Johnson Valley is a remote community in San Bernardino County, California, set within the Little San Bernardino Mountains of the Mojave Desert between Yucca Valley and Lucerne Valley. State Highway 247, also known as Old Woman Springs Road, bisects the valley and serves as its principal route. With a population of roughly 440 residents, Johnson Valley is a dispersed, low-density desert settlement whose character is defined by open space, dramatic mountain scenery, and a deep connection to off-road recreation. The community is best known as the home of the King of the Hammers, an internationally recognized off-road race widely considered among the toughest in the world. The event unfolds across the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Area, a Bureau of Land Management-managed riding area whose southeastern portion contains a mass of rocky hills known as "the Hammers," a proving ground for expert rock crawlers. Each year the race and its accompanying festival draw thousands of participants and spectators to the valley, cementing its place in off-road culture. Johnson Valley shares its 92285 postal code with the neighboring community of Landers, and the two settlements function together as part of the broader High Desert region. Daily services, schools, and medical care require a drive to Lucerne Valley or Yucca Valley, and residents typically embrace the self-sufficiency that remote desert living demands. The area's history includes the 1909 "Willie Boy" incident, a notable episode of the region's frontier past, and the valley retains a quiet, storied character beneath its modern off-road fame. Johnson Valley suits those seeking solitude, vast open land, and access to some of the country's premier off-road terrain, within a few hours' drive of Southern California's larger cities.