Could an effort to prepare for military drones pave the way for one of America’s most radical off-road competitions?
In California’s dry vastness of Johnson Valley, the U.S. Marine Corps is moving to take greater dominion over the skies over ground long shared with off-roaders, pilots, and desert campers. The Pentagon’s plan, pending review by the Federal Aviation Administration, would impose restricted airspace over most of the 96,000-acre Off-Highway Vehicle Area and the entire shared-use region designated by Congress in 2014. Although base officials indicate that the restrictions would be for no more than 60 days per year, critics caution that even short-term closures could cause emergency services disruptions, jeopardize major events, and open the door to wider military control.
The high stakes are most evident in the future of King of the Hammers, a motorsports festival lasting two weeks that converts a dry lakebed into “Hammertown” and attracts over 80,000 fans. The safety net of the race relies on helicopters to carry out medical evacuation and on drones to provide live tracking and broadcast. Blue Ribbon Coalition’s Shannon Welch described the possible loss of air support as “catastrophic.” Without it, response times to accidents may increase, and the event’s worldwide livestream important for sponsors and spectators would be jeopardized.
Marine Corps leaders contend the airspace is vital for today’s training. Col. Benjamin Adams, the base’s training directorate assistant chief of staff, invoked a directive from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to have every squad be equipped with small drones by the end of fiscal 2026. These types of systems, usually quadcopters or fixed-wing mini-UAVs that weigh less than 55 pounds, are utilized for reconnaissance, target detection, and real-time coordination in combined-arms maneuvers. Twentynine Palms, with its 1,200 square miles of arid land, is one of the few locations with enough space to host such enormous integrated drills of ground forces, manned aircraft, and unmanned systems.
FAA procedures for the declaration of restricted airspace entail an aeronautical study and a safety risk management board to determine effects on the National Airspace System. Andy Chatelin, head of the base’s range management branch, verified the proposal has gone through those phases. The Marines are collaborating with the FAA on a letter of procedure to permit low-level flying such as rescue over the shared-use area even under restrictions, as long as the ground is open. They also intend to maintain instrument approach paths to Big Bear City Airport, which otherwise might be impacted.
Aviation supporters still remain cautious, though. Tim Lewis of the Yucca Valley Airport District added that the military already uses 31 special use airspaces within 100 nautical miles of Twentynine Palms, with restrictions almost continuous from Barstow to Prescott, Arizona. More could lead to rerouting of general aviation and commercial flights at the expense of fuel prices and congestion. Rep. Jay Obernolte, a pilot and former member of the Big Bear City Airport board, cautioned the proposed boundaries intersect with instrument flight rules approach paths and could bar landings under present procedures.
The concerns do not stop at aviation charts. San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe highlighted data indicating a minimum of 36 medical helicopter responses to Johnson Valley last year. She asked if federal planners understand the public safety ramifications. Previous instances, including closures around White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico and the Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona, indicate how airspace restrictions can result in abrupt ground closures, even if the land remains technically public.
For others in the off-road culture, the battle is as much about principle as it is about logistics. King of the Hammers co-founder Dave Cole looks at the proposal as “a different bite; same apple” versus the Marines’ previous effort to push westward into Johnson Valley. The 2014 defense bill compromise was supposed to bring a resolution, splitting the land into recreational, military, and shared-use areas. Now, its opponents are worried that dominating the airspace might be the first step to undermining that accord.
Sierra Club policy regarding military use of civilian airspace states that it must only happen when there is no reasonable alternative, with maximum public involvement before a decision. The outreach by the Marines was not sufficient, according to critics, with many local stakeholders only hearing about the 60-day deadline by reading an appendix buried within a 394-page environmental assessment.
A final decision is planned by the FAA by fall 2026. In the meantime, the conflict between national defense interests and the maintenance of open skies for recreation will be played out at public hearings, in legislative amendments, and in the desert itself where the roar of engines and the whine of rotor blades have long coexisted in the same airspace.
