Things to do near Baker California | Inland Empire Hiking

Mojave National Preserve, California

“Bathing in His Light”

Activity: Spelunking (sorta)
Date: April 17, 2019
Distance .05 Mile, 62’ elevation change, rated Easy

I had not been to Mojave National Preserve before, but after my trip there I can tell you it will not be my last.

The Lava Tubes are off of paved road, but the final 5 miles is rough washboard dirt road with some volcanic rock thrown in a couple places for good measure. Once you park it is a short distance to the Lava Tubes.

I suggest that you bring a head lamp as you crawl into a hole in the ground, the dark portion isn’t very long, but a little light goes a long ways in making you feel more comfortable. There is a low spot where you need to crawl on your hands and knees. So when you hit your head it won’t be that bad because with the light at least you can say oh yeah I knew that was there.

When you enter the cavern with the light beaming in it is truly a feeling of am I really seeing this? I have never seen light do this except in an art gallery, and I will tell you the pictures I saw on my hiking app were no where as cool as what I saw and the pictures you see here. So I don’t know if I was lucky or just there at the right time. You need to be there around noon for the light to shine through the sky light openings just right.

I can’t say it was a spiritual feeling, because there were other people there probably about 8 of us on a weekday enjoy what was undeniably an amazing sight. But looking at these pictures now it’s definitely lifts the spirit.

**The map shows the Cinder Cone Lava Beds and Lava Tube under the title Mojave.**

This map shows the proximity of the lava tubes, which is the large two tone dot under Mojave Wilderness, and Baker, CA. There is paved road from Baker, but the last 5 miles to the Lava Tube is rough dirt road.

You can drive the 5 miles there in a regular vehicle, but it is a bit of a rough ride.

Are you willing to crawl into this hole?

Ladder going back out from the lava tube.

**“The danger of adventure is worth a thousand days of ease and comfort.” – Paulo Coelho**

The Mojave National Preserve is a fun place to explore, and the light in the lava tube was a Life Experience. Thanks for joining me ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure.’ There are sister sites categorized by area in the menu above (each needs to be followed individually). Lots of adventures, lots more to come, so please for the sake of your Balance: LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW, and SHARE. If you would like to support PBTA then check out the fine SHOP APPAREL for top quality adventure wear.

Happy Trails,

Roger Jenkins, Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

Mojave National Preserve

Cima, California (Near Baker, CA)

Activity: Day Hike

May 18, 2019

Distance: 6 Miles, 800′ elevation change, duration 3 hours, rated: Moderate

I love the Barber’s Peak Loop Trail hike in the Mojave National Preserve, it has so much. I loved the varying landscapes and terrain. It has desert plains, some interesting volcanic rock formations, it still had some wild flowers even in late Spring, Several different types of cactus, it moved into a high desert type of landscape, from there into a slot canyon portion that was so interesting it was almost eerie called Banshee Canyon, (fitting name), and finally Hole-In-the-Wall. You almost expected Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to come galloping through with a posse hot on their trail. Although that story took place in a different part of the country, this Canyon was named by another Western Outlaw that named this one because it reminded him of the original.

The part I was most excited about was the dreaded climbing rings. They were in the Hole in the Wall/Banshee Canyon area. This was an area that you would have had to rock climb otherwise. There were heavy duty pins, for lack of a better term, with heavy duty rings attached. You needed them for the climbing of a couple rock faces. It is not a long distance, nor is it particularly difficult, however it is daunting for some people, and would require a bit of upper body strength.

I had just climbed the rings portion and met a European 30 something couple. They were not to keen on the idea, and I must say climbing down is a little harder than climbing up. I tried both because it was so fun. I am not sure they were going to test it. There were also a couple girls in their early 20’s which I believe were going to scale the face, but they had a lot of questions, such as how far is it if they did the loop, so that they were climbing up rather than down. When they heard the loop was 6 miles, I believe they were going for the climb down option.