There are some official trails to hike, but our favorite thing to do was to just explore. There aren’t any restrictions of where you can climb (at least when we were there), so bring some sturdy shoes, gloves, water and go explore.
Dogs Allowed: Yes, on leash
Entrance Fee: $5
Camping Fee: $15
Eagle View Point is a great spot to stop and hike to (1 mile RT) to get some good views from the top.
Awesome views
You can continue to hike from here down into the valley another .8 miles one way. You may want to have two drivers if you don’t want to have to hike back up the hill and all the stairs.
If you haven’t seen the Karate Kid movies, you wouldn’t get this reference…
Once you get to the main area (which you can drive directly there), spend most of your time climbing and exploring. How high can you get?
This area was once the bottom of a lakebed and soft bentonite clay. Rainwater and melting snow easily erode the clay into large gullies and canyons.
Most of the dirt is fairly solid to stand and climb on, but occasionally chunks may break off, so be careful as you climb.
Near the visitor’s center we found this friendly little guy (he’s not pretty, but he looks perfectly adapted to this harsh environment) – we believe he is a Southern Desert Horned Lizard. Apparently like other horned lizard species, these lizards can squirt blood from their eyes.
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