Dramatic Afton Canyon a hidden oasis in the Mojave

Afton Canyon, Calif., between Baker and Barstow, is known as "the Grand Canyon of the Mojave."
(MIKE MILLER/SPECIAL TO THE LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL)

By Margo Bartlett Pesek
Las Vegas Review-Journal

One of those hidden beauty spots that delight desert lovers, scenic Afton Canyon lies off Interstate 15 between Baker and Barstow in Southern California.

Also known as “the Grand Canyon of the Mojave,” the rugged gorge carved by the intermittently flowing Mojave River is best suited to cool-season visitation. It appeals to off-highway explorers, campers, horsemen, rock hounds, photographers and wildlife watchers.

Follow I-15 south from Las Vegas toward Barstow. About 20 miles south of Baker, watch for a series of turnoffs, starting with Rasor Road, which accesses a nearby off-highway vehicle area. Keep driving on I-15, next passing Basin Road. Watch for the turnoff to Afton Canyon onto a graded road.

From the freeway, the road runs about 3½ miles to a small campground established near the Mojave River and the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks, which follow the water through the canyon. A sturdy railroad bridge spans the river near the campground, carrying trains that rumble across the desert several times a day — and night. The road may be used by all but the lowest-slung vehicles as far as the campground. Beyond the campground, explore marked routes using high-clearance vehicles, preferably with four-wheel drive.

The region is a complex of public and private lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management as Afton Canyon Natural Area. Because of its oasislike setting, running water, thick vegetation and wide variety of birds and animals, it has been designated an area of critical environmental concern. Efforts are ongoing to enhance the natural vegetation by eradicating exotic plant species and to control damage done by indiscriminate vehicle use.

Vehicle access is restricted to a few routes, including historic Mojave Road, a rough, four-wheel-drive trail beloved by off-roaders. Mojave Road follows in the footsteps of prehistoric native nomads, mountain men, early explorers and military expeditions. Other old trails into nearby side canyons may now be traveled only on foot or horseback. Although hiking, backpacking and primitive camping are encouraged, campfires outside of the campground area are restricted.

The modest campground provides several sites, available on a first-come basis for a fee of $6 per night. There is a 14-day limit. Each site is equipped with a parking pad, table and grill. Pit toilets are centrally located. Drinking water must be trucked to the site, so many campers bring their own, at least a gallon per person per day. Use a self-contained camp stove or bring firewood. You’ll need bags for disposing of camp refuse at home.

Because the campground lies well within the canyon, the night sky is very dark, except during bright moonlight. The site is popular for stargazing and watching celestial events such as meteor showers.

The Mojave River is one of those elusive desert streams that course underground most of their length. Along this part of the watercourse, however, the river and flooded streams have scoured the landscape down to bedrock and the water runs over the rocky surface.

Scenery in Afton Canyon is quite colorful and dramatic. The birds and desert wildlife drawn to the water and vegetation delight observers and photographers. Observation is most rewarding early or late in the day, also the best times for photography. You’ll want to bring your camera, spotting scope, binoculars and field identification guides.

The surrounding area is open to seasonal hunting under state regulations, but only with limited types of firearms and ammunition. Certain county and federal regulations apply. Hunters must be very careful about shooting on private land, which requires permission. No firearms may be discharged near the campground. Recreational shooting is not allowed within Afton Canyon Natural Area.

Margo Bartlett Pesek’s column appears on Sundays.

Canyon is only place to see Mojave River year-round

GREAT VIEW: Afton Canyon is the one place you can see the Mojave River above ground all year long.

May 10, 2010
by the Bureau of Land Management
Victorville Daily Press

Some know it as “The Grand Canyon of the Mojave.” Others simply call it Afton Canyon. And it’s the only place where the Mojave River flows above ground all year long.

The canyon’s surface water makes it unique in the Southern California desert. Known for its dramatic geological formations, Afton is an ideal location for bird and wildlife viewing.

The area is also popular for hiking, hunting, camping, rock hounding, horseback riding and vehicle touring.

Wildlife viewing is best during early morning and evening hours. In the canyon, birds tend to gather in thick vegetation. Along washes and streams, vegetation is critical for wildlife food and shelter. Many routes in Afton Canyon have been closed to vehicle travel to protect these wildlife habitats.

Early Western explorers passing through this area included Jedediah Smith, Kit Carson and John Charles Fremont.

The route following this road, known as the Mojave Road, is a rugged four-wheel-drive scenic tour running from Fort Mojave on the Colorado River near Needles to Camp Cady near Harvard Road.

Afton Canyon Natural Area is located 37 miles northeast of Barstow along Interstate 15 between the Afton Road and Basin Road exits.

Afton Canyon is designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern to protect plant and wildlife habitat and to preserve scenic values of the riparian area within the canyon.

Within this Area of Critical Environmental Concern, routes are posted with “Open Route” markers.

Routes have been selected to allow access to the area and to the Mojave Road while preserving stream-side environments. Use of all vehicles is permitted only on designated open routes. Thunderstorms can result in flash floods in canyons and washes.

Tell a friend or neighbor where you are going and when to expect your return.

Bring sufficient water, food, clothing, tools and first aid supplies for your activity.

The Mojave Road - The Government Road: Mules, Springs, And Regulations

Jeeping The Mojave Road (In A 4Runner)

By Kevin Blumer
Photography by Kevin Blumer
4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility Magazine

No matter how many times you may have read about an adventure, there's nothing like firsthand experience to truly understand what it's all about. Even though I've enjoyed trips to the desert since the mid '80s and consider myself somewhat of a desert rat, I had yet to travel the Mojave Road until recently.

