Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2009, Fall: Mojave National Preserve / Day 2: Old Dad Mountain Canyon and Idora Mine Canyon day hike, Mojave National Preserve 67
Mojave National Preserve is largely a land of nameless canyons waiting to be discovered.
Two unnamed canyons east of Devil's Playground off Old Kelso Road once sustained minor mining activity and have been on my list to visit for some time; today I'll hike them both. I'll call them "Old Dad Canyon" (the canyon north and east of Old Dad Mountain) and "Idora Mine Canyon" (the east-west canyon that leads up to a mining claim owned by Idora Silver Mine).
13.4 hiking miles and 3325 feet elevation gain. I'll eat 3 Clif bars and drink 2.25 litres of water. This is less water than I'm used to consuming, but I often hike in much hotter weather than this.
Temperatures recorded in nearby Baker, CA today are a high of 66F and a low of 39F.
Early morning on the east side of Mojave National Preserve's Devil's Playground, with Cowhole Mountain in the background
After two cups of hot coffee and some breakfast, it's time to dig the first cat hole of the trip
Shortly after 9h, an unusually early hour for me, I'm hiking south on Old Kelso Road toward Old Dad Mountain
Footprints on Old Kelso Road, Devil's Playground, Mojave National Preserve
After a 3/4 mile walk down Old Kelso Road, I turn left at the junction to head up the fan and into Old Dad Canyon
About 1.25 miles up the fan, the road enters Old Dad Canyon
Barrel cacti grow in the rocks at the entrance to Old Dad Canyon
Great views from the entrance to Old Dad Canyon back down to flat (and usually dry) Soda Lake in the distance
I walk around the bend into Old Dad Canyon and can no longer see back down to the valley floor below
I stumble across the remains of a very modest old cabin
Not much remains of the cabin in Old Dad Canyon except the floor and roof
Just beyond the cabin rests an abandoned old truck
Though dry as can be right now, the forces of water and erosion are clearly at work from time to time in Old Dad Canyon
After the cabin area, Old Dad Canyon widens while it continues to rise
Old Dad Canyon becomes a narrow, rocky drainage as I approach the top
I spend a bit of time at the summit of Old Dad Canyon at 3250 feet, enjoying the views and the solitude
One option is to continue ahead, down into the south end of Old Dad Canyon and climb up Old Dad Mountain on a known ascent route
I could also try heading straight west from here up to the top of the Old Dad Mountain range
I decide that what I really want is to hike back down Old Dad Canyon the way I came, and then hike a bit of Idora Mine Canyon
I have to put my sweater on for the hike back down Old Dad Canyon
Walking back down Old Dad Canyon
Part of Old Dad Canyon ahead is now deeply shaded from the midday sun
In the shaded area, I stumble upon an archeological feature
This close-up focuses on the teeth and jaw
Looking closer, I see that a small tuft of fur remains between the two horns
I look around and notice a few bones scattered nearby
A few of the bones look dark and perhaps a bit moist, as if the last remaining meat was plucked off them just a few days ago
Up the steep rock hillside above Old Dad Canyon are scattered numerous small caves
A little further down the wash, I pass by the old truck again
I lift up the hood to take a peek inside
Just beyond the old truck, I stumble upon (and not into) an abandoned mine shaft; it looks like it might be quite deep
Getting closer back to the mouth of Old Dad Canyon, I walk up the hillside, following a grown-in former road
The old road leads me to a nice lookoff point from where I plot my next steps
From a distance, I thought the rock in the foreground might be a natural arch, but the hole doesn't penetrate completely
I climb up the hill to get a view of the next unnamed canyon
Here I am out in the middle of nowhere, and I find an old balloon stuck on a creosote bush
Down in the unnamed wash north of Old Dad Canyon, I do a map and GPS check
I decide to follow a U-shaped route from here down the wash and around the hills to get to the road leading up Idora Mine Canyon
After a bit of walking northwest across the fan, my "U" route is complete and I'm hiking east toward Idora Mine Canyon
Just as the road into Idora Mine Canyon makes its first switchback (to the left), I'm drawn toward a rock outcrop on my right
This turns out to be a tight little slot canyon
Oh good, a couple more bends in this little slot canyon
The slot canyon is intense, but doesn't continue very far before connecting to a broader wash above
Rising up the lower switchbacks in Idora Mine Canyon away from Devil's Playground down below
The road rejoins the wash in Idora Mine Canyon above the slot canyon
Getting closer to the top of Idora Mine Canyon
Nice views looking back down Idora Mine Canyon
Approaching the final switchback on the road up Idora Mine Canyon
The old road is washed out at this last switchback
A little further is a small tunnel dug into the side of the hill
At the summit of Idora Mine Canyon, at about 2500 feet elevation, is a flat area, perhaps flattened by mining
Along the road is a post with a white object attached to it
I can't resist the temptation to open the bottle and see if the paper inside is readable
Well, it's time to start heading back down Idora Mine Canyon and back to camp
One could easily spend a whole day, or more, up here leisurely exploring the nooks and crannies of these hills
I try to imagine an old vehicle driving up this road 50, or 80, years ago
A few glints of hot yellow sunshine dart into Idora Mine Canyon as I hike back down
On the way down, I get a nice view down into the short slot canyon that I briefly explored on the way up
Coming down the last switchback in Idora Mine Canyon
A wash of gold light greets me as I exit the mouth of Idora Mine Canyon
Pinkish light flows over the Devil's Playground at sunset
Enjoying the sunset to the left of Cowhole Mountain as I walk down the bottom of the road from Idora Mine Canyon
I absorb the last of the red rays of sun as I walk away from Idora Mine Canyon
Walking the last half mile up Old Kelso Road back to the tent at dusk
I arrive at my tent to find that strong Devil's Playground winds have blown it during the day over while I was out hiking!
Old Dad Canyon and Idora Mine Canyon hiking route
Old Dad Canyon and Idora Mine Canyon hike elevation profile