Southern California 4x4 Trails: Gold Mountain (3N69, Big Bear) Trail Review & Guide

Gold Mountain, 3N69 in Big Bear is a moderately difficult trail that runs between Highway 18 and Forest Road 3N16. This video is a full guide and review of the entire trail showing all difficult spots including the "rock garden".
Any stock Jeep can do Gold Mountain and most 4WD SUVs and trucks can complete the trail although there is a risk of damage.
If you have any questions or if I missed something or got anything wrong please leave a comment.

[@onememories8523]

Absolutely LOVE your video review! I wish all the trail reviews are like yours. Thank you.

[@rubicornfamily2995]

Randy, this video and your other trail guide videos are top notch. I've studied this video twice this week and today, brought the family and our XJ to conquer Gold Mountain. We did it without having lockers with 33's and about 4" lift. We came alone but came across great people to help spot when needed and stack rocks on that last obstacle. Your videos are a must see for any Southern California off roader. We actually ran into your group on Cleghorn and tackled "oh shit creek". Can't wait for your next video!

[@mrgilmore6953]

Those 33s don't rub with only a 4" lift?

[@Gray_Wolf33]

Awesome guide, thanks so much. Perfect timing too, doing this trail tomorrow for the first time ever.

[@jdsilvaca]

Just ran this again today. Been two years since I was here. Lines have changed. Still a fun moderate trail.

[@randycarter4529]

Another great video! Thank you for sharing. Can't wait to get out there!

[@markzwilsky3509]

I'm east coast guy ...just got my blue ox tow bar installed... heading west in Nov. First stop , Heartbreak Ridge in Nov. Great clip .... keep um coming!

[@moabwheeling]

Another great video !!! That looks lie a fun trail !!! Thank you for posting it !!!!

[@mr.bluegrass9723]

Another great video . Always enjoy .you videos

[@TheBeardedJeeper]

looks like a fun trail! One day I will get out there and hit some of those trails with you guys!

[@RobDTom]

I love these trail guides!

[@Trd2020]

Love the guide information. Thanks

[@TobyCostaRica]

Great content 👍🏼

[@davidbeeman8501]

Did this trail first time on Tuesday. Stock 21 Gladiator Rubicon on 35s. Awesome trail! It's changed a lot since you did this video. You should run it again.

[@jennla]

Is it harder than this video shows?

[@TheVortech11]

Nice Trail.👍

[@williamtsol636]

Great video ! Thanks !

[@jeepsolo7218]

Nice Vid. I think things have gotten even more weathered over the years. It is getting pretty tough for a stock rig to make it up Gold Mtn without damage. But it is fun every time.

[@inkdfreak666]

Just did this a couple days ago. It was much rougher in spots than when this was filmed. It was a Blast!

[@manilaboy1vic]

i did this yesterday, so much fun.. i was helping a guy trying to get up the first ledge.. he was running his tires at 60 PSI !!! I deflated his tires for him.. he ripped his rear pass fender flare off as well.. im hoping he made home okay to be honest.. my rear dif glide plate got a workout. and i see a some scrapes on my front diff. guess ill be getting a glide plate for that

[@michaelchang910]

Love your videos! We'll be out in Big Bear this weekend and will be hitting Gold Mountain. We also wanted to hit a different trail (NOT John Bull as I don't think we're built for that yet) similar to Gold Mountain in difficulty but not too far from Gold Mountain. Do you know of another trail or two around Gold Mountain? Thanks man and keep up the great work with these awesome videos! 😊🙌

[@brewman77]

Nice video. I watched several other videos and they are great. I found this trail this last weekend by mistake trying to get to john bull. Do you have or do you know of a good that lists trails vs. Roads? Not sure by looking at the 3NXX numbers. Thanks!

[@victorcarmona4896]

Did this trail in my STOCK 98 Tj with a 2.5L..boy was it interesting!!!

[@rockyeasterline348]

Was there any specific spot where they were finding gold on that trail if so how many miles into it from the Lakeside

[@KraziAzn2]

Looks tight. Wanted to bring my 100 series...probably not a good idea

[@romanb5531]

Awesome, thanks Randy. what's the model of your dashcam and review of it?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

Dashcam is a Garmin NuviCam LMTHD. Not the greatest video quality but overall I'm happy with it as both a GPS and a dashcam.

