!

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Thank you! I love maps too if you couldn't tell!

[@toshibavoodoo]

Plan on a few good offroading trails in Big Bear. Looking forward to the FireTower's! Great Channel!!!

[@chrisgrider6036]

Great job on this video, one of the best I have seen!!

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Thank you very much and thanks for commenting.

[@richardpehtown2412]

What is the history of Stoddard Wells Road, running from Victorville to Barstow? It's almost like a dirt superhighway. It must have had some significance in the history of the Mojave Desert. Thanks, love the channel.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

I heard once a long time ago but forgot the details. I'd recommend finding and picking up a book called History of the Victor Valley by Edwin Leo Lyman.

[@jennifergutierrez7794]

Side note....I took a history class from Leo Lyman when I went to VVC.

[@MRCALIEMS]

Looking forward to this drive soon! Thanks for the in depth info.. just did cleghorn trail I’m sure this will be a breeze

[@phobowl]

Gonna do it this week. Thanks for info n

[@johnkarlson8692]

Love ur stuff, thank you!

[@BackRoadsWest1]

You're welcome, thank you!

[@silencesir1987]

Love driving 3n14...i can picture, 150 years ago, a wagon struggling to go up some of those inclines. Guys out helping the horses up the hills. Mustve been a sight.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Yes, it would have been something to see. Same with vehicles climbing Cajon Pass on Route 66 in the late 1920s.

[@1MNUTZ]

cool i was watching your older video and was wondering what the conditions of the road were now in 2020 pretty great that you updated it

[@rkatrails]

I see this road also crosses over the Pacific Crest Trail at Holcomb Creek. I'd like to ride a mountain bike from Big Bear Lake down to Apple Valley.

[@chrisho4375]

America the beautyful - love it!

[@huskynoob7881]

That app looks cool, i will check it out.. love how it overlays national park maps.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

I only promote it because I've been looking for the "perfect" mapping app since GPS became popular in 1998. Since that time, I've probably bought 3 different apps, but this one is the best with the most map data.

[@huskynoob7881]

@@BackRoadsWest1 I been using californiatrailmap.com, but you are basically paying for a file that overlays into apps and identifies each road for you as, horse, hiking, off road, paved etc, its really cool to know which trails you can access and not accidently end up somewhere you shouldn't be, i bought one year from your link in blog and will try on next trip.

[@maximusilive4theking986]

I've done this road many times on a AWD first gen Honda pilot and I've never been stuck. I've done it during a snow storm which did make it sketchy at times but got through it, I've done this road after a snow storm where the road begins to get muddy and slippery and I've been able to get through that too. Where it gets sketchy with mud or snow only is when you begin going up the mountain to Fawnskin, its steep and you start slipping and sliding at times.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Good to hear. Thanks for commenting.

[@spreadcreekjr1731]

Awesome

[@naiman4535]

Boy - am I ever homesick for California! I expected this video to be live driving footage. But it was good and informative nonetheless.

[@Charliefox71]

Nai Man Dude, same here.

[@dosereviews]

Good idea

[@jh748]

From the flat pancake known as Florida it is so nice to see mountains, hills and valleys.

[@mikeholmes5824]

I did this drive today (7/24/2020) in my Subaru Forester AWD. All in all the road is in pretty good shape. Actually the worst part was the washboard/potholed section between Big Pine Campgrounds and Fawnskin, probably due to the fact that it sees the most traffic. Didn't see any goldfish in the pond, the water is way down.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Excellent! Thanks for the update.

[@AZ762SHOOTER]

I believe the original road in cajon pass is south of the 138 built by the Mormons. It was called the Mormon trail or something like that . There's a marker called the pioneer trail.

[@Dive-Bar-Casanova]

5150 Whips organizes a group ride on this route every year. Usually April. Not for anyone that has a problem with heights or can't maintain at least 35 MPH.

[@Andy-ec9yn]

Being new to Off-roading, how would this road (3N14) be for a 4X4 Sprinter van?

[@victoracosta5482]

I Absolutely love your content thank you for that. Question, what is reception like? And do you take some kind of GPS locator or something like it?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

You're welcome and thanks for the kind words! Reception - I assume you mean phone signal. It's been a while since I've been there, so if you're in view of the Victor Valley, I'd say good. But bottom line, if you use Gaia GPS on your phone, you can download a map of that area so it doesn't matter if you're phone has no signal. GPS is always present (it comes from satellites, not phone towers). Read more about Gaia GPS and the file you can download from our blog: www.backroadswest.com/blog/back-road-to-big-bear/

[@kgabehart346]

The part between bowen ranch road and oak springs is maintained by oak springs and the rest is maintained by u.s. forest service. The used to grade the whole Rd from bowen ranch Rd and big bear twice a year and you could drive a car on it. When I was a teen we used to drive to ricks pizza on s side of lake in pontiac Bonneville in snow.....Now its a neglected and abused piece of history😥😢

[@nateh7674]

Just an idea maybe make up a system of grading some roads. So like 1-5, so we can get a feeling of how hard the route is.

