Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2010, Mojave National Preserve / Day 6: Beecher Canyon and north Providence Mountains day hike, Mojave National Preserve 62
I got my first glimpse of the peaceful Beecher Canyon area during last year's hike up to Wild Horse Mesa. Perfect weather today. 15.7 bicycle miles with 1800 feet of elevation gain and 5.3 hiking miles with 2050 feet of elevation gain.
A lizard greets me as I step out of my tent for a short walk after breakfast at Mid Hills campground
Two campsites away in the near-empty Mid Hills campground is a cute and cuddly wooden bear at the fire pit, a tad burnt
I pack up my bike and ride out of Mid Hills campground on my way to Blue Jay Mine, from where I'll hike into Beecher Canyon
Wild Horse Canyon Road is always so scenic as it rolls gently downward toward the Providence Mountains
As I pass Macedonia Canyon Road, I notice that it has a nice new gate and is signed now, with a rather large sign
I pass a field of orange desert mallow flowers on lower Wild Horse Canyon Road
I see my first pink cactus bloom of the day, with Wild Horse Mesa in the background
The 1.5-mile-long road to Blue Jay Mine rapidly deteriorates, but makes for a fun ride on a mountain bike
At the end of the road, I lock my bike in a ditch, then start hiking up the hill above the Blue Jay Mine tunnel
I climb up the hill above Blue Jay Mine toward Hill 1713 at 5575 feet elevation
I enjoy the views across Kelso Valley to Cima Dome as I get closer to Hill 1713 in the Providence Mountains
From my privileged position on Hill 1713, I take a short break to enjoy the vistas on all sides; this view looks southwest
Southeast from Hill 1713 in the Providence Mountains are great views across nearby Wild Horse Mesa and the Beecher Canyon area
I decide to hike along the ridge toward nearby Hill 1625 in the Providence Mountains and cross through an old ranch fence
From Hill 1625 in the Providence Mountains I look down a wash that leads into Beecher Canyon
I decide to head down the wash to Beecher Canyon
As I walk down into Beecher Canyon, I look up at the hilltops above
On the way down into Beecher Canyon I find myself approaching a steep rocky drop-off
At the drop-off into Beecher Canyon, I spot a historic stack of rocks that once shored up a bypass road around the drop-off
I walk down into Beecher Canyon on what's left of the old raised road that someone carefully constructed perhaps a century ago
Once down in Beecher Canyon, I look up at distant rock formations in the Providence Mountains in the area around Summit Spring
Pink cactus flowers and desert dudleya blooms push out of rocks in Beecher Canyon
Patches of orange desert mallow flowers abound as I drop down into Beecher Canyon
Also still blooming in the lower north fork of Beecher Canyon are a few phacelias
When I reach the junction of the north and east forks of Beecher Canyon, I turn left and start walking up the east fork
As I begin my way up the east fork of Beecher Canyon, I take note of a steep bluff that I circumvented on my way down
I hear some noise while starting up the east fork of Beecher Canyon and notice a herd of cows in the distance, scurrying away
Many large rocks are strewn about in the east fork of Beecher Canyon
To my surprise, I arrive at a small spring and pool of water in the east fork of Beecher Canyon
Climbing up the steep hillside to get around the spring in Beecher Canyon is challenging but I eventually find myself above it
It looks like the climb up the east fork of Beecher Canyon above the spring might be relatively obstruction-free
More rock ahead in the east fork of Beecher Canyon...
This dry waterfall in the east fork of Beecher Canyon is steeper than it looked from a distance
I take a short break after climbing the dry waterfall in Beecher Canyon and look back down at my progress
I'm getting close to the top of Beecher Canyon, check my maps, and decide that it's time to turn left (north)
Just a few more boulder piles to climb before I'm completely up out of Beecher Canyon
Near the top of the hill above Beecher Canyon I pass by a few junipers growing in limestone-like soil
Just when I least expect it, I pass a small pool of water here way above Beecher Canyon
Now up out of Beecher Canyon, views across the contorted landscape to the distant Providence Mountains peaks unfold behind me
On a fleeting rocky plateau above Beecher Canyon blooms a small garden
Lots of rock on this plateau above Beecher Canyon
I consult my GPS and find that the next step in getting back to my bicycle is to climb over the ridglet ahead
I pass through another field of orange desert mallow flowers on the way over the ridge back to the Blue Jay Mine area
I've crossed the ridge; Blue Jay Mine and my bicycle are down below
I pass some purple desert four o'clock flowers and more orange desert mallows on the way down to Blue Jay Mine and my bicycle
I return to my bicycle by Blue Jay Mine after the hike in Beecher Canyon
Near Blue Jay Mine are a few ruins of the former Winkler's Cabin that burned during the 2005 brush fires
Blue Jay Mine Road is slightly downhill during most of its 1.7 miles back to Wild Horse Canyon Road
At the bottom of Blue Jay Mine Road, near Wild Horse Canyon Road, the road is almost flat
A few desert four o'clocks bloom near the junction of Wild Horse Canyon Road and the road to Blue Jay Mine
The ride up the final six miles back to Mid Hills campground goes really well
As I climb Wild Horse Canyon Road, I pause to look back toward the glowing hills around Macedonia Canyon
A lone cow darts off into the sunset when he sees me near Wild Horse Canyon Road
I pull over along Wild Horse Canyon Road to collect a stray balloon for later disposal
Behind me as I climb Wild Horse Canyon Road is a dramatic view of the peaks of the Providence Mountains
On the upper stretches of Wild Horse Canyon Road, one can see across Gold Valley to Table Mountain and Twin Buttes
I approach Mid Hills campground on Wild Horse Canyon Road at sunset
Just before 20h, I pass by the Mid Hills campground entrance kiosk and ride the final 0.6 miles to my campsite
Bicycle route elevation profile from Mid Hills campground to Blue Jay Mine via Wild Horse Canyon Road, Mojave National Preserve
Elevation profile of hiking route in upper forks of Beecher Canyon from Blue Jay Mine
Hiking route in upper forks of Beecher Canyon from Blue Jay Mine
Bicycle route (in red) from Mid Hills campground to Blue Jay Mine via Wild Horse Canyon Road, Mojave National Preserve