Trona Pinnacles

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The Adventure Portal's Basecamp Trona Pinnacles — Basecamp Trona Pinnacles

GPS	N35 40.89′ W117 23.44
Elevation	1600-3900 ft
Season	Year round: best Oct.-May
Terrain	Roughly graded, deep, loose sand
Difficulty	Easy terrain
Required Vehicle	4 wheel drive. With stock tires it’s better to air down a bit in the soft sand.
Time	2 hours
Length	24.6 miles

Directions: To get to Trona Pinnacles, you exit onto a well-marked graded road off of CA 178, 1.8 miles south of the town of Trona. The road is marked RM-143 suitable for 4WD, ATVs and motorbikes.

Site Location and Description: Trona Pinnacles is the area where the remake of Planet of the Apes was filmed as well as many other science fiction films. It is made up of “other worldly” spires and rocky pinnacles. As you travel down this packed dirt road, you can see the pinnacles a few miles down the road. There are some fun trails around the pinnacles to explore as well as primative camping opportunities. Follow RM 143 past the pinnacles and you will cross a paved road. It is part of the China Lake Naval Weapons Center and there is no public access so cross it and remain on the 143. A short while after the crossing you will get to a smaller trail; 7A. This has very loose, deep sand and climbs through a wash, past numerous Joshua Trees in the Summit Range. Truly an out-of-this-world adventure and beautiful as the stars and moon come out at night with the pinnacles in the forefront. Great photo ops. We had a lot of fun driving around the area. It is owned by the Bureau of Land Management and runs alongside the Sapangler Hills OHV Area, where there are a lot of fun trails and open areas for off-road vehicle exploration. To the south you will see the Golden Valley Wilderness, a hiking horseback riding area, with it’s Lava Mountains. TAP Note: Do not head out to Trona when it’s wet. Vehicles can easily get stuck in the mud.

The history of Trona Pinnacles: The Pinnacles formed 130,000-35,000 ago and are made of tufa or calcium carbonate deposits on Searles Lake floor. The lake was up to 600 feet deep and the area was lush and tropical. There are more than 500 tufa spires over an area of about 13 square miles some reaching up to 140 feet above the dry lakebed.

John and Dennis Searles discovered borax in the lake in 1863 and saline production started about 10 years later. This approximately 12 square mile area, once a lush tropical lake is now a mix of mud and sand to the northeast of the Trona Pinnacles Trail. It now contains salt crystals; potassium salt, boric acid, borax, lithium carbonate and bicarbonate all in near pure form. There is a processing plant you can see from afar in the town of Trona. Trona is the name of a mineral that consistes of sodium carbonate and bicarbonate. The wagon route used by the Searles brothers to transport the borax to the railroad in Mojave is now the route of the current railroad.

In 1986 Trona Pinnacles were designated as a National Natural Landmark. This area has been the backdrop for many movies, including Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Dinosaur, and Pitch Black as well as the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes.

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Old Dale Road – Joshua Tree National Park

By

Lori Palmer

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Joshua Tree np, Joshua Tree National Park, old dale road, overland trails, off-road trials, california overland trails, overlanding, over land, off-road, off-roading, vehicle supported adventure, adventure,

GPS- Old Dale Road	N33 49.68 W115 45.50
Elevation	1,300-2,500 ft.
Season	Year round: best Oct.-May
Terrain	Packed dirt/sand. Ascent and descent is a narrow, sometimes off camber shelf road with embedded boulders and ruts.
Difficulty	Mostly easy/ Moderate for ascent and descent
Required Vehicle	High clearance 4WD
Time	3 hours
Length	25.8 miles each way

Directions to Old Dale Road: Start from Pinto Basin (also known as El Dorado Mine Road) 6 miles north of Cottonwood Campground. The trail ends at Old Dale on CA 62, 14 miles east of Twentynine Palms.

Old Dale Road-Site Location and Description: Old Dale Road traverses the two deserts that make up Joshua Tree National Park, the Colorado and the Mojave. You will see the different vegetations along this trail then watch them come together in a transition zone along the Pinto Basin. The Colorado desert is the hotter of the two deserts and its vegetation consists of cacti, chollas, ocotillos, and ironwood trees. The Mojave is famous for it’s Joshua Trees. This overland trail will pass Mission Well and the Mission Mill site, although there are little remains of either. You will see the Brooklyn Mine Trail going off to the east. Stay on the dirt road and you will start your climb up into the Pinto Mountains, exiting Joshua Tree National Park. This is where the off-road trail becomes more challenging…or fun…..you will climb a narrow, uneven, shelf road with imbedded rocks. Up in the Mountains, you’ll be able to find the remains of many mines. There are numerous side trails to explore. One not to miss is a trail leading out to the Duplex Mine. It is located on the ridge top and although there are little mining remains, the panoramic views from the top are breathtaking. Back onto the main route you will join Gold Crown Road and pass close to the site of New Dale marked by a pile of cans. The trail descends to CA 62 at Old Dale.