[@Treeofthewood]

Oak springs ranch was a stage stop for the overland stage running gold from Holcomb valley back in the 1850s. That's why they built the road. Driving tours of the road offered. High desert tree.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Thanks for commenting. Didn't know Oak Springs was a stage stop. Very cool. Where can people find these driving tours?

[@jerroldshelton9367]

This is 100% correct. I know, because my family used to camp at Oak Springs Ranch and sleep in the Stage Stop building during the Inland Deer Hunting Season. There was still some evidence of its past history back then, with "back then" being the late 1960s and very early 1970s. We stopped camping there when we bought a parcel south of Oak Springs Ranch, with another 20 parcel between ours and the Ranch. We boarded horses there at Oak Springs Ranch after buying that parcel to the south. Those Overland Stage people used to be hardy souls, because that Stage Stop building was a COLD place in November during the deer hunting season. It got so cold in there that a tomato left out would freeze into a ball of solid tomato-ice. They also must have been short. I remember the door knobs in the stage stop building being really low and closer to the floor than in a modern house. :)

[@kgabehart346]

Oak springs was a stage stop for van dusen roas

[@israelvazquez8352]

Are Razor’s and CanAm’s allowed to do these trails? Is there a spot to leave your truck and trailer while yo do the ride on the Apple Valley side?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

I don't ride Razors. Since the road crosses 2 jurisdictions, I would recommend contacting the BLM office in Barstow and the San Bernardino National Forest Service folks.

[@upsguy9380]

Any parking where road begins? Perhaps a dirt lot nearby? Would like to try it on my dual sport motorcycle which I first have to carry on the back of my truck since I live about an hour away.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

I would use Google Maps to look at aerial imagery for open spaces.

[@josejura5031]

what would you guys consider high clearance for this road ? would that point be measured from the oil pan ?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

We haven't traveled that road in at least 5 years. Conditions of dirt roads change all the time. You'll need to use your best judgement.

[@wicked2740]

I have locking rear wheel drive Tacoma. It’s stock with all terrain tires. What’s your opinion on trying it out on this road?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Should be no problem.

[@danielavega9588]

Is the route safe for a Polaris side by side? Safe for family trip? Looks like so much fun!

[@BackRoadsWest1]

I'm sure it is.

[@jerroldshelton9367]

I don't think you can legally run a Polaris Side By Side on 3N14. It used to be posted as "Open to Street Legal Vehicles Only," starting in the 1990's, IIRC, but I suppose that may have changed since I last drove on it in 2007. I highly doubt it, though. It's a semi-maintained "fire road" so, yeah, it would be "safe" but I don't think it's "legal." The USFS Ranger Station in Big Bear can probably tell you how to get a hold of an updated "Green Sticker /OHV Route" map.

[@MrPinkDoors]

When you say high clearance, how many inches off the ground would you consider high?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

What a typical truck, SUV or 4WD would have. Around 12" or more. It's also about better suspension, something a sedan doesn't have.

[@sam_s_]

Do they leave it ipen when there is snow and/or rain. What about when they shut down the paved roads up to Big Bear due to heavy snow, does this stay open?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Don't know. I'd contact the National Forestry Service.

[@sam_s_]

@@BackRoadsWest1 Thanks for the reply. I appriciate all the work you put into your videos

[@jerroldshelton9367]

It used to stay open all year 'round. They kind of had to keep it open at a time when people were actually living in places like Old Hawes Ranch and the Rock House at the eastern base of Luna Mountain, and etc, and before Hesperia became the metropolis it is now. The only time I recall any of it being closed was in 1992, 1994, and 1999, with all of those closures due to forest fires. The last time I did the whole thing was in the winter of 2007. It was open all year round up to that point, regardless of what the CHP did or didn't do to the paved highways leading to Big Bear Lake. I used to circumvent those paved highway closures by using 3N14 as a matter of routine, but I witnessed plenty of vehicle carnage in doing that, too. There's a spot on 3N14 between Coxey Meadow and Little Pine Flat where the road runs past (as in right next to) Hopi Spring. There's a little climb just past the spring that gets to be a slick, icy, virtually impassible mess. What happens is that Hopi Spring in some years doesn't just "spring" from the pipe in the ground, but also out of the middle of 3N14. You put cold, shaded snow on that, and you get a thick sheet of ice under the snow. I was going up to Big Bear once and found a family that rolled their rig in this spot I'm talking about. It wasn't the first upside-down 4X4 I'd seen there in my lifetime. I got his rig right-side up by looping a strap through the windows and over the roof, hooking another strap to that, and to the rear hitch of my old Gen-One Bronco I had..... But in setting all of that up, I slipped on ice and broke my tailbone....... Simple times, but they were good fun.....

