Yes, as the other reviews note, there's lots of graffiti and litter from careless visitors. And, yes, the road to it can seem long and has very many dips that make it slow driving. But, go late afternoon (or early morning) when the sun creates sharp angels, and let your mind wander away from the immediate evidence of human carelessness. It's easy then to see how such a quiet, massive, solid piece of nature inspires spiritual reflection. read more

Giant Rock - Makes the Honda look tiny in comparison - Local Flavor Near Me

Can be a great place to ride with a lot of variety of terrain if you are willing to explore . From riding up the backside to Big Bear to Sand Dunes in Johnson Valley. The only problem is the area is known for attracting some disrespectful weekend warriors that can make the place a little dangerous. read more

Giant Rock - Giant Rock days after the split - Local Flavor Near Me

It was such an adventure to get to this place. I'm very familiar with the area but had never been to Giant Rock. The surrounding area is just beautiful !! You feel the nature and you feel free! The boulder itself is Huge! It's been a sacred Native American site and gathering site for UFO enthusiasts. It was very disappointing to see all the graffiti on the Giant Rock. People just don't seem to respect places like that. :( read more

Been there many times & to The Los Padres Gold mine next range behind it, Got to go inside the Mine as someone some how got the metal doors open. Have pictures inside of the mine. Not as bad as every body makes it sound, yes a few snakes but hardly ever seen. Worth the trip, Giant Rock is the worlds largest free standing rock. My son inside of mine (2010). http://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/10395859_290384594470116_8108190360196297680_n.jpg?oh=1d071f2d86f96b6bed65c8e9dd29cef8&oe=58F0072C read more

it's a giant rock! actually, it's a roughly seven story tall freestanding boulder that covers about five thousand eight hundred square feet of desert floor just outside of landers, california. don't go out of your way to see it but if you're prowling around the desert near the integretron, it's worth the few extra miles it'll take to get here. i did a little research about this rock because i was interested to see what i could dig up and there is actually quite the trail of tales behind this boulder. native americans thought the rock to be sacred and the surrounding area was considered holy ground by indigenous peoples so it was pretty much left alone until the early 1930s, when frank critzer, a german immigrant and gold prospector, excavated a space beneath the rock and built himself a subterranean home there. it's actually a pretty ingenious idea for a desert dwelling and critzer lived there for a long time, relatively unbothered but also not finding success in the gold mining business. but in 1942, the second world war brought suspicion upon critzer, who was a radio enthusiast and had set up several antenna around the giant rock. fueled by the anti-german sentiment sweeping the nation, local law enforcement conducted a botched raid on critzer's home and while the reports are unclear on the details, somehow a small cache of explosives inside the home was ignited and subsequently blew up the dwelling, with critzer in it. after frank critzer's death, his friend george van tassel moved into the area. van tassel was an aviator who also believed he made contact with alien life near giant rock. van tassel went on to construct the nearby integretron, which he claimed was going to be a "rejuvenation machine" based upon information shared with him by a group of aliens, the "council of seven lights," and he also hosted ufo conventions at the giant rock site for over twenty years. after van tassel's death, his family abandoned the desert and activity around the giant rock gradually declined and returned to it's natural state. in february of 2000, a large chunk of the rock splintered off, exposing a lovely white expanse of the giant boulder's interior, but nowadays it's sort of a sad shadow of it's previous splendor. people have spoiled the natural beauty around this oddity- the rock is covered in graffiti and the surrounding area is littered with broken glass, trash and burnt out fire pits. it's no longer a welcoming location to experience some strange nature but just another place in the world where people have left their trash. sad... read more

This is a place to go to put life into perspective. You are small and you don't matter. But sadly, some people go to great natural places and decide that they need to leave their mark. They think that the world needs to know that some jack ass named Dave loved some girl for a brief period of time before she realized what a douche bag Dave was. Chances are that the couple is no longer together "4-eva" and the rest of us have to see his note on what would otherwise be a beautiful place. Thanks Dave. If you look beyond the broken bottles and "love notes" this is a pretty unbelievable site. If you like nature, open spaces, and quiet, give it a go. read more

You cannot imagine the scale of this huge rock until you go in person. I appreciate the beauty of the area, especially knowing that the Native Americans consider the rock and the surrounding area to be sacred. The rock formations are beautiful and wondrous! It's a fun ride to get there, bouncing along the sandy road. It was so cool to see that the navigation in our Mercedes SUV accurately guided us on those unmarked roads to get there! Make sure and see the white quartz topped Crystal Hill that is just beyond the rock and to the left. PS: PLEASE keep our planet clean! It is disheartening to see all the broken glass and graffiti. Respect the land. And our oceans. read more

I first went to Giant Rock back in 1969....It was one of my favorite places to camp with my boys, then in their High School teens at Claremont High School....older son is now 60, time flies by. George Van Tassel owned and operated a small one room diner there at the Rock. We enjoyed picking up and reading his bi-monthly bulletin, always on the counter there at his diner. The bulletin described his latest progress on the Integratron plywood doom, and of course asking for donations to support it.... There were a couple of dug out areas for basements in the area also, nothing ever happened with George's ideas, the local UFO hype also faded away along with his integratron scam, we sure enjoyed the area I returned to the Rock in 1980, I landed there at what was left of the even then battered dirt/sand landing strip. Sad...but yet forever great memories, the guys and I often reminisce while having a few cold beers about our good times back then at the Rock, among so many great camping areas that have faded away.......just great memories now!! Ol' Charlie Two Hats read more