History of Old Dale Road: Old Dale Road in Joshua Tree National Park, takes you through a variety of mines that were built and worked as early as the 1880’s and as late as 1990’s. Old Dale was the site of the earliest mine in the Dale Mining District. It was originally called Dale and got it’s water from diggings at Dale Lake, 5 miles away. Miners spread across the area and established other other sites: The Virgina Dale mine (1885) which can be seen off of Brooklyn Mine Trail, the Supply Mine (around 1900), which was so successful that the town of Dale moved closer to it calling itself New Dale and the original spot Old Dale. The town of New Dale was built close to the Virginia Dale Mine and can be visited off Brooklyn Mine Trail. The Golden Egg mine set on the mountainside abouve the San Bernardino Wash and below Old Dale Road was active from the 1940s-1970s. South, in Pinto Wash you will see the Sunset and Mission Mines and Mills (1930s), used by miners of the region. There you will see the remains of an arrastra (old grinding mill for silver and gold) and wells serving both mines. The main iron tank at Mission Mill was recently dislodged and the circular concrete base is now used as a helicopter landing pad. The Mission Mine was operated sporadically into the late 1990s.

Mission Well Joshua Tree National Park, Joshua Tree np, Joshua Tree National Park, old dale road, overland trails, off-road trials, california overland trails, overlanding, over land, off-road, off-roading, vehicle supported adventure, adventure, — Mission Well Joshua

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Berdoo Canyon Road – Joshua Tree

By

Lori Palmer

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Berdoo Canyon Joshua Tree, Overland trails, Over land, california trails, off-road trails, off roading, overlanding, overland, off-road, off-roading, off-road trails, vehicle supported adventure, adventure, expedition,

GPS	N33 54.62 W116 03.40
Elevation	900-4,400 ft
Season	Year round: best Oct.-May
Terrain	Packed dirt, deep sand in places, washboard: flash floods are a possibility
Difficulty	Easy: The last part of the trail is moderate. Check with the visitor center for latest conditions as flash flooding is a possibility and dramatically changes road conditions.
Required Vehicle	4WD high clearance SUVs
Time	2 hours
Length	14.9 miles

Deep into Berdoo Canyon Joshua Tree — Deep into Berdoo Canyon

Directions: From Interstate 10 N of Palm Springs, take Hwy 62 north then east about 43 miles to Twentynine Palms. Follow signs to the Oasis Visitor Center. Go south into the park through the North Entrance Station. Follow the signs to Jumbo Rocks Campground then go another 1.6 miles west. Turn left at the marker for Geology Tour road.

Site Location and Description: Berdoo Canyon Trail connects Geology Tour Road to Dillon Road. It begins at the one-way loop on Geology Tour Road. Berdoo takes you toward the San Bernardino Mountains and ascends into Berdoo Canyon. This slope can be the moderately difficult portion of the trail as it is easy affected by rains and contains some deep ruts and uneven, loose, sandy areas. The trail mostly follows a wash once in the canyon. This is a striking and remote area with high canyon walls and sparse vegitation. The trail then winds through a remote and serenely beautiful mountain area. The lower end of the trail takes you past the site of Berdoo Camp, part of the Colorado River Aqueduct construction project (more info below). Here you see the concrete ruins of the camp walls above the canyon then drive on to an old paved road that used to serve the camp leading out of Berdoo Canyon. TAP Note: There is no camping allowed anywhere in Joshua Tree National Park outside of the developed campgrounds. It is also prohibited to remove anything from the park.

History of Berdoo Canyon Trail: The name Berdoo is a nickname for San Bernardino. The Berdoo camp was set up because it was located in an area that had water. It is close to the mouth of the canyon and opens up to the Coachella Valley. The camp was part of the Colorado River Aqueduct construction project which carries water from Parker Dam in AZ to Los Angeles. It was constructied in 1932. The Berdoo camp was one of four headquarters for construction crews built along the aqueduct route. They built the tunnel section under the Little San Bernardino Mountains and the area is known as the East Coachella Tunnel Division. These tunnels stretched over 18 miles. The section under camp Berdoo was 2,000 ft under ground and 5 miles long. Workers lived in dorms at the camp. There was a hospital, mess hall and store on site. Construction was completed in 1939. What remains of the camp today is the flat pad area that once was the center of activity for the workers and some concrete walls. This aqueduct made it possible for the fruit-growing industry to develop in the Coachella Valley in the 1940s. Skye Valley (NW of the trail)and a few other settlements got their start as a result of the construction project and Dillon Road (west end of trail) was built to establish access to the area for the workers.