[@marynichols5367]

Big Bear....a great place to be living when a 6.6 earthquake hits. Somebody's faith was strong that day. I didn't know a mountain could move like that.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

You're talking about the 1992 quake? If so, I was living in Hesperia at the time and was surprised to see my patio go up and down violently, but didn't get damaged.

[@marynichols5367]

@@BackRoadsWest1 that the one. Scariest thing I've ever experienced in my life. Our daughter was in second grade at the time and could not get adjusted to the after shocks. We had moved to Big Bear from Arizona so went back there before school started.

[@dc4slacker]

How bad is it that I want to attempt this in my RS? I've had it in dirt a couple times before and it's not great because it's kinda low, but still kinda surprising.

[@nicholasshort3309]

Drove my wrx down from big bear to apple valley no problem about a month ago

[@dc4slacker]

@@nicholasshort3309 Thank you for that. Was thinking about trying it just for the heck of it while I have some time off.

[@zman92630]

For anyone not famililar map-wise, it's also called Coxey Rd (3n14.)

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Historically, it's been called the "Coxey Truck Trail". Newer maps have now shortened it to Coxey Rd, including Gaia GPS and Google Maps.

[@jh748]

That helped a lot Chris; it is not identified as 3n14 on Goggle Maps.

[@taurus66]

I was wondering did you need the adventure pass to drive on the road

[@BackRoadsWest1]

I think you only need one if you park for a period of time. I'd check with the forestry service though.

[@mountainliongaming9769]

How many hours does it usually take to get to big bear through this trail ?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

I'd say 1.5-4 hours depending on how many stops you make, road conditions, and how fast you drive.

[@jerroldshelton9367]

It depends on the conditions...... If the road is in good shape, it's about 2.5 hours from the intersection of Bowen Ranch Road and Roundup Way to North Shore Road in Fawnskin. Put some snow on it, and it can take A LOT longer.

[@meandub]

3:07.... is that Left Hand in Utah near Escalante?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Wow, you're good! For the record, that's Left Hand Collet Canyon Rd, not First or Second Left Hand Road between Parwan & Brianhead, Utah. There are other "Left" and "Right Hand Turn" roads in Utah. They were simple folk back in those days...

[@amariebeaubien]

I wonder how all those goldfish got into that pond.

[@mauriliotorres2591]

How long is this trip (time) start to finish?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Depends on how fast you drive and how many stops you make. I'd budget half a day.

[@kristophers.5075]

I wanna go with some friends right now but don’t know if they close it in the winter?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

See previous comment

[@jerroldshelton9367]

I used to drive it in winter, from end to end, but I haven't done so since 2007. The last time I drove the whole thing from Fawnskin to Apple Valley was in 2007, just prior to moving from California. I've never known 3N14 to be closed except in the aftermath of forest fires in 1992, 1994, and 1999. I've seen recent videos on KZbin of people "wheeling it" from Apple Valley to Fawnskin in the snow. I'm pretty sure it is still open in the winter.

[@kristophers.5075]

Is this open all year round?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

I'm not aware of anyone closing it. Naturally, after a heavy snowfall, it's just not passable, if you want to call that "closed".

[@DonMatson]

Anyone done this lately? I tried it and couldn’t make it all the way to Fawnskin. Road became impassable from a rock slide and had to retrace my steps to get out as all the offshoot roads were dead ends.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Hopefully after spring arrives, someone will fix the road.

[@3dwezzy740]

U start in Hesperia on central right

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Apple Valley

[@dennyyela6769]

Hi I was planing a trip there tomorrow would you know if its open?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Thanks for watching. I wouldn't know, I live in Utah. I'd call the Big Bear Discovery Center. Yes, that's the correct starting point.

[@dennyyela6769]

@BackRoadsWest1 thank you so mutch for replying, have a Blessed Day

[@dennyyela6769]

@BackRoadsWest1 just got off the phone with them it was Closed but this Morning trail is once again open 🤙 thanks again

[@BackRoadsWest1]

My pleasure Denny. Safe travels!