[@xzysyndrome]

Look forward to slapping an honor badge on my stock 2014 Rubicon with 33's.

[@Mistakes_Were-Made]

Ran my 97 Suburban on 35's through Gold Mountain without issue years ago. Has it been washed out since?

[@jabroni6199]

Is there a staging area near the trail head? This looks like a good trail to do in my Teryx 4 SxS

[@TheNotaRubicon]

There is an area, just off the highway. Check the laws/rules for this trail though, It may be street-legal vehicles only allowed.

[@julienbrouillard5446]

Did it 2 weeks ago. At 24 minutes in or so that obstacle where you said you always get hung at, well for some reason that trail at that spot is way more dug out, making those boulders stick out way more, and basically impossible to get through on a stock Jeep like I had. Saw a group of 3, big rigs, 1 on 37" With big lift, had a super hard time to get through. There is an easy bypass now next to it between the trees.

[@shaneamcnally]

Great vid. Can I make this trail in a trd off road 4 runner with 2.5" lift, sliders, and 33" Cooper st Maxx?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

We've seen less equipped vehicles make it through easily with good drivers, and more equipped vehicles with bad drivers struggle and break things. So.. depends on how good of a driver you are !

[@hondaxbadass]

is your dash cam the source of the audio or did you have an additional mic mounted inside? thats pretty good audio if that is coming from your dash cam. awesome video. I will be doing this trail in the near future.

[@TheNotaRubicon]

all the audio from in the Jeep while on the trail is from the dash-cam.

[@hondaxbadass]

wow thats impressive. What model do you use? I've been looking at the GRDIAN Defender+.

[@TheNotaRubicon]

This was done with a Garmin NUVI

[@illuminati4537]

How do I find out when your going to have a beginners guide for a trail I would love to go on one and get to know ppl in the community

[@WilsonAbrego]

When running this type of trail, are you always on 4low?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

Because The NotaRubicon is a stick shift we have to go into 4LO a lot, but only in the steep or rocky sections.. those with automatic transmissions will still need to go into 4LO, but not as often.

[@JoseRodriguez-lg6mk]

How much more difficult is this in the rain? I was going to try this, this weekend with my Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk, with a 3 inch lift, rear locker, skid plates and rock rails, tires are smaller thought 30.5. Any thoughts? I've got 12 inches of clearance at the lowest point - front skid plate and 15 inches at the rock sliders. Approach angle is at 40 degrees

[@TheNotaRubicon]

Everything is just a bit slicker in the rain, but because the difficult ledges are stone they dont get too slick. You will probably do just fine.

[@JoseRodriguez-lg6mk]

Awesome, thanks! I'll be running with some super capable rigs so I'll have plenty of help and spotters.

[@ProjectWolfWorx]

Are you/ are you apart of a jeep club and where are you guys located at?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

Clubs require meetings, dues, fees, blah blah. We are a group that loves to go offroad! We do public runs at least once per month. You can find us at Facebook.com/NotARubicon or NotARubicon.com

[@ProjectWolfWorx]

Awesome thanks.

[@homersimpson5964]

Randy, you think a 2016 Subaru Outback with a 2'' lift can do this? No lockers or 4-lo. I'm mainly concerned with the two obstacles.

[@TheNotaRubicon]

You might have a tough time getting up those first two obstacles.

[@homersimpson5964]

What about if I use my tracks and stack some rocks?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

You will make it, but it’s not going to be easy.. Just dont go alone!

[@homersimpson5964]

Thanks Randy!

[@konkhmer4life]

i just ran this trail on 8/15/19 it was much more dfficult due to the last raining season. you will have a very hard time and a lot of damages. i would not take any subaru up this trail, stock or moded. good luck.

[@holidaymetro]

Randy, what psi did you air down to when doing gold mountain?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

our Staun Deflators are pre-set at about 7-9PSI .. but when I made this video I had on Cooper STT Pro tires which had E-Rated sidewalls which are very stiff, so looking back I dont think that was low enough..Our new 37' Falken WildPeaks D rated sidewalls are just about right at 7-9psi ... We've done Gold Mountain as high as 18psi (long ago) .. it was a bumpy ride, but we made it..

