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
It was a bit chilly overnight (about 40F) and I didn't sleep all that well, so I'm happy to wake up get some warm sun on the tent. It's good to be back at Mojave National Preserve for another visit! - After two cups of hot coffee and some breakfast, it's time to dig the first cat hole of the trip
Unlike much of the Preserve, cat holes are easy to dig here because the ground is so sandy. Idaco Mine Canyon, which I'll hike later today, rises toward the top of the unnamed mountain behind my tent in this view toward the east. Breakfast is typical for me while camping: granola, tamari almonds, dried apricots, dried mango and beef jerky. Instead of making drip coffee on this trip, I'm trying Starbuck's instant Via coffee. I'm not usually a fan of instant coffee, but this stuff is pretty good. - Shortly after 9h, an unusually early hour for me, I'm hiking south on Old Kelso Road toward Old Dad Mountain
Part of my route is a non-Wilderness corridor, so I could have chosen to ride my bike for part of the distance. It would be faster, but I'm in hiking mode today, and I may do some cross-country hiking through Wilderness areas where bikes aren't allowed. - Footprints on Old Kelso Road, Devil's Playground, Mojave National Preserve
I'm obviously not alone out here, though I haven't seen another human since meeting the dirt bikers on Mojave Road yesterday afternoon. - 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
There are tire tracks here, but these roads receive very little traffic. - About 1.25 miles up the fan, the road enters Old Dad Canyon
This seems to be the spot where motor vehicles stop and park, or turn around and retreat. - Barrel cacti grow in the rocks at the entrance to Old Dad Canyon
Few flowers bloom in the Mojave Desert in November, so these red cacti are quite colourful in their stark surroundings. - Great views from the entrance to Old Dad Canyon back down to flat (and usually dry) Soda Lake in the distance
I haven't managed to visit Soda Lake yet; maybe someday... - I walk around the bend into Old Dad Canyon and can no longer see back down to the valley floor below
I'm at around 2300 feet elevation now (my campsite sits at about 1615 feet). It doesn't feel like I've risen 700 feet already because the grade coming up the fan is so gentle. - I stumble across the remains of a very modest old cabin
I knew there had been a bit of mining in Old Dad Canyon, but didn't know I would discover a cabin here. - Not much remains of the cabin in Old Dad Canyon except the floor and roof
And rusty bedsprings... - Just beyond the cabin rests an abandoned old truck
There once was a time when this truck was modern, new, and state-of-the-art. - 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
It would be interesting to witness, but not be caught in, a flash flood here. - After the cabin area, Old Dad Canyon widens while it continues to rise
A route to my right leads to the crest of the Old Dad Mountain range, but it looks like I probably wouldn't be able to make it to Old Dad peak from the top due to excessively steep rock on the ridgeline. So I continue up the canyon. - Old Dad Canyon becomes a narrow, rocky drainage as I approach the top
The top of Old Dad Canyon is the flat-looking land at the top-left in the photo. - I spend a bit of time at the summit of Old Dad Canyon at 3250 feet, enjoying the views and the solitude
I'm pondering how I want to continue my hike from here. It's still fairly early in the day, but sundown begins around 16h, with darkness arriving just after 17h. - 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 like the idea, and the ascent route is only about 3/4 mile down the hill from here. It may be a slow climb and I probably wouldn't make it back to the tent until well after dark. I start walking down the hill, but then turn back. - I could also try heading straight west from here up to the top of the Old Dad Mountain range
It might be a bit steep and slippery in places, but it might be easier than it looks. I'd get great views across the Devil's Playground below from up there. It's not that far from here. - 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
The views will be great on the way back down Old Dad Canyon, and I've been curious about Idora Mine Canyon for a while now. - I have to put my sweater on for the hike back down Old Dad Canyon
Strong, chilly winds have set in, so I have to put my sweater on before starting the walk back down. I wonder if it's just windy up here, or if it's windy down at my campsite as well. - Walking back down Old Dad Canyon
I sort of regret not climbing higher up into the mountains, but there just isn't enough time to do everything in a day, especially a late autumn day that's short on daylight hours. - Part of Old Dad Canyon ahead is now deeply shaded from the midday sun
The juxtaposition of various earth textures contributes to making this an interesting hike. - In the shaded area, I stumble upon an archeological feature