[@phy9835]

you also updated your 4runner hahaha

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Good eye!! Well, I now run both versions: 2.0 and 5.0...

[@shreqboi1]

I wonder if UTVs are allowed 🤔🤔

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Probably. It passes thru BLM and National Forest. So check with those offices first in case there are restrictions.

[@b.snow-fotomkr6132]

You have the same voice inflection as Huell Howser did.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Thanks. I'll have to admit, I've watched him a few times over the decades and met him once in the middle of the Mojave Desert.

[@St.Hermans_Speed_Shop]

PAS! If you have never driven in snow, have street tires, and/or snow chains DO NOT try this trail. People and vehicles can get seriously hurt on easy trails because of snow and inexperience. Also think of where you are stopping. Get off of the road so others can pass. Be aware vehicles slide in snow do not park on a turn at the bottom of a hill! Be safe have fun!

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Thanks for commenting. Naturally, it depends on the amount of snow. The higher you go, the deeper it gets. People definitely need to use common sense before going further, which unfortunately many lack!

[@jerroldshelton9367]

There's a spot on 3N14 between Coxey Meadow and Little Pine Flat where the road runs past (as in right next to) Hopi Spring. Some years, the spring doesn't just spring forth from the pipe that feeds the water trough there, but also decides to spring out of the middle of 3N14 as it runs uphill....... I've seen MANY rigs tire-side up in the wintertime there. It looks so harmless in the summertime.... A semi-maintained "fire road..." How tough can it be? It can be impassable and just because you got somewhere on it doesn't mean you can go home the way you came. I was camping once at the former site of Hawes Ranch in January. I went to sleep under a clear, star-filled sky. I woke up to a foot of snow on the ground and near white-out conditions. I got out while the gettin' was good, but it was snowing so hard that I couldn't see real well and wound up running off the road somewhere between Coxey Meadow and 4N16 junction..... I couldn't get over the spot where 3N14 crosses over Rattlesnake Mountain. I had chained up all fours on my first-gen Bronco and it had limited-slip differentials front and rear and it still wasn't enough. I backtracked to 3N59 and headed for Luna Mountain and the gate of some property my family used to own. I proceeded to Oak Springs Ranch from there, got back on 3N14, and things got a lot better from then onward. Some years prior to that, I had a Suzuki Samurai that I managed to get stuck on 3N59 just a few hundred feet from the 3N14 junction.. A guy on a snowmobile gave me a tug and all was well after that, but my friend who was with me in the passenger seat was scared to death.... "How are we going to get this thing un-stuck?" Back then, we kept a four-wheel drive Yanmar tractor in the barn on the property. I figured I could just walk a mile to the barn, and plow the darn trail with the tractor if I needed to, but fortunately, the snowmobile people came along so I didn't have to do that. It looks so tame in the summertime, but 3N14 sometimes ain't nothin' to trifle with in the wintertime.

[@elcincopatasramirez5497]

Can you ride dirt bikes on it?

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Last time I checked, yes

[@DonMatson]

Let’s goooooo!

[@cowboysnation1594]

Can I do this in a ATV and just take the road back.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

I'm sure you can. If a 4WD can do it, why not an ATV?

[@cowboysnation1594]

@@BackRoadsWest1 My only concern was if you ride on regular highway. If you do I can get a ticket cuz I don’t have plates on it. If it all OHV I should be good.

[@TheDesertwalker]

I like this BRW1, but the computer voice, mispronunciations, and commercials make it hard to listen.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Since I can't stand narrators that talk so fast you can't understand details, I prefer to pronounce everything carefully and at a steady cadence. Other people like it. Advertising is a way to make money for people like me that spend a lot of time doing this. There's no free lunch!

[@deandupont5503]

Honestly? I'm not seeing any terrain I couldn't pass in my old 1998 Honda Civic DX, with the most minor amount of strategy. Total snooze-cruise, well-traveled and graded. I mean, sure, scare off the tourists, but that stretch of road is a rally driver's wet dream. 😏

[@vibingwithvinyl]

Agreed. From the photos I saw like one or two places where you'd have to choose your line carefully but other than that, seems fine.

[@DT-sb9sv]

If you do do it, there are a couple spots that need clearance. But for most of it you're right. No need for 4x4, just clearance.

