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    Red Rock Canyon State Park

    4.5 (119 reviews)
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    Louis L.

    On Memorial weekend, we're decided to explore California sceneries, took a long drive from Fremont to Red Rock Canyon State Park. The Red Cliffs Nature Trail and the Hagen Nature Trail. These sceneries were so beautiful. We visited in the afternoon and in the morning to see with both morning light and afternoon light. They're both wonderful to see. From the Bay, Apple Car Play took us on 101 instead of 5. It was hot but not too bad. We booked a place to stay in Mojave CA-56 and Highway 14, it's only 24 miles to the trails. We started at 11AM and got to the trails at 5PM. Red Cliffs Nature Trail: It's the first one on the right from highway 14 north and it's so windy in the evening, the wind practically blew us away, the rocks formations are so unique, the color was so beautiful, we keep looking at all the rocks and mountains. Hagen Nature Trail: as soon as we drive out to HWY14, the trail is on the other side, we need to turn left to park. The rock formations over here are different. From here, we can drive to Ricardo Camp Ground, but we didn't stay. California is beautiful and we will try to see all the nature beauties that it has. Next stop, Sequoia Grizzly Falls.

    Michelle J.

    Amazing!! Great hiking, but don't go when it's hot! Go to the visitor center first and pay your fee and then you can go anywhere within the park to hike. We went back out onto Abbott Dr and parked and hiked from there and we also drove across the highway to the other side.

    Red Rock Canyon State Park, CA
    Bruce O.

    Red Rock Canyon State Park, Cantile, CA, March 26, 2024 We took an hour and a half trip up to Red Rock Canyon State Park out of Barstow. We got an early start because we weren't sure how far north we would go. We drove west for about 45 minutes until we came to a turn off that takes you through California City and up to Red Rock Canyon State Park, which features scenic red rock desert cliffs, buttes and spectacular rock formations. The park consists of approximately 27,000 acres and is located along State Highway 14 in Kern County, about 80 miles east of Bakersfield and 25 miles north of Mojave, where the southernmost tip of the Sierra Nevada converges with the El Paso Mountains. There are plenty of hiking trails with impressive scenic views right off the main highway. You can also drive into the park to the visitor's center where you can purchase a day pass and check out their wildlife Museum and gift store. They also have a Campground there.

    Ana T.

    I came here on the way to the Death Valley National Park, and I'm glad I did. The scenery is not a thing to be missed! There are such beautiful layered rock formations to view. You can park in the empty areas as you came in the entrance and take few photos. If you go further in, there's a Visitor Center and parking lot. There's a simple Ricardo Nature Trail to walk near the Visitor Center.

    Ricardo Nature Trail
    Shayla B.

    Talk about stunning! The red rocks and beautiful rock formations in this canyon are magnificent! It's off the beaten path and far less traveled which equals minimal crowds. And there is soooo much to explore here! The views seem to be endless. I stopped here during a trip to Death Valley National Park, and this stop was absolutely worth it. There are actually several different trails in this park, but the most popular trails are the Red Cliffs, Hagen Canyon, and Ricardo Campground Trail. I was able to do all three (they're all pretty short and doable), and the trek through Ricardo Campground was my hands down my favorite area to hike in. The Red Cliffs trail is the most popular and also the most photographed since you can see the Red Cliffs right from the parking lot. This trail is family friendly and features a short incline up a hill that presents a wonderful panoramic view of the Red Rocks. This is also a great place to take a quick stop if you're just driving along the road and want to stop off for pictures and a break. There are restrooms near the parking lot and plenty of parking. The Hagen Canyon Trail is located right across the street from the Red Cliffs trail. This trail is also pretty short and family friendly, but you'll have to actually hike in to capture most of the best views. The trail is about a mile or so and it's a loop trail. You'll be inside of the canyon which will allow from cascading views of the red rocks. This part of the park also has the most unique rock formations with many of them resembling animals and faces. The trail map at the beginning of the trail will identify many of these unique formations and where you'll find them. The Ricardo Campground Trail is an explorative trail that you can extend or shorten to your liking. If you have some time to kill and are serious about getting a good workout in, this is the trail that you should be on. The trail begins at the campground and follows dirt path through a gorgeous desert garden. It then inclines up a steep hill where you can choose from several different connector paths to explore your heart out. But be forewarned; some of the connecting trails are not well maintained. Also if you have a fear of heights, there are some narrow ridge paths with steep drop offs on both sides. Yeah... I was freaked out by some of these trails, but the views were marvelous! This is where you'll get those 360 degree landscape views. You can get really high up in the mountains and you can also hike deep down into the wash. I did both and it was so amazing. A bit scary, but so incredible. You can clearly see where the water used to be when this canyon was actually an ocean. It's so damn impressive. This park is small and huge all at the same time. Small compared to something like Death Valley National Park, but it feels huge when you are smack dab in the bottom of the canyon looking up. I'm talking jaw dropping visuals here, folks. Also, if you do plan on hiking into the canyon, you'll get be up close and personal with the red rocks. It's fantastic. I'd recommend downloading a map for specifics (AllTrails works pretty well). Without making this review a novel, I'll just say that this park is astounding and I can't believe that more people don't frequent this place. Even the campground was damn near empty. But that's okay because this is what makes it so peaceful and serene. In any event, you should definitely plan to visit this beauty (especially on your way to the Sierras and/or Death Valley National Park). Trust me, it's worth it!

