Whenever we scope out routes and spots to boondock we look for everything there is to do in the area. This time, coming from Joshua Tree on our way to Death Valley, we stopped over for a week near Ridgecrest. What did we find to do?
California City
Wait, first, have you ever heard of California City? We drove through it and I had to look it up. California City has the third-largest land area of any city in the state of California (behind San Diego and Los Angeles). In 1958 developers purchased 128 square miles of western Mojave Desert and formed the city. The new city was aggressively marketed and pitched as a northern alternative to Los Angeles. Instead of being built piecemeal, the whole city would be developed simultaneously. The city was designed to be a planned community but the whole thing was a bust. While thousands of streets were laid out, the city never developed necessary infrastructure, jobs, or a sustainable water supply to support its planned population, leading to its reputation as a “forgotten metropolis” and at times, fraudulent real estate scheme. Currently around 15,000 people live there.
Red Rock Canyon Hiking
But back to our hiking. The first day we did a few hikes in/by Red Rock Canyon State Park. The Red Rock Canyon area was underwater and the bottom of a lake 10 million years ago. Sediment flowed down from the nearby Sierra Nevada mountains and was deposited in layers. Time and pressure turned compacted that sediment into layers of rock, and the shifting pressures of plate tectonics eventually led to the drying up of the lake as these layers were pushed upward. Over time, wind and water have eroded the surface of these sedimentary layers to reveal the beautiful surfaces we see today.
We didn’t camp at the State Park, though there is a campground if that’s your thing. We hiked an extended Hagen Canyon Nature Trail, Ricardo Camp South Loop, and the Red Cliff Loop. We’re starting to see wildflowers out in the desert and it’s always such a treat. Those little pops of color that persist year after year in the harsh climate are inspiring.
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