I missed this on the way up the canyon because I was walking up the other side of the wash. - This close-up focuses on the teeth and jaw
Adjacent Old Dad Mountain is territory for these rock-climbing animals, so this find probably isn't all that surprising. - Looking closer, I see that a small tuft of fur remains between the two horns
I wonder how long this has been here... - I look around and notice a few bones scattered nearby
I keep scanning the area to see if there's anything else of interest nearby that I haven't seen yet. - 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
Ive only seen one skull and set of horns, so perhaps the darker bones are from a more recently deceased sheep than the lighter bones. - Up the steep rock hillside above Old Dad Canyon are scattered numerous small caves
Some of these are pretty high up; I wonder if the sheep can get to them using their superior vertical-climbing skills. - A little further down the wash, I pass by the old truck again
This time I'm going to take a closer look. - I lift up the hood to take a peek inside
A few plants are living inside the engine cavity, including a number of barrel-cactus sprouts. It would be interesting to come back in a couple of years to see if the sprouts continue to grow or if they die off in their confined living space. - Just beyond the old truck, I stumble upon (and not into) an abandoned mine shaft; it looks like it might be quite deep
I missed this on my hike up the canyon too even though it's really close to the cabin ruins where I stopped to take photos. - Getting closer back to the mouth of Old Dad Canyon, I walk up the hillside, following a grown-in former road
A small network of faded and washed-out switchback roads climbs the hillside here, perhaps leading to prospecting sites. The roads aren't indicated on my topo maps, but they are visible in Google Earth aerial views of the area. - The old road leads me to a nice lookoff point from where I plot my next steps
I decide to walk back down to the canyon to check out the small eye-like outcrop at distant centre-right. Then I'll climb over the low hill to the next canyon and find a way over or around the mountains to the road leading up to the old Idora Mine claim. - From a distance, I thought the rock in the foreground might be a natural arch, but the hole doesn't penetrate completely
What I didn't see from the other side of the canyon is the small eye-hole in the rock on the ridge above it with blue sky shining though it. - I climb up the hill to get a view of the next unnamed canyon
I'll walk down into the wash ahead and, if I can't easily find an efficient way over the hills in front of me, I can always walk around the end of them to my left. - Here I am out in the middle of nowhere, and I find an old balloon stuck on a creosote bush
I'm surprised at how often I'll find a lost balloon while hiking in a seldom-visited area. - Down in the unnamed wash north of Old Dad Canyon, I do a map and GPS check
I start walking up a scenic narrow side wash that looks promising, but it becomes steep quickly. In the interest of time, I decide not to continue on that route. - 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
If I continue straight down the fan toward Cowhole Mountain, instead of doing a U route, I'd arrive at my campsite. However, with 2.5 hours of daylight left, I'm not ready to return to camp just yet! - After a bit of walking northwest across the fan, my "U" route is complete and I'm hiking east toward Idora Mine Canyon
The mining area is near, but not at, the top of the unnamed mountain ahead. The old road, which I'll join in a few minutes, switchbacks up the hill and is a non-Wilderness cherrystem into the Wilderness area. - 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
The road has been in the wash up until now. Understandably, there's no way for it to continue through the rocks ahead. - This turns out to be a tight little slot canyon
How fun. I wonder how far it goes... I walk around the bend ahead. - Oh good, a couple more bends in this little slot canyon
A nice surprise; I wasn't expecting this, having never come across any trip reports about this canyon. - The slot canyon is intense, but doesn't continue very far before connecting to a broader wash above
I turn around and walk back down to pick up the old switchback road where I left off. - Rising up the lower switchbacks in Idora Mine Canyon away from Devil's Playground down below
The road has risen to bypass the little slot canyon, which is now just below and to my left. - The road rejoins the wash in Idora Mine Canyon above the slot canyon
A tailings pile, a prospect hole, and a few pieces of old wood bask in the silence here. The next switchback rises up at my right behind the tailings to snake over the hills, aiming for the lower flanks of the mountain above. - Getting closer to the top of Idora Mine Canyon
The climb isn't steep at all, thanks to the many switchbacks in the old road. - Nice views looking back down Idora Mine Canyon