[@holidaymetro]

@@TheNotaRubicon Thanks Randy for the detailed info! I just got BFG KM3. They are E-rated ply. So I take it I should at least air down to 7 PSI. when doing Gold Mountain? Love your videos! Just watched Last Chance Canyon, Goler Gulch, The Narrows, Schmidt Tunnel and Graduation Hill video and it looked amazing!

[@TheNotaRubicon]

I would start out higher, around 10-12psi and see how they look. You dont want to go down too far because you could pull the bead, and you dont need to go down much on Gold Mountain anyway.. slowly, either on this trip, or a bit by bit on each trip, go down a bit lower until you are as low as you feel comfortable with. Remember that they look different sitting on the flat ground than they will when on a hill/off-camber or against a rock!

[@holidaymetro]

@@TheNotaRubicon Thanks again Randy for taking the time to reply!

[@RobDTom]

How would you compare the difficulty of Gold Mountain to Heartbreak Ridge?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

I would say those first two obstacles are harder than anything at Heartbreak Ridge. After those, they are about equal in difficulty.

[@mikesanchezgsxr]

Do you think my Jeep Cherokee WJ with a 4" lift and 31" MT tires can do this trail?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

It depends on the skills of the driver. We've seen lesser vehicles with good drivers make it easily, and much more equipped vehicles with less experienced drivers struggle and break things.

[@mrgilmore6953]

I've done it in an XJ Cherokee with 4" lift and 31s without any issues. I recommend rock sliders though.

[@davidkano6760]

I'm heading out there today at 7am

[@44sleepyjim]

Randy what dash cam do you use?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

Garmin Nuvi GPS/Dashcam

[@louisg7914]

Have you ever run Miller Jeep Trail/Lockwood?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

Have never been out that direction.

[@zxtuner4lyfe]

Miller jeep trail is awesome

[@kennethcurtis1856]

How would a stock 2014 Cherokee Trailhawk with rear lockers handle the trail?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

It would definitely struggle on the two obstacles.. probably a LOT, depending on the skill level of the driver..

[@juancha79]

did you guys have two way radios back then?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

CB

[@aw8one]

what locker did you get for the rear?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

Eaton E-Locker in the rear.

[@Elandogold]

what Garmin camera did you film with?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

Thats a Garmin Nuvi

[@Elandogold]

NotaRubicon Productions Thanks. We saw you on a Trailsoffroad video with Josh at Pinyon Canyon. And started watching the 4lo series on KZbin a couple weeks ago as well. 👍

[@TheNotaRubicon]

@jpikake awesome, thanks! Don't miss the new Season 2 In4Lo episodes exclusively on Amazon Prime Streaming Video!

[@Ricky_kim3]

I got a 2017 Jeep renegade trailhawk. Think it's possible?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

I would not take my new, shiny Trailhawk up there.. You would probably (maybe) make it, but unless you are a very skillful driver, it would be very possible that you break or bend/dent something.

[@Ricky_kim3]

Can you recommend any other trails around the area for my Jeep?

[@TheNotaRubicon]

Cleghorn is a great trail to practice on. Just dont go alone!

[@glenm2229]

That is definitely not shale, which would get crushed under the regular weight of vehicles, and is typically dark. Looks more like granite or quartzite, something very hard.

[@irvgotti94]

Think an 80 series land cruiser have any issues on this trail😉

[@georgekarpouzis6108]

Surely you jest my friend. An 80 series cruiser on 35s is unstoppable

[@tjmendoza7864]

Why do people prefer stick??? I hate to off road in a stick!

[@TheNotaRubicon]

A stick gives you more control but it's definitely more of a challenge going over large rocks.

[@tauntaunthejeep5112]

I didnt catch if you had aired down

[@TheNotaRubicon]

Yes. Mostly just to smooth out the bumpy ride - very helpful on those first two obstacles.

[@MichaelJohnson-wu6to]

I think they closed this trail in 2020

[@TheNotaRubicon]

You would be incorrect in thinking that.

[@seanware719]

[@TheNotaRubicon]

Yah.. You're laughing and smiling NOW ....