Quote:
Originally Posted by phlite
daveb: Cool writeup, read your blog
There was one super technical spot that you avoided. That spot looks pretty daunting! How did you manage to bypass around this spot? We'll be going with our 4x4 SMB, and a buddy with a landcruiser.
We are about to head out to do it this weekend, what would you recommend for spots to camp heading east to west? We are planning two nights, three days. We have kids with us so we would like to try and hit up the hole in wall area, and then the lava tube possibly. Think we have enough time?
It sounded like there was a nice camp spot by the lava area. And potentially the piute camp may be a good one. Also, the one at mile +/- 67.
Did you do 3 nights? Kinda looked like it.
Also, I read somewhere that the climb up to piute range was a bit off-camber and close to the side of a cliff, sounds a little scary. Do you know the part I'm talking about?
Also, it's been very wet as of late around the south west, I wonder if the river crossing will be challenging.
Thanks!
Chris
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Your best bet is to call the Kelso Depot 760 252-6108 and ask about the bad spots. Even at that most every difficult spot can be bypassed if necessary. You might not get the true conditions off the web site so a call might be better.
https://www.nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
I think a lot of folks run this route quicker than others.
The camps for us were:
Fort Piute (in stealth)
The rock cabin at the intersection of Caruthers Canyon spur
The first mountain range w/o the Kelso/Cima Rd
The Lava flow area
W/O Shaw Pass
I downloaded the maps from this site prior to running it. It helped:
Mojave Road Maps - Download our detailed maps of the Mojave Road
As long as you have 4x4, the climb up from Piute to Lanfair is rocky but easy. The worst technical spot that you mentioned is actually near Watson Wash about 100' off a main vehicle road (Cedar Cyn Rd) that cuts through the area. I did drive around and back up the wash to look at it from a different angle but it still looked bad. I'm sure it changes year to year.
There is a lot to see on that trail. I think the main thing is to get up early and hit the trail ASAP. We had a hard time finding the start of the trail itself and were probably trespassing on the Indian reservation but we wanted our rock. We arrived late to start the run but could have camped off 95 at the start of the trail. There are lots of bike riders and their toy haulers that set up camp there so it should be easy to find during daylight. I always prefer to camp at the more unique spots rather than just set up in the desert. Because we started so late, the goal was to knock out as much of the trail as we could and stayed at Fort Piute (Paiute) for the first night. It's hard to count that first night as a full day being we hit the trail so late and were running some of it at night. If you start early (@ HWY 95) you should be able to make Caruthers Canyon, one of the better scenic spots to camp at.
Now for the guessing:
I'm not sure if you could make it all the way to the Hole In the Wall campground in a day but once you hit Cedar Cyn Rd, it's 55mph all the way to the campground. I tend to steer clear of campgrounds near main roads...just me. Also you could probably get to the lava flow area from the hole in the wall CG in a day if you get a early start. From the lava area to Afton CYN should also be doable in a day. I have no idea how boggy the dry lakes are, or how deep the water crossings will be just before Afton campground. They had a good wet season down there this year. Personally I'll never go back to the Mojave/Manix wash as a lone vehicle. That is something you'll need to air down on to feel comfortable.
For myself, I just don't like being pushed, I take a lot of pictures, and tend to explore which takes up time. Almost every day we didn't get out until mid morning.
Good luck on your trip Chris and please do a trip report. Throw in a can or two of flat tire repair in case you hit one of those prickly plants!