Overview

This short route drops through a cleft in the rocks and follows a watercourse from the Hole-in-the-Wall picnic area to the desert floor, some 100 feet below the cliffs. In addition to the cleft and the unusual geology along the route, there are ringbolts for hand and footholds in the rock walls where the route descends steep, smooth pour-overs in the cleft. For those who don't want to climb down through the cleft, there is an overlook where you can look down and yell to the people who do climb down there.

Link to map.

Watch Out

Other than the standard warnings about hiking in the desert, ... this is a pretty safe hike except that you could fall on the steeper sections of the route. There are ringbolts for handholds, but you could fall as much as 10 feet if you aren't careful. Watch the kids at the overlook. The ringbolt route requires a little balance and agility.

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

Trail Guide
Getting to the Trailhead

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

From town, drive out to Mojave National Preserve and the Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Center (Table 1, Site 502), which is about 85 miles south of town. From the Visitor Center, continue west on the Visitor Center access road for a minute or so to the picnic area at the end of the road (Site 846). Park at the western-most point on the road; this is the trailhead.

The Hike

There are two parts of this hike: the overlook trail and the ringbolt route. First, read the interpretive signs, then go over to the overlook and look down into the canyon. Second, climb down the ringbolts to the bottom of the canyon and look back up towards the overlook. Without a little rock climbing, you can't actually see the overlook from below.

From the trailhead (Table 2, Waypoint 1), walk south for less than 1 minute to the overlook. This short trail leads through a break in the rocks to an overlook at the top of a cliff. There are guardrails and fences at the edge to keep everyone safe.

To scramble down the ringbolt route, walk west from the trailhead for about 1 minute or so. The trail drops into a narrow, rocky canyon that gets narrower and steeper the farther you go. Follow the canyon down through the cleft, using the ringbolts for hand and footholds on the pour-overs in the steepest sections of the route. There are two sections with ringbolts. When the route breaks out of the cliff and hits the dirt at the bottom of the canyon (Wpt. 2), continue downhill for a few paces, and then curve back to the east (left) to look back up towards the overlook.

To get back to the trailhead, retrace your route and climb the ringbolts or continue down and around the cliffs on the Hole-in-the-Wall Loop Trail.