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    Big Maria Wilderness

    4.0 (1 review)

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    Corn Springs Petroglyph Site - Palms at Corn Spring

    Corn Springs Petroglyph Site

    4.3(8 reviews)
    42.3 mi

    If you've driven Interstate 10 between Desert Center and Blythe, California, you've probably seen…read morethe Corn Springs exit. You may have then asked why? There's no gas station, no houses, no ghost town, no structures of any kind -- nothing. If you have time for a little adventure before you head to wherever it is that you brought you to Interstate 10 in the first place, then stop on the south side of the Corn Springs exit and take the Corn Springs dirt road for eight miles into the mountain valley. (Any car can handle it.) There, you'll find a thirsting remnant of a once vibrant oasis that was home to the Cahuilla people. In short order, you can check out the petroglyphs and the cluster of palm trees that have seen better days. Most of the petroglyphs here are abstract, but if you look carefully you might see some primitive hunter-and-bighorn sheep images, too. Layered over and near some of these images are unfortunate instances of more modern day graffiti. There are no brochures or park rangers here; just a few plaques and numbered poles that don't provide enough clues to put the pieces together. If you have time to spend the night, a Spring evening here is beautiful as the sun sets. It's very peaceful, too, unless some redneck is shooting up a metal sign or beer cans or liquor bottles. Waking up the next morning to the calls of many different birds is refreshing. A short hike in the vicinity of the palm trees and petroglyphs reveals occasional bursts of colorful flowers. July, when the temperature easily reaches 108 degrees and touching the rocks will burn your skin off, is not the best time to see Corn Springs. The heat blazes, there's no water, little shade, and even the large campground is empty. Your vehicle will melt into the ground. If one of the Border Patrol/military aircraft that routinely flies this area sees you, it may circle above you for a while until it realizes you're just a dumb gringo. (Yeah, that was me.) Corn Springs frustrates my curiosity because the area has a haunting residue that suggests so much more went on here than the few details left can now tell us. Well, now you know why there is a Corn Springs exit. You have time for this. You really do.

    Corn Spring/Springs (it's spelled both way on signs) is an easily accessible BLM campsite whose…read moredominant feature is a stand of palms that have seen better days. Some kind of disease seems to be slowly stripping them of their fronds but the campsite remains a fine place for car and tent camping that puts you within about an hour of the Cottonwood Springs entrance to Joshua Tree National Park. A wide, smooth dirt road takes you to Corn Spring about eight miles into the Chuckwalla Mountains to the west of Interstate 10. There are about 10 individual campsites with fire rings and pole-mounted charcoal grills. Some sites have nice metal canopies over a concrete picnic bench; you definitely want that while desert camping. There are two septic tank bathrooms that are absolutely five-star facilities in the world of BLM camping. They're clean, well-maintained and odorless. Someone is obviously taking good care of these babies. The other notable feature of Corn Spring is, of course, the petroglyphs that can be seen among the rocks lining either side of the dirt road as you approach the campsite. They're most easily seen on the western side. Apparently there are better petroglyphs among the rocks to the east if you do a little boulder scrambling, but we didn't try. They're interesting, not too spectacular and are unfortunately mixed in with latter-day petroglyphs along the line of "Mike" and "George R 43." No one has yet tried to bomb them with spray paint. There are no interpretive signs so you'll have to do your own research. Maybe their origin is unknown. This is the first desert campsite I've used where I have actually come upon bighorn sheep. There were four of them standing on the ridge line along the dirt road on a November afternoon, gazing down upon us like they owned the place. Which they did. It's also the only desert campsite where, at 1 in the morning, I was awakened by the rumble of engines that seemed to surround us like a raiding party. After hearing the collective idle of engines outside our tents for about five minutes, I opened a flap to discover the military had invaded Corn Spring. Or at least a National Guard contingent on night maneuvers. There were about five armored Humvees, each with a large automatic machine gun atop, all accompanied by militarized ATVs. it was cool and a bit scary at the same. Apparently they were taking a potty break, using the aforementioned great bathrooms. We've camped at Mojave National Preserve, Death Valley, Panamint Valley, Rainbow Basin near Barstow, Valley of Fire east of Vegas, Whitney Pockets east of Vegas, Afton Canyon in Mojave and several other places. Corn Spring stacks up well as desert campsite, with ample opportunities for hikes, wildlife viewing and general desert exploration. I highly recommend it if Joshua Tree sites are full or when the weather's cold at the National Park. It's $6 a night per vehicle, payable via envelopes and metal mailbox. There's good-tasting water available via a hand-operated pump. Quite charming. Services are available about 25 miles away at Chiriaco Summit, west on I-10

    Photos
    Corn Springs Petroglyph Site - The oasis

    The oasis

    Corn Springs Petroglyph Site - Cahuilla people (1-1800) are responsible for many of these petroglyphs, but you'll find evidence of more recent visitors, too.