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Geology Tour Road – Joshua Tree National Park

By

Lori Palmer

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Geology Tour Road, joshua Tree national park, Joshua tREE np, OVERLAND TRAILS, overlanding trails, california overland trails, over land, off-road, off-roading, off road trails, vehicle supported adventure, adventure,

GPS	N33 49.84 W116 08.25
Elevation	3.300-4.600 ft
Season	Year round: best Oct.-May
Terrain	Packed dirt, deep sand in places
Difficulty	Easy to moderate: soft sand and steep, rockier terrain can be a challenge
Required Vehicle	2WD vehicles until Squaw Tank; marker #9 then 4WD recommended
Time	2 hours
Length	11.5 miles

Directions to geology Tour Road: From Park Boulevard (Loop Road) go 1.6 miles west of Jumbo Rocks to Trail marker

Site Location and Description: This is a scenic tour overland route. You can pick up a trail guide at the trailhead. It’s a fascinating geological and anthropological area that contains evidence of inhabitation dating back to 9000 B.C. You will see some spectacular rock formations that are so iconically “Joshua Tree National Park”, in their “modern art” look. The Tour map has a description of each of the 16 stops along the route with a warning to stop at #9, Squaw Tank if the weather is wet. Our suggestion is that you do not go any further unless you have 4WD. You will then be entering Pleasant Valley and the terrain gets rougher. At stop #10, which can be hard to find, but the GPS coordinates are N33 55.65 W116 04.56, you will find petroglyphs on the rocks to the left. Toward the end of the trail (marker #16) you will come to a stunning panoramic view.

History of Geology Tour Road: Along this route, anthropologists have found crafted projectiles used for hunting dating back to 9000 B.C. More recent evidence of population in this area by the Serrano, Chemehuevi, Cahuilla peoples can be seen in their pictographs, petroglyphs and mortar (grinding “bowls” carved out of rock) work areas. Squaw tank (#9) shows the visitor evidence of these grinding holes. Further down at stop #10 you can see some petroglyphs and Native American rock carvings.

In 1772 Pedro Fages, commander of the Spanish forces explored this area, making him the first documented European to travel this region. In 1865 gold prospectors were coming to the area and Rattlesnake Canyon, approximately 6 miles north of Geology Tour Road was the site of the first claim. Over the next 50 years, miners flocked to the area establishing the towns of Dale and New Dale. You can see the remnants of some of these mining activities at the base of the Hexie Mountains (stop #12). The Ryan Mountains, just west of this trail got their name from a particularly successful mine that closed in the early 1900’s after producing gold valued at over $300,000.

In the 1880’s cattle grazing was brought to this region and continued into the 1940’s. Bill Key’s, an iconic historical figure of Joshua Tree National Park, put his stamp on the area as well. He was a Russian immigrant turned miner, cowboy then a sherif and worked hard from 1910 until his death in 1969 developing his ranch that’s located just north of this trail. He also owned and operated the Hidden Gold Mine. His property, Desert Queen Ranch, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You can make reservations for a tour (760)-367-5500.

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Black Eagle Mine Road – Joshua Tree National Park

By

Lori Palmer

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Black eagle mine road, joshua tree National Park, overland trails, california overland trails, off-road trails, over land, overlanding, overland, off-road, orroading, off road adventure, vehicle supported adventure,

GPS	N 33 49.68 W115 45.50
Elevation	1,300-2,500 ft
Season	Year round: best Oct.-May
Terrain	Graded, sand washes, imbedded rocks
Difficulty	easy to moderate: sections could be difficult after storms
Required Vehicle	High Clearance 4 wheel drive.
Time	2.5 hours out and back
Length	16.5 miles

Directions: Black Eagle Mine Road begins at the 6.5 miles north of Cottonwood Visitor Center (same trailhead as Old Dale Road)

Site Location and Description: Black Eagle Mine road runs along the edge of Pinto Basin, crosses several dry washes, and winds through canyons in the Eagle Mountains. The first nine miles are in the park. Beyond that point, the overland trail is on Bureau of Land Management land. The road stopped for us when we ran into a large boulder in the middle of the off-road trail. Several old mines are located around the road.

