Black Rock Canyon
In the northwest corner of the park, Black Rock Canyon is a popular spot for camping, hiking and spotting wildlife.
Plan Around Black Rock Canyon
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Black Rock Canyon Details
In the northwest corner of the park, Black Rock Canyon is a popular spot for camping, hiking and spotting wildlife. The road to the canyon dead-ends at the campground, and sites are surrounded by trees, junipers, cholla cacti, and a variety of desert shrubs. The campground also features a day-use picnic area. There's a small visitor center in the middle of the campground; you can pick up maps, books and nature guides, or the staff can help you plan a hike, which is really the main draw of the area. The hills behind the campground offer a number of trails, including the easy, 1.3-mile Hi-View Nature Trail. Longer trails, such as Eureka Peak, Panorama Loop, and Warren Peak deliver hikers to ridge lines overlooking the peaks of San Jacinto and San Gorgonio Mountains. For the truly dedicated, the trailhead for a 35-mile section of the California Riding and Hiking Trail is also located at Black Rock. Even if you're not hiking, it's fairly easy to spot wildlife in this area. Visitors often see ground squirrels, jackrabbits and cottontails. Avian residents include cactus wrens, Gambel's quail, great horned owls, scrub-jays and roadrunners. Bigger mammals, all the way from bighorn sheep to mountain lions have all been seen in the area, although sightings are rare.
Difficulty
Low
Distance
N/A
Estimated time
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Region
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Nearby Parks Around Black Rock Canyon
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Nearby Points of Interest Around Black Rock Canyon
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0.0 mi away
Black Rock Campground
Open all year, Black Rock Campground is located on the park's northern perimeter, in one of its thickest stands of Joshua trees.
0.1 mi away
Black Rock Nature Center
The Black Rock Nature Center serves as the principal visitor center for travelers to the northwestern, Black Rock area of the park.
0.1 mi away
Black Rock Picnic Area
The Black Rock picnic area is located near the Black Rock Campground.
0.7 mi away
Hi-View Nature Trail
Hi-View Nature trail offers a bit of a challenge for hikers, with 325 feet of elevation gain.
1.3 mi away
Panorama Loop Trail
The Panorama Loop Trail takes in the high Mojave Desert, where Joshua Tree flats and wide-open valleys morph into pinyon-juniper woodlands.