    Cahuilla people (1-1800) are responsible for many of these petroglyphs, but you'll find evidence of more recent visitors, too.

    Corn Springs Petroglyph Site - The oasis

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    The oasis

    Kofa National Wildlife Refuge - Inside one of the illegal mines..

    Kofa National Wildlife Refuge

    4.5(2 reviews)
    65.2 mi

    There is only one negative thing about this area, and let's get it out of the way at the top:…read more You need a high clearance vehicle to really experience this place. There are amazing places to camp, hike, and climb in here but make sure your vehicle has at least 7.5" of clearance (more is always better) or else you're definitely going to get some body-scraping going on. If you're renting a car to come out here, some sort of jeep (or a Tacoma) is probably going to be your best bet. You don't really need 4 wheel drive or all wheel drive, you just need to have your undercarriage up above the ground. Once you get in here though, there's some incredible stuff! I hiked/scrambled to the summits of (you can find my GPS files for your mapping software at the links below): Castle Dome Peak: https://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=4071 Ten Ewe Mountain: https://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=35522 Signal Peak: https://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=4066 There's also some really great stargazing in here, and lots of spots to pull over and have a campout. This is one of the better places for boondocking in the US provided, again, that you have the clearance. And since this is a merely a National "Wildlife Refuge" rather than a National "Park", it's effectively free and not very crowded. I only saw one other person (and his dog) in the mountains.

    ~ Crystal Hill Review ~…read more To get to the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge's Crystal Hill just look for the turn-off sign just past the 95 mile marker ( off the State Route 95). You will then have to drive 6 miles down a dirt and rocky road.. It's tough sledding (15 mph), but most cars can made it if they avoid the large rocks and go slow. I even saw a compact car make this. About halfway down the dirt road you'll see the official Kofa Park sign and Trailhead.. You'll then keep going for 2.5 miles until you're next to a small mountain / hill on your left. Hopefully there are RVs camping so you know you're at the right place. Just turn LEFT into the campground toward the bottom of the mountain/hill. There are several pullouts ( campsites) here, so park and walk towards the hill. There are a few trails up, all with white signs telling you that no digging tools are allowed on the hill. Walk up the trail and make your way to the top. Please feel free to go off trail as you please. The best finds are off the main trails so explore everywhere. Crystal Hill is very family friendly and you're going to find quartz ( mostly white) everywhere. The clear crystal points (very tough to find) can be found if you really look hard off-trail. Remember, limit of 10. TIPS - - 10 rock limit or 10 pounds.. whichever comes first.. - Most people collect then leave their spoils in a pile for others to find.. This helps out younger rockhounds find cool specimens. - The top is pure tailing, but the midway point on the North West side has some good locations for the cool stuff. - If you see small holes in the hillside those might be illegal mines. Small, but you or your kids can crawl in and take a look. Bring a flashlight.

    Photos
    Kofa National Wildlife Refuge - It glows under UV light.

    It glows under UV light.

    Kofa National Wildlife Refuge - The top

    The top

    Kofa National Wildlife Refuge - Cool stuff, but you need to have a keen eye.

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    Cool stuff, but you need to have a keen eye.

    Cattail Cove State Park

    Cattail Cove State Park

    4.7(12 reviews)
    56.8 mi

    Stayed in campground site 111. Very nice new upper loop. Full hook ups. Unfortunately not many of…read morethe sites are level. We needed 50 amp due to heatwave 100 plus weather. A real challenge to get a class A motorhome level. You would think when making a new campground the sites would be level. Most sites short only 37 ft. Today's rvs are much larger. If you have a trailer it easier to level. Most staff very helpful but the main ranger thinks he is a drill sergeant with attitude. We wanted to see the actual park before coming as this new loop we had never seen. We were at another state park and had reservations for this park. No way. You have to pick off the website that does not show accurately the way you will face. So our site got all afternoon sun. We couldn't even enjoy the outside with such hot conditions. Five star campground if sites were level and the jerk ranger wasn't here.

    This was the most beautiful park! A decent amount of space between site, a life jacket loaner…read morestation, human beach, dog beach, park store, bathhouse, and right on the water. If you're looking for rest & relaxation, this is for you! Important to know they're are only 4 site at 50 amp & the rest 30 amp. So book in enough time to get a 50amp or come prepared with you stepdoen adapter. Grocery store with everything you need within 20 minutes. Beautiful arizona sunsets over the lake. Plenty of shade trees on your site. We will return if ever in the area

    Photos
    Cattail Cove State Park - Us at the cattail cove state park beach

    Us at the cattail cove state park beach

    Cattail Cove State Park - Us kayaking at Cattail cove

    Us kayaking at Cattail cove

    Cattail Cove State Park

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    Big Maria Wilderness - hiking - Updated May 2026

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