Help me plan a *lonely* trip through the SoCal desert

Oh, and "Palm Desert" has to be the most incongruous spot on the planet.

You approach it from via hwy 74 and coming thru a desert that probably has a net rainfall of one quart per acre per year. Then suddenly you see this green golf course and these mansions with kentucky bluegrass. It's like a thirst-driven hallucination, but real.

 

Rest of the pix.

Sunset at Cleveland National Forest




Pinkham road is very approachable. The sand is fairly soft, so bring a compressor so you can air down. You could do it in a stock pre-runner I'm pretty sure, though it's a bit sandy and it would be possible to get a pre runner stuck if you stopped at exactly the wrong spot. Mostly it's remote so you wanna be sure and bring plenty of spares and water in case of the unexpected.





Access to this mine is a little tougher.


I love the desert.


The old dale route is more remote and more difficult. Bring water, supplies, and spares. Pre-runners definitely come in pairs and bring recovery gear. I can imagine a stock 4x4 needing to take a tug on a strap if they picked a bad line. I picked up and hauled out as litter some plastic splash pans that the rocks tore off the bottom of some stock SUVs. Also, navigating is tougher than the map on the pic would suggest - there's a rat nest of BLM 4x4 roads in there once you get out of the park proper, so having a more detailed map is a good idea. Sorry, I didn't take any pix of the more challenging parts of the road. Let's call it a "blue square" "more difficult" run, but with less tolerance than usual for error because of its remote nature. The Ranger shared a good story about a less-than-prepared driver who went in, got stuck, didn't have enough water, and walked out 15 miles. He was in quite a state when they picked him up.





Looks inviting, no? Whenever I see a view like that it's always: "where does that road lead?"


Hwy 190 thru sequoia natl forest - this canyon's very dramatic:

 

awesome pics! Looks like you had a good time. The nine mile canyon rd/sherman pass rd/kernville route is so scenic and desolate all at the same time. I too would love to try Sherman Pass 4x4 road and the one out in Monache Meadows but haven't had the time. Thanks for sharing!