{"id":2644,"date":"2012-01-10T06:11:38","date_gmt":"2012-01-10T06:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.backroadswest.com\/blog\/?p=2644"},"modified":"2022-09-21T19:51:26","modified_gmt":"2022-09-21T19:51:26","slug":"owl-canyon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.backroadswest.com\/blog\/owl-canyon\/","title":{"rendered":"Owl Canyon in Rainbow Basin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A hike up Owl Canyon will take most people by surprise.\u00a0 After crossing the wide open spaces of the Mojave Desert near Barstow, one would not expect a canyon full of odd geologic formations and wild colors.<\/strong> Owl Canyon is located inside what is known as the Rainbow Basin Natural Area.\u00a0 This \u201cNatural Area\u201d is managed by the BLM office in Barstow.\u00a0 Rainbow Basin itself speaks for itself \u2013 it is a big basin full of colorful geological layers that are warped into what geologists call anticlines and synclines.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Although there are more trips to be taken in this immediate area, the centerpiece of this trip focuses on the hike up Owl Canyon.\u00a0 Owl Canyon covers the eastern section of Rainbow Basin.\u00a0 In this section is the Owl Canyon campground, which is actually comprised of two \u2013 the main campground and an equestrian campground.\u00a0 As of 2011, the BLM did some significant upgrades to the entire campground, making it look first rate.<\/p>

Owl Canyon, along with the entire Rainbow Basin Natural Area, is one of our favorite places to visit close to where we live. Living in the High Desert region of Southern California, there are many choices of places for us to choose from for hiking, sightseeing and enjoying the outdoors. We find ourselves returning to this area often because you can easily spend several days exploring the back roads and hiking through the canyons near Rainbow Basin. Visiting this area as a day trip can even be accomplished by people living in the L.A. Basin or it can be a great multi-hour stopover for people enduring the long drive to Las Vegas.<\/p>

Getting There<\/h3>

First, travel to Barstow.\u00a0 The virtual video tour will give you good visual directions on how to get to Owl Canyon.\u00a0 Nevertheless, below are the directions.\u00a0 The directions also include suggested stops at two museums.<\/p>

From I-15, take the Hwy 247 \u2013 Barstow Road exit.\u00a0 Turn north.\u00a0 The first traffic light past I-15 is Virginia Way (there is a fire station on the corner).\u00a0 If you turn left here, you can visit the Mojave River Valley Museum<\/a> which is a great place to learn more about the area and find out about the current conditions of Rainbow Basin and Owl Canyon.\u00a0 Rainbow Basin is well known for its fossils and this museum has the best information to learn more about these fossils.<\/p>

When done with the museum, get back on Barstow Road and continue north.\u00a0 You\u2019ll go down a long hill.\u00a0 At the end of the hill, you will hit \u2018ol Route 66.\u00a0 Turn left (west).\u00a0 Here, you\u2019ll enjoy a quick jaunt through historic downtown Barstow.\u00a0 After a few traffic lights, turn right on 1st Ave.\u00a0 Look for the signs pointing to the train station and Harvey House.\u00a0 Soon, you will be crossing an old bridge that spans the many railroad tracks and you\u2019ll see the classic Harvey House building on the right.<\/p>

If you wish to visit the Harvey House, it houses two museums and Barstow\u2019s Chamber of Commerce. But be aware that the museums are usually only open on the weekends.<\/p>

Continue on 1st Ave and you\u2019ll cross another bridge just after the Harvey House. The bridge crosses the great Mojave River. Just after this bridge, turn left onto Irwin Road (named after Fort Irwin). Continue north on Irwin Road for 6 miles.<\/p>

At 6 miles, you will be in the middle of the desert with almost no civilization in sight. You will see the well-maintained dirt Fossil Bed Road leading off to the left (northwest). Turn left here and follow the signs to Rainbow Basin and Owl Canyon.<\/p>

More…<\/p>

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Pictures<\/h3>

Below are some pictures of what you will see along the way.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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