[SoBaStRace]

So for those of you who might want to do a bit of exploring around Southern California, I pre-screened Red Canyon Jeep Trail and this is an XV friendly trail.

I took the 10 East to Chiriaco Summit, and turned onto the frontage road which is Pinto Rd and headed back west 1.1 miles to the BLM info kiosk which marked the start of Red Canyon Jeep Trail (SR2013), and also has the most up to date rules on off road travel in this area.


The rules have changed quite a bit in the last 6 years, so it is good to check.


The rule is to stick to the established trail and the wildlife boundary is now 30' on either side of the trail and NOT 100' like it used to be.


The first 1.9 miles is rough buckboard with huge amounts of side to side shaking, but the trail is fairly wide and pretty clean. There are some patches of soft sand but stay on established tracks that are well compacted about 3 inches under the soft sand. Some good easy hills where I only bottomed a few times softly.
Be sure to stick to the correct trail at mile 1.9 by veering to the left when it splits. The right will take you into the wilderness area which is a big NO-NO. Also be aware that someone got a claim for the land to the East of the trail and even though the roads that head east look well traveled it is trespassing.



Once you take the left fork, the trail gets a little more challenging. The bushes will try to give you some desert pin stripping and you might need to fold in your mirrors to narrow the width of your car. Be aware of some big rocks that work there way into the road during wash crossing. some can cause probs, and you might have to move them.


From Mile 2.3 to about mile 4, the road has dips, curves, off camber turns, deep washes, ruts and soft deep sand. Most of the sections of soft sand are really short, but at mile 4 the sand gets really deep as you drive through a wash for about half a mile.


Once you get into the Orocopia mountains you will see the red rocks that make up red canyon. This is beautiful and there is some great hiking around here.


At mile 5.6, you will come to a rocky shelf with a really rough road that heads off to the right (WEST) and climbs up into the Orocopia mountains. It has recently been closed by large wood posts to stop all traffic for wildlife management. This is a great trail to hike to get up to the deserted Orocopia Fluorospar mine. The Fluoride here is Yellow green and purple and the whole area has lots of rocks that have been washed down the hill, so this is a great place to go Gem hunting.



The road gets heavily rutted and wash board bumpy but it is more open desert and less rocks for the remaining few miles to the Bradshaw trail. The best part was when a MARINE helicopter was doing desert exercises and flew about 15 feet over us and they all smiled and waved. They were probably wondering about the weird family in the middle of no where in the desert during the summer.




All in all, this is a great way to exploring some of the deserted mines from the 1920's.

Have fun and enjoy your Subaru's

 

[N6VHF]

Looks like fun! Mine is itching to get into the dirt! I have had it for a month, but I have been busy every weekend since I got it. Finally had a little time this past Saturday and drove it up to Mt. Baldy Ski Lifts. Not anything off road unfortunately, but I wanted to see how it handled on the mountain roads. It did great and I can't wait to be able to get her into the dirt!

 

[AWDfreak]

Definitely a fun trail there, and yet another great addition to my list of places to drive in the XV.

 

[SoBaStRace]

N6VHF, I have been really surprised how well this does off road. It seriously needs about 2.5 inches of clearance, bigger brakes, a smaller front bumper for better approach angles and major skid plates, but other than that they do well out in the real world.

Mine now has over 2000 miles of dirt and rand roads.



AWD, if you head south we can explore some great trails I have not been on yet. As soon as the summer wildlife ban opens up in Sept, we plan on hitting some of the major GEODE beds down here.

 

[N6VHF]

N6VHF, I have been really surprised how well this does off road. It seriously needs about 2.5 inches of clearance, bigger brakes, a smaller front bumper for better approach angles and major skid plates, but other than that they do well out in the real world.

Well you have to understand that the last 4 new vehicles I have purchased have been Ford 4X4 trucks. So I have done a ton of heavy duty off-roading. I know that the Subie isn't a 4x4 truck, but I am also pretty sure it can handle a lot of terrain that the average street car would have trouble with. But coming from a 4x4 background, I know my limitations. And trust me, I intend on pushing those limits to see what she can do. You only live once, so you gotta have some fun!

AWD, if you head south we can explore some great trails I have not been on yet. As soon as the summer wildlife ban opens up in Sept, we plan on hitting some of the major GEODE beds down here.

What is this wildlife ban you are mentioning? I am not familiar with that. Where are these Geode beds?

 

[SoBaStRace]

They have closed off much of the area in the Chuckwalla and Chocolate mountains for the summer with the exception of a few trails meant as exits for the Bradshaw trail. Red Cloud Road is one that is great for getting to many good mines and gem hunting sites and it is closed until Sept 15th.

The Geodes are located in a volcanic area south of blyth and north of Yuma. Hauser Geode Beds, Potato Patch, Cinnamon Geode Beds, Winterhaven Geode Beds, Gold Basin Geode Beds, The Black Hills, The Little Chuckwalla Mountain bed are just a few of the good Geode hunting spots.

 

[N6VHF]

They have closed off much of the area in the Chuckwalla and Chocolate mountains for the summer with the exception of a few trails meant as exits for the Bradshaw trail. Red Cloud Road is one that is great for getting to many good mines and gem hunting sites and it is closed until Sept 15th.

Is it just me, or does that seem backwards? I would think that animals, like people, would avoid doing much out there during the middle of the summer. You'd think that there would be more wildlife activity in the Spring and Fall.

The Geodes are located in a volcanic area south of blyth and north of Yuma. Hauser Geode Beds, Potato Patch, Cinnamon Geode Beds, Winterhaven Geode Beds, Gold Basin Geode Beds, The Black Hills, The Little Chuckwalla Mountain bed are just a few of the good Geode hunting spots.

Cool. I have always been interested in finding a geode. I have actually always been interested in getting a rock polisher too. Never have done either. So with the knowledge of these places being good for geode collecting, I would think that they would be pretty picked over by now. What is the likelihood of driving all the way out there and actually coming home with any?

 

[SoBaStRace]

For 30 years people keep saying the Hauser Beds and the Potato Patch will soon run out, and it seems people keep finding them. They are hard work and you have to do some digging.

The Cinnamon Beds have some of the rarest geodes, but they are a much lower probability of finding any.

I am going to plan a trip to the hauser beds at the end of summer when it is too miserably hot to have anyone else out there. I plan on bringing a few shade canopies and a bunch of water. If I plan it in advance I will let you know, as it is always nice to have a second car going through a few miles of deep soft sand.

-Spencer