    Views!
    Gabriela M.

    Another State Park off my bucket list! Red Rock Canyon is a small state park with smaller red rock buttes and gothic cathedral formations. The camping ground site is beautiful, it looks like an ideal place to bring the family to camp. There were plenty of restrooms available. I am assuming one must reserve a camping space in order to stay overnight. We were able to climb on the rocks and take pictures of the scenery. It's an easy hike for kids/adults, plenty of open space and some cool "caves". This was a 2 hour drive from Los Angeles, CA. This was a short but well worthy trip.

    Red Cliffs Trail
    Karen L.

    Pretty cool spot with plenty of photo ops, but for those of you coming over for only for this, just expect there isn't much else to see or do in this area. That might make it less of an incentive for people with a long drive to make it out here since its not a huge park. We came from LA so it wasn't too bad of a drive, and made some pit stops in Lancaster for food. You can easily see the "attractions" here without needing much of a hike, so its friendly for the whole family. The Red Cliffs Trail isn't much of a hike for avid hikers, and you pretty much see the entire view from the parking lot already. And there's restrooms available there. We drove over to Hagen Canyon Trail, which is on the other side of the 14. It's also really accessible and free to enter. You can walk right up to the cliffs, which is pretty cool. For those wanting a longer hike, there are a few trail options in the Ricardo Campground. Also bathrooms available here, which are basically outhouses with toilet paper. There are also tables for picnicking. But the rocks weren't as red or cool in my opinion compared to the first 2 places we went to. The office has maps placed outside if you want to grab one to read up more on this place. Overall very convenient, although a very short stop that's easily doable in an hour or less if you wanted to rush through it. Or you can take your time, and it was nice that it was never overly busy here, with plenty of parking spots. Definitely recommend as a quick stop if you're on the way to anything else and passing by the area.

    Marcus F.

    Nothing beats a free experience with a bathroom. Simply pulling off the 14 and parking in their large maintained dirt lot is all that's required.. You have free reign to climb on the rocks and take some really awesome pictures. This is a 30 minute max experience. NOTE - Be sure that you pull off into the correct parking lot for the easiest view of red rocks.. Put "Red Cliffs Natural Area" into Google maps.. should be off the 14 in California... - There's also a nature trail attached to the parking lit. The trail was a bit rundown.

    Just beautiful
    Yolanda S.

    Can you believe it? All of what we see now used to be under water, the entire area was at the bottom of a massive lake millions of years ago! We passed through Red Rock Canyon on our way to Mammoth lake. Not gonna lie, I wanted to come when we were on our way back from Death Valley a couple of months ago, but we didn't have enough time to stop by. So, I feel like I had to plan for a visit this time, and luckily, it turned out amazing. The camel rock reminds me of Cappadocia in Turkey, and the Turk's turban rock looks even more beautiful in person. We didn't have time to check out window rock this time, but I feel like Red Rock Canyon would be a great destination for RV camping and stargazing. How lucky we have such an amazing place in Cali, and it's only less than 3 hours away from LA!

    Entrance,
    Sue B.