To read the rest of this trip report with photos, visit this link: http://www.4wdandsportutility.com/adventures/midwest/0905_4wd_the_mojave_road/index.html

BLM people and mustangs join 140-mile Mojave Trail Ride

Outlined against the sky at the top of a ridge are Jason Williams and his mustang Stinger, Doug Gorman on Dot and ride coordinator Josie White

From Issue 328: BLM-California News.bytes Extra

More than 50 riders joined the Norco Mounted Posse for their 23rd Annual Mojave Trail Ride April 6-12th. Among them were Jason Williams, wild horse and burro program compliance officer for BLM-California's Folsom Field Office, and Jo Ann Schiffer-Burdett of BLM's California Desert District Office.

The equestrians started in Baker Camp, Mojave National Preserve, and rode 140 miles in six days along the Mojave Trail to Laughlin, NV. The ride traversed lands in the Mojave National Preserve, and the BLM Needles and Stateline Field Offices.

Six hardy mustangs and their owners did a great job representing the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro program: Jason Williams with Stinger; Folsom Field Office Volunteer Compliance Officers David Miller and Doug Gorman with Dot; U.S. Forest Service packer Davey Eubanks, "Mustang Larry" and Sue Jackson.

Two of the mustang owners -- Doug and Jason -- were on the drag team who helped riders in trouble repair broken cinches and saddles, assisted riders who fell off, and retrieved all of the cell phones, knives, tack, hats, ipods and assorted gear that fell off along the way.

You can see more photos of the event in the original article.

Status of Roads in National Parks

The following article was published in the Los Angeles Times on March 23, 2006.

U.S. Loosens Its Policy on Building Roads in Parkland

The action by the Interior Department, though not legally binding, makes it easier for counties to claim rights of way.

By Bettina Boxall and Julie Cart, Staff Writers
Los Angeles Times

Guidelines issued by Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton on Wednesday will make it easier for counties to lay claim to old trails and closed roads they would like to open across federal lands in the West, including national parks in Southern California.

In one of her final actions before leaving her post next week, Norton issued a policy dealing with right-of-way claims under a Civil War-era law that county officials in several Western states have tried to use to circumvent federal land-use restrictions on motorized access.

Norton's memo gives Interior officials nationwide latitude to grant rights of way to counties and other claimants and even approve road construction and improvements.

For a definitive legal ruling, claimants would still have to go to court. Though the policy does not bar claims in national parks and wilderness areas, Interior officials insisted that land managers would not allow destructive road building or improvements.

"Even if you have a right of way, that doesn't mean you can take a two-track and turn it into a two-lane road," said Dan Domenico, special assistant to Interior's solicitor.

"We still have the duty and obligation to protect federal lands surrounding and underlying the right of way."

But environmentalists said the secretary's guidelines amounted to an invitation to counties and other entities to claim everything from hiking trails to dry stream beds and start using them as roads.

"The barriers to [these] claims have been lowered to practically nothing," said Ted Zukoski, a Denver-based attorney with Earthjustice who was involved in a major court case on the matter. "The bar is so low that it has the effect of telling everyone: 'We're open for business. Make a claim.'

"The controversy is rooted in an 1866 law intended to give miners access to their stakes and cattlemen a way to move their herds by granting them rights of way over federal land. Congress repealed the law in 1976 but allowed claims for routes already in existence.

Claims in national parks and wilderness areas would have to be based on uses in existence before those areas were protected.

In 1997, then-Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt put all but the most pressing claims on hold. But that didn't quiet the controversy.

In Utah, three southern counties asserted their right to control roads and trails within national parks, monuments and other federal land. San Juan County claimed a 10-mile stretch of stream bed in Canyonlands National Park, contending that a rocky trail in Salt Creek Canyon — once open to four-wheel-drive traffic — was a "highway" the National Park Service had no right to close.

The route provides the only vehicular access to Angel Arch, one of the park's most famous geologic formations.

Another claim was made by officials in Kane County for rights of way in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management.

Ruling in a lawsuit that stemmed from the Utah actions, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals last year said the BLM could recognize local rights-of-way claims but did not have the authority to make final legal determinations.

Citing that ruling, Norton said Wednesday that agencies under her purview — which include the BLM and U.S. Park Service — could recognize rights of way as long as they adhered to state laws.

In San Bernardino County, which has inventoried 5,000 miles of roads and tracks said to be in use on federal lands before 1976, officials said they hoped the new policy would settle at least some of the controversy.

"The county is asserting rights of way . . . to protect the access for county residents and agencies to be able to get where they need to go in the desert," said Brad Mitzelfelt, chief of staff for Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Postmus, whose district includes large federal holdings in the Mojave Desert.

Mitzelfelt said the county would press claims only on the most heavily used routes, not all 5,000 miles. The old roads and trails cross BLM land as well as the Mojave National Preserve, where he said locals have lost access since its creation in the 1990s.

Larry Whalon, the preserve's chief of resources, said expanding the road system and upgrading certain roads would expose remote cultural and historical sites to increased human traffic and potential vandalism. He cited Ft. Paiute, a crumbled adobe Army post, as among the places that would be vulnerable.

"If that road were to be improved, you'd have a lot more easy access, and that could be a problem," Whalon said. "Even though it's been vandalized, it's not been completely ruined."

Utah officials hailed Norton's policy as a way to settle the claims in a more consistent manner.

"We think this memorandum is absolutely appropriate. We think the guidelines make life easy for everybody," said Lynn Stevens, chair of the San Juan County Commission and Utah's public lands policy director. "It creates consistency. That's not to say we don't have issues with aspects of it. But insofar as it embraces the 10th Circuit's decision, we are not opposed to it."

But Mark Squillace, director of the Natural Resources Law Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder, said the policy created a situation of "legal limbo" because federal agencies would be making right-of-way decisions that weren't binding.

"No one really knows if they will be meaningful," he said.