Red Rock Canyon—Where the Movies Were Made

Story by Gerald Burke

Red Rock Canyon State Park in Southern California's Mojave Desert lies in a route well traveled for thousands of years-first by the Native Americans who followed the trade route, then by the gold seekers in the 1850s, by the survivors of the famed Death Valley trek and the family members of the Arcane and Bennett families, and by some Illinois Jayhawkers. Gold prospecting picked up in the 1860s and placer mining activity in the 1890s. Hundreds of miners sifted through the sands of this great gash of a canyon on the western edge of the El Paso Mountain Range, and maybe a few of them got rich, but it wasn't a bonanza as were some places in California.

A CALIFORNIA STATE PARK
Other more prosaic travelers passed through the canyon area as farmers used the route to drive sheep north, then it became a stage stop, then a railroad route, and then a truck stop, along with the nearby big truck stops in the towns of Mojave and Kramer's Junction. But Red Rock Canyon didn't fade into obscurity--today it's a California State Park and a recreational area, has a good campground, and has been the location for many years as a spot to make movies. Red Rock Canyon was used in the making of Jurassic Park, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, some Flash Gordon Movies and many westerns.

And the pink to reddish rocks that give the canyon its name are still there, stretching for miles, stark and beautiful cliffs rising up behind the campground, much of the rock being gray sedimentary concretions with basalt on top and some pink tuff here and there. The well eroded foothills of the El Paso Mountains are scenic wonders in themselves and geologists and paleontologists have found the canyon to be a rich exploration area.

There are 50 good campsites in the campground, mostly level, some are pull-throughs, some are doubles for groups, all are dirt, there are pit toilets and an RV dump station, but no hookups. Each site has a table, fire ring with grill, water is available here and there, and many of the sites are deep and wide enough for long RVs and a tow vehicle.

THIS IS THE DESERT
Red Rock Canyon is desert scenery, maybe bleak looking to some, but if you like the desert it's full of areas to explore. The Mojave Desert has many differing types of flora and fauna and this part has its own flora, including an unusual grouping of Joshua Trees, called a family group, with several trees all together. They have been named the Kern Joshua because of this grouping, and most of them are smaller than those in Joshua Tree National Park. Plenty of saltbush grows in the canyon, as does bursage, creosote bush and Indian Tea. If winter rains arrive, the canyon sparkles with wildflowers in late spring, including lupine, goldfields, Indian paintbrush, verbena, desert marigold and a few California poppies in clumps here and there.

Wildlife is always present, and depending on the season you visit and the time of day you may see chipmunks, kangaroo rats, lizards, tortoise, and rabbits. Owls nest in the cliffs behind the campground and thrashers dart about on the ground.

A stop at the park's visitor center near the entrance gives you an opportunity to look at exhibits and learn more about the canyon and to see what activities may be going on during your stay. When we were there on one of our several stops at the campground, we were fortunate to join in a star party and were able to view a comet with just binoculars.

AND HOME OF AN ANCIENT LAKE
Fossils have been found in the canyon and the history of the rock formations can get your imagination to take you back in time. Layers of red and white sediments lie in the accordion-like folds of the cliffs, capped then by harder black basalt and pink volcanic tuff. These layers were deposited in an ancient lake and valley eons ago and then were uplifted by three faults, the Garlock, El Paso and Sierra Frontal faults. Then, as time went by, waters from rivers and streams and the wind carved out the Red Rock Canyon we see today.

There are hiking trails you can take, and rangers usually schedule walks and talks during the fall, winter and spring, and picture taking offers many opportunities to record the scenery and the rocks.

Fall, winter and spring are the best times to visit Red Rock Canyon State Park. Winter can be a bit chilly and windy from time to time, summer temperatures reach 100 degrees during the day, spring and fall usually have daytime temperatures of 60 to 80 degrees with nights cooling down into the 30s to 40s. Snow has been recorded in the winter, but it seldom lasted more than a day.

While you're in this part of the Mojave Desert there are plenty of other attractions, including the famed and historic old towns of Randsburg and Johannesburg, as well as Ridgecrest, Boron, China Lake and Trona.

There are no reservations for this California state park but we've never had a problem finding a campsite there even in peak times.

IF YOU GO
Red Rock Canyon State Park is located north of Los Angeles. Take I-5 north out of Los Angeles to State Highway 14 north and the park is located about 25 miles north of the town of Mojave. Last year's rates were $8 per night for camping. Pets are ok on leash. Supplies are available in Mojave and Kramer's Junction.