Wide Open Design Takes on Johnson Valley
If you’ve ever been to King of the Hammers, you already know- nothing about Johnson Valley is easy.
The rocks are bigger.
The trails are rougher.
The terrain changes constantly.
And every year somehow gets more brutal than the last.
King of the Hammers 2025 absolutely lived up to the reputation. This year the Wide Open Design crew headed deep into Clawhammer and Nightmare with a full mix of:
- race cars
- recreational wheelers
- Ultra4 builds
- UTVs
- rock bouncers
King of the Hammers remains one of the most important proving grounds in off-road. If a vehicle survives Johnson Valley repeatedly, it’s probably built correctly.
Watch the King of the Hammers 2025 Video
Recreational Wheeling at Hammers Hits Different
While the races get most of the attention, some of the best moments at Hammers happen during prerunning and recreational trail riding.
This year the WOD camp had a killer mix of:
- racers
- builders
- recreational wheelers
- old friends
- first-time Hammers drivers
all out running the same trails together. That combination creates some unforgettable days in the rocks. One minute you’re climbing through Clawhammer. The next minute you randomly run into half your buddies from across the country sitting on the side of a canyon in Johnson Valley.
That’s Hammers.
Climbing Into Nightmare
After working through most of Clawhammer, the crew split off toward Nightmare. For some drivers, it was their first time seeing the trail in person.
And like most Hammers trails, the camera never really captures how steep and violent the terrain actually feels. The rock ledges, off-camber climbs, and vertical transitions become much more intimidating once you’re sitting in the driver seat staring over the hood.
Especially in full-bodied rigs. That’s why chassis design, visibility, and center of gravity matter so much out there. From Clawhammer to Nightmare, the Wide Open Design crew spent the week doing what Hammers is really about:
wheeling hard with good people and pushing machines to their limits.
And somehow every year, Johnson Valley still finds a way to humble everybody again.
Check out more KOH 2025 footage on our WOD Facebook page