Hiking at Hole in the Rock (Mojave Preserve)
5 Days in the Desert travelog #7
Mojave Preserve, CA - Sat, 24 Dec 2022, 4:15pm
This afternoon we hiked the Rings Trail at Banshee Canyon in Mojave National Preserve. We did it as a two-fer after hiking at Amboy Crater earlier in the day.
As metal as this hike's name sounds (Banshee Canyon? Sign me up!) it was actually our second choice for an afternoon hike. First choice was a cave tour at Mitchell Caverns in Providence Mountains State Park. We weren't able to get a reservation in advance (they only take phone reservations one day per week) so we tried our luck just showing up on Christmas Eve. No luck; the tour was already full. But the ranger there suggested we visit Hole-in-Wall at Mojave National Preserve nearby.
The visitor center at Hole-in-the-Wall has an interesting Old West motif. Being nestled at the base of a colorful set of buttes really helps. The rangers there were fairly helpful and recommended the Rings Loop as a short-ish hike we could do the same afternoon. The trail departed from the far side of the parking lot and looped around those buttes... and up through a slot canyon between two of them.
Compared to all those promises about buttes and slot canyons the trail started off mildly. We followed a sandy wash to an old cattle fence. I'm not sure if there used to be a gate of some kind here (see picture above) but it's been torn open. I'm like, 🎵 Who let the cows out/Who, who, who, moo-moo? 🎵
Sure enough as we rounded the bend, sunlit views of the buttes overhead came into view. On some of these lichen-splashed rocks near the base there are Native rock carvings.
While there are views up the cliffs on one side of the trail there are far-off views across the desert scrub on the other. As we got toward the eponymous Hole in the Wall we passed a small herd of horses grazing on wild grass. Beneath another butte, of course, because high desert terrain.
Just past the horses we caught our first glimpse of the Hole in the Wall. BTW, lots of places in the American West are named "Hole in the Wall". I can think of three places right off the top of my head I've hiked with that name, and I'm sure there are dozens more. Basically anyplace there's, well... a hole in a wall... it's a good bet some 19th century settler was like, "OMG, Hole in the Wall!! Best name EVER!!!"
But this one has a second and third name to live up to. It's Banshee Canyon. That sounds like something worth screaming about, right? And it's the Rings Hike... as in, the trail is so steep there in places there are rings anchored into the rock to help you climb up.
To be continued....
Mojave Preserve, CA - Sat, 24 Dec 2022, 4:15pm
This afternoon we hiked the Rings Trail at Banshee Canyon in Mojave National Preserve. We did it as a two-fer after hiking at Amboy Crater earlier in the day.
As metal as this hike's name sounds (Banshee Canyon? Sign me up!) it was actually our second choice for an afternoon hike. First choice was a cave tour at Mitchell Caverns in Providence Mountains State Park. We weren't able to get a reservation in advance (they only take phone reservations one day per week) so we tried our luck just showing up on Christmas Eve. No luck; the tour was already full. But the ranger there suggested we visit Hole-in-Wall at Mojave National Preserve nearby.
The visitor center at Hole-in-the-Wall has an interesting Old West motif. Being nestled at the base of a colorful set of buttes really helps. The rangers there were fairly helpful and recommended the Rings Loop as a short-ish hike we could do the same afternoon. The trail departed from the far side of the parking lot and looped around those buttes... and up through a slot canyon between two of them.
Compared to all those promises about buttes and slot canyons the trail started off mildly. We followed a sandy wash to an old cattle fence. I'm not sure if there used to be a gate of some kind here (see picture above) but it's been torn open. I'm like, 🎵 Who let the cows out/Who, who, who, moo-moo? 🎵
Sure enough as we rounded the bend, sunlit views of the buttes overhead came into view. On some of these lichen-splashed rocks near the base there are Native rock carvings.
While there are views up the cliffs on one side of the trail there are far-off views across the desert scrub on the other. As we got toward the eponymous Hole in the Wall we passed a small herd of horses grazing on wild grass. Beneath another butte, of course, because high desert terrain.
Just past the horses we caught our first glimpse of the Hole in the Wall. BTW, lots of places in the American West are named "Hole in the Wall". I can think of three places right off the top of my head I've hiked with that name, and I'm sure there are dozens more. Basically anyplace there's, well... a hole in a wall... it's a good bet some 19th century settler was like, "OMG, Hole in the Wall!! Best name EVER!!!"
But this one has a second and third name to live up to. It's Banshee Canyon. That sounds like something worth screaming about, right? And it's the Rings Hike... as in, the trail is so steep there in places there are rings anchored into the rock to help you climb up.
To be continued....