Red, White, and Hoodoos

Hiking in Red Rock Canyon State Park California

“Don’t stay on the trail” sounds like an odd suggestion, but it’s the best way to explore the crimson sandstone cliffs and hoodoos that crosscut Red Rock Canyon State Park in the northern Mojave Desert. Perfectly legal, too, in this otherworldly convergence of the Sierra Nevada and El Paso Mountains just 120 miles north of Los Angeles (although it would seem to be more at home in southern Utah). Eons of uplift here from the nearby Garlock Fault exposed an ancient lakebed’s sedimentary layers, which then eroded into the exotic shapes seen today.

Start your exploration on Hagen Canyon Nature Trail, one of the park’s most scenic walks—an easy 1.2-mile loop over washes and along intricate red and white sandstone “curtains” capped by dark lava flow. Distinct formations have names like Camel Rock and Turk’s Turban.

The park allows, even encourages, hikers to walk anywhere off-trail. So you can easily spend half a day here wandering side canyons and climbing cliffs.

Where the stone-lined trail starts looping back, two sandy washes lead farther west into vast badlands of white sandstone and igneous rock. Save for sparse vegetation, the landscape here is rugged and Martian, yet the sand underfoot is as pleasant as a Malibu beach. A single willow tree abides near where one wash dead-ends at a dramatic basalt lava wall. For lovers of exposed geology and the SoCal desert, spring in Hagen Canyon is truly nature at its finest.

TIP: Avoid the midday heat by hiking in the morning, when temperatures are still pleasant. Bring plenty of water.

STAY: Ricardo Campground, just north of Hagen Canyon, has 50 first-come, first-served campsites, many situated right beneath eye-popping fluted cliffs. Tables, potable water, pit toilets, and fire rings are provided. $25 per night.

To get to Red Rock Canyon State Park, take CA-14 24 miles north of the town of Mojave. Turn left on Abbot Dr. (it’s well signed) and follow it into the park. No dogs on trails.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. A woman stands at Dante's View in Death Valley, looking out to Telescope Peak and Manly Lake, Badwater Basin below.

    Sunset Hike (and Manly Lake Vista!) at Dante's View

    It’s one of the world’s best places to watch a sunset. Dante’s View is a 5,476-foot vantage of the whole southern basin of Death Valley from the top of the Black Mountains. On clear days you get views of both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous U.S. 

    View
  2. The Carson Show

    Carson Falls is ready for primetime. This three-tiered, 100-foot stunner is hidden back in a canyon outside of Fairfax and reached on a 3.25-mile (round-trip) hike.

    View
  3. Sugarloaf Ridge State Park waterfall hike in Sonoma Valley

    Sweet as Sugarloaf

    Right in the heart of wine country there’s plenty more than wine flowing right now, with an oft unheralded waterfall that surges to an exuberant spectacle from all the recent rain.

    View
  4. Taking the Stage: Tyler Ranch

    Hike the recently opened Tyler Ranch Staging Area in Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park, with 18 miles of new trails. This 6.5-mile loop up Sunol Peak is a challenge and rewards with exceptional views of seasonal iridescent hills.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Rise and Shine Zabriskie Hike

    The sunrise at Zabriskie Point makes a grand entrance, with the light ascending slowly and washing over the golden badlands. It’s signature Death Valley. It’s also a great starting point for one of the Valley’s marquee hikes.

    View
  2. Kelso Dunes

    The hike to the top of Kelso Dunes in the Mojave National Preserve is only 3 miles (out and back), but you’ll feel like you’ve hiked much farther by the time you’re done.

    View
  3. Woman on Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes at Death Valley National Park

    Starry Night & Dark Sky Adventures

    You don’t have to stay out all that late to experience eminent stargazing at Death Valley National Park. The park's been given the highest ranking of darkness by the International Dark-Sky Association. Here are a trio of amazing ways to witness the mesmerizing night sky at Death Valley:

    View
  4. Woman at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Tree Grove in LA

    LA's Memorial to MLK

    The 400-acre Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area is home to trails, lawns, picnic areas, and—at the park’s highest point, overlooking LA’s skyline—the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Tree Grove.

    View