The Long Way
Essex
A wooden building sits in front of rocky cliffs.
Plate I. Hole-in-the-Wall Information Center, Wild Horse Canyon Scenic Backcountry Byway. From nps.gov
A camper trailer and a pickup truck parked in a desert landscape.
Plate II. Hole-in-the-Wall Campground, Wild Horse Canyon Scenic Backcountry Byway. From nps.gov
A picnic table and fire ring set against a rocky desert hillside under a clear blue sky.
Plate III. Hole-in-the-Wall Campground, Wild Horse Canyon Scenic Backcountry Byway. From nps.gov
A picnic table sits in a dry, hilly landscape under a large tree.
Plate IV. Campsite along Wild Horse Canyon Scenic Backcountry Byway. From nps.gov

Wild Horse Canyon Scenic Backcountry Byway

Essex, California. Wild Horse Canyon Roads; open year round.

Details

Where
Black Canyon Road, Essex, CA 92332. Directions
When
Every Day:Open 24 hours.
Getting there
Just north of the junction of Black Canyon and the south end of Wild Horse Canyon Roads; rhyolite cliffs riddled with holes and hollows are the backdrop.
Fees
$25 nightly per site.
Access
Rhyolite cliffs riddled with holes and hollows.
Walk-in or reserve
Reservations are required for all sites beginning January 1, 2025.
Phone
760-252-6100
Managed by
National Park Service.

Just north of the junction of Black Canyon and the south end of Wild Horse Canyon Roads, rhyolite cliffs riddled with holes and hollows are the backdrop for Hole-in-the-Wall.

Notable Events

  1. 1954The Sequoia and ostracodes were first reported by Hazzard. nps.gov
  2. 1960sHobby rock and fossil collectors found the first reported vertebrate fossils in the Hackberry Wash area. nps.gov
  3. 1970sSan Bernardino County Museum workers worked the Hackberry Wash and Wild Horse Mesa areas and defined the Wild Horse Mesa and Hackberry Wash local faunas. nps.gov
  4. 1994Mojave National Preserve was established, preserving 624,325 hectares (1,542,742 acres) of Mojave Desert natural and cultural resources including the byway's ground. nps.gov
  5. 2005The Hackberry Fire swept through the Mid Hills at the north end of Wild Horse Canyon Road, and its effects are still evident. nps.gov

Sources

  1. fhwaapps.fhwa.dot.gov/bywaysp/byway/2175
  2. nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/black-canyon-road.htm
  3. nps.gov/moja/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
  4. nps.gov/articles/000/mojave-national-preserve-paleontological-resource-inventory.htm
  5. nps.gov/articles/nps-geodiversity-atlas-mojave-national-preserve-california.htm
  6. themojaveroad.org/east-mojave-place-names
  7. nsbfoundation.com/sb/wild-horse-canyon-scenic-backcountry-byway
  8. nps.gov/moja/learn/historyculture/ranching.htm
  9. nps.gov/moja/learn/historyculture/historic-preservation.htm?fullweb=1