The History of Black Eagle Mine Road: This trail passes by Barry Storm’s Jade Mine, the Black Eagle Gold Mine and Kaiser’s Eagle Mountain Mine as well as other old abandoned gold mines.
Barry Storm stumbled across a large jade deposit and mined it from 1956 to 1967. The biggest piece of jade that his mines produced weighed 450 pounds. He broke it up and sold it in the Twenty-Nine Palms area. The Black Eagle mine produced over 1,000 tons of ore generating approximately $30,000 between 1923 and 1928. Water for the camp was brought in from Cottonwood Springs. A mill was constructed in the late 1920’s but was unsustainable and both the mine and the mill had to be shut down sometime in the early 1940’s. Between 1935 and 1940, ore production generated approximately $200,000. In 1939 a concentration and flotation plant was installed and operated from 1939 to 1940. It yealded over $53,000 in concentrates.

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Arroyo Seco del Diablo and Diablo Drop off

By

Lori Palmer

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Arroya Seco, Del Diablo Drop Off, anza Borrego, overland trails, overlanding, over land, off-road trails, off-roading, off-road, vehicle supported adventure,

GPS	N32 52 56.9 W116 09 30′
Elevation	600 ft. to 1,100 ft.
Season	Year round: best Oct.-May
Terrain	Packed dirt, deep sand in places, washboard, possible sandstone/ rock slides , narrow in places: flash floods are a possibility
Difficulty	Easy to moderate terrain on Arroyo Seco – conditions change frequently due to weather conditions. Diablo Drop off is rated challenging. June 2015 it was moderate
Required Vehicle	High clearance 4WD, air down
Time	1 hour 1 way
Length	8.2 miles one way

Directions: We came into Arroyo Seco Del Diablo via Canyon Sin Nombre (off the S2 between Sweeny Pass and the Carrizo Badlands Overlook, approximately 13 miles NW of Ocotillo) then veered north at the above coordinates.

Site Location and Description: Most of Arroyo Seco del Diablo twists and winds through sandstone canyon and an off-road sandy wash in Anza Borrego State Park. The sandstone walls of the canyon are geographically amazing in their formations. Be aware that the nature of sandstone can be fragile and we encountered quite a few wall collapses that we had to drive over. Nothing too challenging, but worth mentioning. At approximately 6 miles you arrive at the top of Vallecito Canyon on Middle Mesa and you turn left at the Diablo Drop Off sign.

The view from the top of Diablo is amazing, you can see the Fish Creek area and the Vallecito Mountains. There are two off-road “drops” at Diablo. The first is a semi-steep, very sandy hill which is not difficult to descend (we went down in low gear…yes, safe and slow). Rumor has it that you do not want to attempt going back up…SO, you need to be willing to make the second descent called “Broken Shaft” Gultch which has been rated challenging and which we were warned about by the park ranger as being washed out though passible with our rigs. Here you enter a narrow slot and pass over some ledges, ruts and rocks. While these have been written up as treacherous, we found that the recent rains had actually filled in some of the deeper ruts and padded the ledges. DO NOT take this review of the second part of the drop as “set in stone” (ha…) because conditions change frequently and the ruts and ledges can be deep requiring careful wheel placement. For current road conditions call: 760-767-4205

History of Arroyo Seco del Diablo: The name Arroyo Seco del Diablo means the Devil’s dry wash and is located in the Carrizo Badlands formed out of water flowing from the ancient Colorado River cutting through the sandstone and rock concretions along it’s way to the Gulf of California. (Concretions are basically cemented bodies of sediment particles embedded into rock or sandstone..usually round or disk shaped.) The concretions that were carried downstream helped to form the deep-sided canyon walls of Arroyo Seco del Diablo. Diablo Drop Off sits on a mesa (spanish for table) above the paths carved by the massive floodwaters millions of years ago.

The Adventure Portal

Trona Pinnacles

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Old Dale Road – Joshua Tree National Park

Click here for more CA off-road, Overlanding trails…..and TAP into Adventure!

Berdoo Canyon Road – Joshua Tree

Click here for more CA off-road, Overlanding trails…..and TAP into Adventure!

Geology Tour Road – Joshua Tree National Park

Click here for more CA off-road, Overlanding trails…..and TAP into Adventure!

Black Eagle Mine Road – Joshua Tree National Park

Click here for more CA off-road, Overlanding trails…..and TAP into Adventure!

Arroyo Seco del Diablo and Diablo Drop off

Click here for more CA off-road, Overlanding trails…..and TAP into Adventure!

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