    We have passed this place soooo many times on our way from LA to Mammoth but we finally did a quick stop on the way home. The visitor center was closed but from the little side road you can get some nice views. We'll come back again when we have more time.

    Caitlin M.

    My friend and I came up here in April because it was advertised as dog-friendly on the website, but it's not exactly. The campground itself is, and a couple of service roads, but dogs are not allowed on the trails. The pictures you see with my dog are at a beautiful trailhead, but we could not go further because the trail signs said no dogs. We did see a lot of other dogs when we checked out the camp grounds, so it seems like a popular place for campers and their dogs. In terms of amenities, the campsite is very basic. I don't remember seeing any showers. There was one restroom by the visitor's center, but it's a bit of a walk from the campsites, if that's important to you. It definitely looks nice and would be a good day trip to hike around. I personally wouldn't bring my dog back unless there was someone who wanted to camp but not hike because he couldn't go many places.

    Ane V.

    Beautiful creation. Breathtaking. It is a MUST see. It is worth the trip. I didn't know that we have one here until a client of mine mentioned it. My daughter and I went on a road trip one summer day and this is our last stop.

    Gorgeous
    Tina H.

    Wow!!! What an Amazing place just Right off the 14. Red Rock Canyon is a must see! There's the Visitor Center and of course hiking, camping, and plenty of photo opportunities. You drive in and pick up your visitor info and pay your fees. Now your set to go explore! A great place for the whole family to Experience. The rock formations are amazing and so beautiful! Lots of different trails to take from flat lands to hiking up on your own. Kids found a few rock formations that look like different things. One that looked like a cupcake, another that looks like a camel or llama, one that looks like a frog, and one that looked like a toadstool or mushroom. So cool to see the kiddos having a blast. Definitely making a trip back here again! It was a lot of fun and so beautiful absolutely breathtaking!

    Joshua Trees abound

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    Beautiful beyond words. Scenic Drive is worth every minute of the trip. Will be going back to hike more of the trails.

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    Ask the Community - Red Rock Canyon State Park

    Is this a first come first serve campsite?

    Yes, the campsites are first come, first served. No reservations. Refer to the website: http://parks.ca.gov/?page_id=631

    RV Dump station?

    Yes, $20

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    Review Highlights - Red Rock Canyon State Park

    There are actually several different trails in this park, but the most popular trails are the Red Cliffs, Hagen Canyon, and Ricardo Campground Trail.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Hagen Canyon Nature Trail

    Hagen Canyon Nature Trail

    5.0(3 reviews)
    6.8 mi

    Absolutely stunning nature trail! Hagen Canyon is located right before the official entrance of the…read moreRicardo Campground in Red Rock Canyon State Park. The trail consists of a sanded path that loops through beautiful red cliffs and unique rock formations. It's a super easy trail that's only about a mile or so long. There's a trail map near the entrance that you can take a picture of to help identify some of the names of the unique rocks. Some of the rocks are shaped like animals. It was actually quite the adventure trying to identify which rocks resembled specific animals. It's crazy to think that something like this exists occurs naturally. What I really enjoyed about this trail was how colorful it was. So many beautiful red and golden hues make up this beauty. It's one of those canyons that you could literally stare at for hours and never get bored. A winter visit to the canyon is perfect because the weather isn't too warm. There's absolutely no shade, so I'm sure this place is smokin' during the summer (wouldn't attempt a long adventure here during that time of the year). There's a small parking lot right at the start of the trail. This is the perfect place to take small children as the trail is easy. I'd recommend coming here in conjunction with your visit to the rest of Red Rock Canyon State Park because there's so much more to explore here. However, visit to Hagen Canyon surely isn't to be missed either. Really enjoyed exploring this less traveled area.

    Beautiful trail but do not attempt this in hot weather. We did this as a family of 6 in 99 degree…read moreweather and almost passed out from the heat. It was like that Gus Van Sant film "Gerry" bad. As mild a hike as it is, the heat was just too much. Incredible views, we felt like we were on Mars. Very limited cell reception here so load your maps onto your phones in advance. There's wifi at the visitors center in the park, where we paid $6 before realizing that the trail was behind us.

