El Paso Mtn/Red Rock Questions

C

CMJ

New member
Hi Guys, I'm heading up to BLM land this weekend with a bunch of friends to target shoot, camp out for the night and run Last Chance Canyon on Sunday. I know the weather will be bad on Sat, but we don't care. We plan to exit at Harts Rd. and look for a good safe place to setup camp and have some fun. Possibly check out Burro Schmidt too. This will be the first time any of us have been up there, so we are not familiar with the terrain. We have one person in the group that wants to meet us up at camp. He has a Subaru Legacy, and I have no idea how rough the fire roads are up there. Is Harts Rd/EP15 mostly passable by car, or is high ground clearance needed? He just wants to park the car at camp, and then ride in the Jeeps.
 
Totally doable in his car. In fact I have taken a two wheel drive sedan to burro shmidt a few times.

Stop at the ranger station at Jawbone Canyon and SR-14. Buy a "friends of jawbone" map.
 
Thanks for the info, I appreciate it! I just looked up the Friends of Jawbone map, they have a mobile version, think I'm going to download it.
 
I was up there a couple of weeks ago after the last round of heavy rain. I decided not to run last chance because it's a wash and was concerned about getting stuck... Turns out that was a good decision as another guy I know went up there with a couple buddys and got stuck to his frame. If it's raining, I'd probably stay away.

However, going up Mesquite Canyon Rd should be okay. It was rutted out more than usual in a couple of spots but should be passable for your friend.

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That's bad news, thanks for the tip. Maybe we'll just explore the area instead of running Last Chance.
 
The good news is that there are plenty of trails out there. I ran Sheep Springs that day I skipped out on Last Chance.

You can always go for it, just pay attention to the ground... Especially in the soft sandy areas. If the weather man is wrong and it doesn't rain, it's been dry for a week, so you should be okay. I'd still carry some recovery equipment just in case. 😎

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I would stay at the Two Of Hearts cabin, not to far from Burl Schmidt. If you come in off of Burl Schmidt Road, and make a left onto EP-15 (bout 6 miles from HWY 14), should run you right to two of hearts. There is good cover there to ride out rain, and also a good backstop for shooting. Been out there about 5 times and that's where I always set up camp. I could probably get you GPS if you need it.

I was out there a month ago, Last Chance had water running through it the entire way. Goler Gulch was dry all the way through, although we turned out and stayed out at the rock climb. All that is subject to change in a months time though.

Happy travels.

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Just got back, weather was perfect. We set up camp at Two of Hearts, awesome location. Lesson learned: don't set up your tent right next to any of those cabins. They are filled with mice, and the little critters were fighting, squeaking and circling the tent all night.

We ran Last Chance, it was filled with water, lots of water. None of us ever sunk down in the sand, and we didn't take any bypasses. It's really a fun trail, my 8 year old son had a blast too. I can't imagine the trail would be more enjoyable when it's bone dry. Hopefully we can get back and explore the rest of the area soon.
 
Glad you had a good time and your son had a blast. I love the El Paso Mountains and that entire region of the Mojave desert. Next time pack some ear plugs. It helps with all the wildlife noise. It's the only way to sleep. Unless it's raining or snowing I always have ear plugs in if I'm in a tent.
 
I really enjoy wheeling and exploring out there. Glad you stayed at the Two Of Hearts, it's a great location to stay. Maybe a WAYALIFE trip can be organized out there.

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