In the severe late-afternoon November sunlight, the sand of Devil's Playground below looks almost like a big lake. - Approaching the final switchback on the road up Idora Mine Canyon
I wasn't sure if I had enough time to hike to the top and back down before it gets dark, but I still have plenty of time. - The old road is washed out at this last switchback
As always when in places like this, I find myself wondering when this road was last used. - A little further is a small tunnel dug into the side of the hill
Did they find anything of interest here? - At the summit of Idora Mine Canyon, at about 2500 feet elevation, is a flat area, perhaps flattened by mining
I'm enjoying the commanding views across the Devil's Playground below and over to the hills in the Kelso Dunes Wilderness, beyond the Mojave National Preserve boundaries. The post at left is a claim marker, I think. - Along the road is a post with a white object attached to it
The white object turns out to be a bottle whose lid is nailed to the post. White paper is folded up inside: a mining claim. - I can't resist the temptation to open the bottle and see if the paper inside is readable
Though a bit torn, the paper is still in fairly good condition. The mining claim by Idora Silver Mines of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho was signed in 1991, with a Peter Laczay, Agent, named as the contact person. An internet search led me to a web site (http://www.dvminerals.com/stocks/USA49.html) stating that Idora Silver Mines was "incorporated under the laws of the State of Idaho in 1889" and that, "In 1998, the company purchased Nurses Station of America, changed its name to American Health Providers Corporation, and undertook divestiture of its remaining mining assets." - Well, it's time to start heading back down Idora Mine Canyon and back to camp
As my partner would say, "We're burning daylight." I'm carrying a flashlight in my backpack in case I need to hike by moonlight, but hiking by daylight is so much easier. - One could easily spend a whole day, or more, up here leisurely exploring the nooks and crannies of these hills
I'm sure people come up here once in a while, but I haven't seen any human footprints around here today. - I try to imagine an old vehicle driving up this road 50, or 80, years ago
Maybe it would be an old truck like the abandoned one I saw in Old Dad Canyon earlier today. - A few glints of hot yellow sunshine dart into Idora Mine Canyon as I hike back down
It's just past 16h, and much of the canyon has already experienced sundown. - On the way down, I get a nice view down into the short slot canyon that I briefly explored on the way up
The bright yellow end-of-day light makes this more remarkable than it was on the way up. - Coming down the last switchback in Idora Mine Canyon
The end-of-day desert golds, oranges and pinks are starting to appear. - A wash of gold light greets me as I exit the mouth of Idora Mine Canyon
I always enjoy being out in the desert at sunset. - Pinkish light flows over the Devil's Playground at sunset
The distant hills in the Kelso Dunes Wilderness, outside Mojave National Preserve, take on a lavender hue. I'll have to take a trip over there some day. - Enjoying the sunset to the left of Cowhole Mountain as I walk down the bottom of the road from Idora Mine Canyon
A little further ahead, I'll turn right on Old Kelso Road for the final half mile walk back to camp. - I absorb the last of the red rays of sun as I walk away from Idora Mine Canyon
I'll still have daylight for another half hour, but the sun is now mostly hidden behind the hills to the west. - Walking the last half mile up Old Kelso Road back to the tent at dusk
The light sand drifts across the road here look almost like a dusting of snow. This road probably doesn't get traffic every day, but fresh tire tracks have obliterated some of my footprints from this morning. - 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!
It's going to be a windy evening! Everything in the tent has been rolled over and deposited into a big pile. After resetting the tent to an upright position, I place large rocks inside along the edges. Due to the strong winds this evening, it takes 45 minutes to boil water for my evening meal. Finally, it boils and I enjoy my Mountain House Beef Teriyaki and Rice meal; yum. Watching the water boil is like meditation. The wind makes being inside the tent really noisy, like living inside a flapping plastic bag. The wind dies down around 22h, thankfully. I seem to be catching a cold: uh oh. Imperceptibly, a dusting of sand is blowing into my tent and coating everything. I probably wouldn't notice this except that it has landed on my notebook while I write today's notes. Grit on paper. After a couple of short, chilly walks outside in the cold silence to admire the stars, silence and the waxing half-moon, I manage to get to sleep fairly easily. - Old Dad Canyon and Idora Mine Canyon hiking route
13.4 hiking miles and 3325 feet elevation gain. - Old Dad Canyon and Idora Mine Canyon hike elevation profile
13.4 hiking miles and 3325 feet elevation gain.