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    Hagen Canyon Nature Trail
    Hagen Canyon Nature Trail
    Hagen Canyon Nature Trail

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    Trona Pinnacles

    Trona Pinnacles

    4.6(52 reviews)
    37.1 mi

    Though this site gives some amazing history about the pinnacles I would not have known otherwise,…read morethe road to get here is very long, very rocky and in some places questionable if I should cross them. It was extremely hot even though it's April. I didn't walk around as the temps too high. The highlights - you cross over where the salt has dried from the lake ( wash your car as soon as you can as salt bad for it!), the beautiful scenery of the pinnacles (obviously) but the mountains behind them, the history lesson, the train cars sitting on the tracks was kinda fun and interesting and best of all the Navy flying planes doing test runs. Loved that. So hard to believe so much of this was under water and that where these were created. It's other worldly with how alive our planet is and constantly changing. It's free to come here but be warned about deep sand, very rocky roads and the heat. Bring water and have plenty of gas in the tank. There's nothing around for quite a ways.

    Out of this world! Free admission but make sure the roads are in good shape. I drove out in an SUV…read moreand some parts of the road were a little sketchy. Once you arrive at the Pinnacles, you can hike up really close to see them first-hand. The pinnacles were created out of tufa ("porous rock formed as a deposit when springs interact with other bodies of water" per Wikipedia), when the area was under a lake. If you visit in spring, you'll see some wildflowers as well. Very interesting spot and worth a stop on your way to Death Valley. Highly recommended!

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    Trona Pinnacles - OHV @ Sunset Pinnacles

    OHV @ Sunset Pinnacles

    Trona Pinnacles
    Trona Pinnacles

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    Rainbow Basin Natural Area

    Rainbow Basin Natural Area

    4.7(3 reviews)
    24.1 mi

    I've a bit of the wanderlust running through me, and it's getting stronger with each day passing…read more To try and negate some of this growing restlessness, I thought perhaps reviewing one of my past adventures would help to calm the stormy seas inside of me before I go insane. I have a dirty past. Quite literally. I am one of very few chicks that dug dirt and rocks from a very tender age (mind the bad pun). And they continue to excite me even after a decade away from school. There's hardly anything more exciting than hiking to gods know where for some geologic/paleontologic mindjob. Was that TMI? Oops, my bad. But, please, don't go anywhere! Allow me to share one of my fondest geology trips with you. I loved my majour in college. What's not to love about a study that allows you to spend more than half of your collegiate time outdoors, rain or shine? I was never much one for classroom settings. Don't let the geeky exterior fool you. I'm the type to bring a laptop out into the wild unknown to play my video games. ^_- Whoever said you can't have it all? All that's missing is a wonderful companion to share it all with. My Spring Fieldtrip assignment was to map Rainbow Basin, outside of Barstow, California. I believe the area we had to map was about 3 square miles, up and down peaks and in and out of valleys. 9 glorious days did we spend out there. Rainbow Basin is a gorgeous stretch of land. If you haven't been there yet, promise me you will. If only for a day. The best part is during sunset in the main valley. There's a specific point in the valley where you crest a rise and just sit there, waiting for the magickal moment where the sun dips just low enough in the sky to light up the cliff face where there's a huge syncline composed of various oxidized layers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rainbow_Basin.JPG). These layers, composed of various different minerals, oxidized over time to produce different shades of colours - red, purple, yellow, green, blue... The beauty is when the sun lights up these different layers to give you the most amazing display of coloured rock ever. Hence, the name of the basin itself. I'm thinking of a road trip back there this summer to view this phenomenom once more; only this time, I'll be bringing a camera to document my memories. Will you join me? Bring your sleeping bag, but forget the tent. We'll snuggle under the summer stars together.

    Beautiful place. Love the colors and formations. Geology is wonderful. Enjoyed the scenic drives as…read morethe valley walls get closer and closer as your car wanders through the basin. The road Is nicely graded that goes through a wash. Very epic, scenic panoramic views. Highly recommend spring, fall or winter times to visit as it can get hot!! We went in February, Not too far of a drive from Barstow or on the dirt road. We also hiked among the Mojave desert vegetation and enjoyed the Joshua trees. Think we got a glimpse of the lakebed with Goldstone. Great picture taking opportunities!

    Photos
    Rainbow Basin Natural Area
    Rainbow Basin Natural Area
    Rainbow Basin Natural Area

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    Red Rock Canyon State Park - hiking - Updated June 2026

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