Overview

This hike circumnavigates Barbour Peak, the peak just west of Hole-in-the-Wall campground. The grades are fairly easy, the scenery is grand, and it makes a nice dayhike from the campground.

This route is a loop, so hikers can start anywhere, but the logical starts are the campground and the Hole-in-the-Wall Ranger Station. As described here, the route starts at the Ranger Station and runs west and then north along the Hole-in-the-Wall to Mid Hill Trail, loops around the north side of the peak on old road, and then follows old roads and washes downstream to the campground. A nice detour passes some unusually tall Mojave yuccas and the world's longest yucca.

Link to map or elevation profile.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ... this is a safe hike, but watch for low-growing cactus and yuccas hiding along the route just waiting to surprise inattentive hikers. The detour to the yuccas follows brushy game trails, so be sure to watch for snakes in the bushes.

While hiking, please respect the land and the other people out there, and try to Leave No Trace of your passage. Also, be sure to bring what you need of the 10 Essentials.

Trail Guide
Getting to the Trailhead

This hike is located in the Mojave National Preserve, about 2 hours south of Las Vegas.

From town, drive down to Mojave National Preserve and the Hole-in-the-Wall Ranger Station (Table 1, Site 502), which is about 85 miles south of Las Vegas. Park here; this is the trailhead.

The Hike

From the trailhead (Table 2, Waypoint 1) at the Ranger Station, the route follows the Ranger Station road west to the Rings Trail trailhead (Wpt. 2) and follows the Rings Trail down through Banshee Canyon, a narrow cleft in the cliffs, to the desert floor below. For details of this section, see the Rings Trail.

From the bottom of Banshee Canyon, the Barbour Loop follows the Hole-in-the-Wall to Mid Hills (HW-MH) trail southwest for a few yards following an old road to a junction (Wpt. 3) with the Hole-in-the-Wall Loop Trail. The Barbour Loop turns west on the HW-MH Trail and heads out across the desert, while the Hole-in-the-Wall Loop Trail turns left and stays along the base of the cliffs.

HW-MH Trail runs around the south side of the striking promontory crag that can be seen from the bottom of Banshee Canyon. Watch for a trail marker on the southeast side of the promontory crag.

After about 0.75 miles from the bottom of Banshee Canyon, the HW-MH Trail reaches a junction (Wpt. 4) with a trail that comes up from Wild Horse Road. The road, about 0.3 miles south of the junction, is an alternative trailhead for the HW-MH Trail.

From the junction to Wild Horse Road, the HW-MH Trail turns right and runs north for about 0.7 miles to what appears to be a pass or saddle on the horizon, but which actually is a narrow gap between the mountains, then continues on to near the base of the Opalite Cliffs. For details of this section, see the description of the HW-MH Trail. Consider also making the detour to the World's Tallest Yuccas while along this section (requires no backtracking).

From the saddle, the HW-MH Trail passes through a gate (sign says 6.2 miles to MH; Wpt. 7), and drops into a sandy wash and into the area that burned in the 2005 Hackberry Fire.

The trail starts up the wash, then quickly leaves the wash and follows old roads northwest for about 0.5 miles to a fork in the road below the Opalite Cliffs (Wpt. 8), which is a light-colored cliff capped with black lava.

From the Opalite Cliffs, the HW-MH Trail runs north and follows an old road northeast (not northwest) for about 190 yards to another a dirt road (Wpt. 9). At this point, the Barbour Loop leaves the HW-MH Trail. The HW-MH Trail continues north, while the Barbour Loop turns northeast onto the dirt road (an open, legal 4WD road).

The Barbour Loop continues at an easy grade across the desert heading for the north-most point on the Loop. After about 1 mile heading northeast, the Barbour Loop reaches a junction (Wpt. 10) with another old road (now closed?) and turns southeast on the open dirt road.

After another 0.9 miles on the 4WD road, the Barbour Loop reaches an old corral (Wpt. 11), which is bypassed, and then the Loop continues down a broad wash towards the campground (Wpt. 12). Staying in the wash or following campground roads, the Loop wanders back the the Hole-in-the-Wall Ranger Station (Wpt. 1) to close the loop.