[@jerroldshelton9367]

I practically grew up on the land contained on the Butler Peak USGS Topo Map, which 3N14 passes through. What looks so "hell, I could get there in my Camry" doesn't sometimes stay that way and just because you got into the SBNF that way DOESN'T mean you can count on going home the way you came. Back in 2007, I took my ex-wife and kids up to see Holcomb Valley and Big Bear Lake for what might have been the last time for all of us. While in Holcomb Valley, some granola-munching hippy chick with Save the Seals stickers on the back of her Outback took it upon herself to tell me what an evil person I was for destroying the environment with my TJ Jeep. Now, earlier that morning, I came up Bowen Ranch Road from Roundup Way to Coxey Truck Trail with no problem. I could have driven my Porsche on it, if I had wanted to for some reason. Leaving that afternoon, though, was a bit of a different story. While I was near Luna Mountain on my family's former property, and while I traveled from there to Holcomb Valley, and from there to Big Bear Lake, I was under a partly cloudy but mostly blue sky. I never saw a drop of rain all day. But when heading home, after turning off Coxey Truck Trail on to Bowen Ranch Road, I got to a point where Bowen Ranch Road crosses a normally dry wash. It was dry in the morning, but was anything but dry then, being a swift torrent 200 yards wide with "Hippy Chick's" Outback stuck in the middle of it and her sitting on the roof of it. I made it across to dry land on the other side, but it wasn't exactly non-dramatic, even with a mildly lifted TJ running 31" BFG M/Ts and a relatively tight LSD in the rear. Without that limited-slip diff in the rear, I might not have made it across, myself. It was kind of stupid to try it, in retrospect, but once I got in it, I was committed. I've also had the experience of camping out at the old Hawes Ranch site and have snow dump on me in May, and when you put a foot of spring snow on 3N14, it goes from "hell, I could get there in my Camry" to "how in the hell am I going to get out of here in a Camry" pretty quick. Fortunately for folks who think a '98 Civic is a backcountry exploration vehicle, the land contained on the Butler Peak, CA Topo Map isn't anywhere nearly as remote as it was when I first knew it in 1969. I've spent weeks in those mountains without seeing another vehicle of any kind the whole time I was there, but that was then and this is now, when it's the back yard for a few million people living in the Victor Valley, meaning that there are always people on 3N14 now, so if you do run in to something a 98 Civic can't handle, help probably won't be too long in coming.

[@v.e.7236]

3:16 Expecting common sense is a bust, as most folk don't have or utilize that part of their brain. Just an observation. lol Never knew I had an entire valley named after me, let alone a town!? Doesn't look like that pleasant a place. Seriously, what is out there? What do people who live there do? Industry or businesses? Looks pretty bleak - aka: inhospitable. Nice video.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Don't know if I quite understand about the name of a town, but thank you.

[@v.e.7236]

@@BackRoadsWest1 Sorry, my name is Victor, hence the reference.

[@mobiltec]

"In hopes of getting rich"... NO.. That is NOT the reason most people flocked to new gold producing areas. Most of them went there to work in the mines, the support towns and maybe offer up services and supplies to make a living. Most did not go there in hope of getting rich.

[@filianablanxart8305]

Well the reasons they * Thought * they wanted to go are usually different from the reality of what happened when they got there , at least in the initial Rush stage . During the window after exploration , after large- ish operations started up , relatively good paying jobs beconed

[@debbiemiller8018]

You talk too much way over the top give the instructions give the information and then get on with it

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Well then, maybe you should create videos your own way. My design seems to work just fine.

[@beniciomoldenado2315]

I decided to unsubscribe from your channel. My computer has ad blockers and they prevent me from viewing your videos.

[@deviantslice366]

I had to stop watching because of the way “Holcomb” was pronounced.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

That's pretty narrow-minded thinking! Because you're offended on how someone pronounces a word, which happens all over the USA, you don't want to learn what's in the video? Sorry for you! And, by the way, I lived in the area for 30 years and that's how I heard other people pronounce it, plus it follows the rules of phonics.

[@deviantslice366]

Super narrow-minded! But on the other hand I was a Ranger at the Holcomb Valley scout camp for a few years, so the place is near and dear to my heart. Also experience tells me that if a person can’t pronounce a place-name correctly then they probably haven’t been to the place they’re trying to name.

[@georgehays4900]

Narrator sounds like he’s talking to third graders.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Oh, sorry, if I knew you graduated to the 4th grade, I would have changed my narration style just for you.

[@barrya.6212]

@@BackRoadsWest1 You do an awesome job... perfect, pleasant narration to clearly understand everything and interesting commentary as well....I would just delete offensive comments but that's your guy's call :)

[@molliesdad4702]

Someone PLEASE cut the music...............very annoying.

[@BackRoadsWest1]

Out of 1000s of views, you're like the only one that doesn't like it. Just turn the volume down man! With music, you can't please everyone.

[@brandonwoods3485]

Awesome