King of the Hammers 2020 Offers 10 Days of Non-stop Desert Action

Festivities kicked off last weekend, but it’s time to get excited for the main event, Feb. 7.

Ultra4 Racing‘s King of the Hammers has quickly become one of the most popular events of the year here at JK-Forum. Many of our members attend and even compete in the off-road extravaganza, in fact. And it’s easy to see why. KOH is the fastest-growing such event of its kind. This year, King of the Hammers officially takes place on February 7 in Johnson Valley, California. But the gates to “Hammertown” are officially open January 31 through February 9, so you can camp out and enjoy ten days of unmitigated fun in the desert.

Hammertown is once again packed with attendees, vendors, live music, and just generally a killer time. But the action really heats up Friday, when a full gauntlet of off-road racing events take place. This year, that includes Can-Am Motorsports UTV, the Shootout, the Every Man Challenge, the Toyo Desert Invitational (T1 trucks), the Nitto King of the Hammers Ultra4 race, and the grand finale King of the Motos event. Whether you fancy rock crawling, high-speed desert racing, or short-course events, there’s quite literally something for everyone.

King of the Hammers has grown exponentially each year, and this year is no exception. For 2020, Ultra4 expects to host an incredible 450+ teams and roughly 75,000 spectators. Not to mention around a million folks watching online. Those are pretty insane numbers, but also a testament to the quality of this 13-year-old event. Plus, it’s incredibly cheap. Spectators can get in for as little as $20, and participating won’t run you much more than that.

Jeep typically dominates the King of the Hammers lineups, which is no surprise. After all, this is what many consider the toughest off-road competition on the planet. So if you’re going to be in the SoCal area, be sure and head over here to secure your tickets. And even if you can’t be there to witness all this off-road goodness in person, Ultra4 does a great job providing coverage via their YouTube channel. But personally, we think that participating in one of these hotly contested racing events is the way to go. If you’ve got the intestinal fortitude, that is!

Photos: Ultra4 Racing

Join the JK-Forums now!

Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.