It was pretty cool and everything but there was graffiti everywhere and the road getting there is really a mess slow going bumpy bad Road although I never bottomed out in my Honda van read more

This pin is inaccurate. We know Giant Rock is only a few miles from the Integratron but mapping this took us somewhere else. NOT the Giant rock with the history behind it pictured here :( read more

While I'm sure it was once quite beautiful, don't bother unless you like REALLY bad graffiti all over everything, broken bottles, and gearheads on their dirtbikes listening to really loud music while partying. read more

As many reviewers have mentioned, this grand monument is sadly covered with graffiti, making it difficult to capture a decent souvenir photo. Also, on the weekend we visited there were dozens of rusty nails scattered over the parking area, scary. On the upside, this is a good spot for older kids to stretch their legs (it's still pretty impressive), and take a photo with the nearby alien landing site in the background. read more

It's a bizarre, creepy place because of the graffiti and dirt bikers and that hole under the rock with all the burn scars and debris. It is supposed to be 8 stories tall, but it didn't look that tall. I'd still call it a giant rock, though. Where the heck did it come from? There are millions of rocks around there, but there's only one Giant Rock. read more

Dark skies that are perfect for star gazing, so bring your telescope. Come in the day, find the round slap of concrete just south of the rock, clear the nails and set up your scope. To the northeast you'll see the faint city glow of Las Vegas, but that won't take away from a great sky session. A friend of mine has seen UFOs out there around 3 am. This should be made into some sort of park or preserve, for indeed some yokels have scarred it. This is not the place for the weak or wimpy. It's pretty redneck, in both the good and bad ways. I'm a desert rat, so it personally doesn't scare me, but some may be scared somewhat. Bring only older kids, due to numerous nails on the ground. read more

I started riding in this desert since i was 5 years old, and now friends and family all have cabin out there. This is where i grew up riding. Giant Rock is one of my places to go to. Esp late at night with the whole our whole group. So if you camp there you will most likey hate us. Yes at one time wee were annoying teenager but now in our late 20's things havent really changed. This is where we go to release, relax and have fun! Yes there has been alot of graffiti like some of you have said; Metallica, Slayer, and there was swastika where spray painted. But yes there are people that come and try to clean it up also. There is nothing to be scared of, im not saying its okay to be painting on the rocks, but i have at one point done it myself. If you go toward where all the cabin down past all the woopie dos , you will come along a dirt road that car normal drive down and my child hood friend Bart S. Jr. passed away on that road in April of 06 at age 25 years old. We do have a memorial set up along the side of the road so if you ever pass it, feel free to pay your respects, drink a beer w/ him but all we ask is that you leave your can/ bottle, you will know what im talking about if you ever see it. read more

I have no idea why you are all complaining and whining. After reading all the horrible reviews, I did not want to go at all, but I had a commitment and a film crew and performer were meeting me at this location for 24 hours. When I got there, I was so pleasantly suprised. First we had the entire location and surrounding piles of rocks to ourselves for the entire shooting for 24 hours and never saw one soul. Second, except for a very small amount of grafitti, the rock and all the surrounding rocks, which IMO are equally if not more interesting, were left unrtouched. And the place is unsupervised so we could film and do whatever we wanted. I loved the space. Yes bring shoes for broken glass everywhere. The road is NOT difficult to figure out, and is not anything you will get stuck in unless you have a low rider or something. Stay on the main roads and be careful and drive slow and consciously. Beautiful at dawn and dusk and at night you can see the entire milky way... it is very hot so plan your activites accordingly... read more

This Rock is HUGE! So glad we took the time out from our visit to Joshua Tree National Park to visit this historic landmark and treasure. The dirt road that leads out to Giant Rock is well maintained, in fact, two county trucks were in the process of grating the road when we arrived. The road leading to there is located right next to another famous location, The Integratron. We were there for at least an hour checking out the Rock and the other assorted boulders in the immediate area. Too bad people have chosen to tag/graffiti the Rock and others nearby. It would be nice to enjoy the splendors of nature without the anarchy symbols and various peoples initials/names. Oh well.... If you visit during the summer months, make sure to take water and visit a bathroom prior. No facilities at all. If you get lucky like we did, you'll be the only one there to take your time admiring the sights and sounds. Mostly the sound of nothing other than the wind and your thoughts. Checking this one off the bucket-list. Enjoy! read more

I landed a Marine CH-53 on the very dusty strip there in 1969. We all needed a cold coke, and enjoyed seeing the rock and actually climbing through the tunneling under it. The stories and various historical items in the store were great, too. Very enjoyable visit there. I would like to go back some day. read more

My father bought land in the area of Giant Rock over 50 years ago, has been in the family ever since. I would love to see a group of people (volunteers) take on the project of preserving the Giant Rock area, keeping it cleaned up and grafitti free. read more

I agree with Danielle M. I hope none of of you pay any mind to What Kerri T. Had to say it was very closeminded and negitive in my opinion. Yes, unfortunately there is alot of tagging on this rock and the rocks around it but I believe the rock is much more distracting! Look beyond all the writing. it's amazing. I have lived in this desert for all my 21 years and it still yeilds amazing things everyday. Giant Rock in my opinion is a MUST SEE site the view and history is breathtaking. You will feel like a new person when you leave... It's liberating. read more

Hello friends, I've experienced Giant Rock in it's glory days back in the late 60's. I was just a little squirt. My mother and her sisters went to the Flying Saucer Conventions every year. hundreds of people would gather there was a large podium built that speakers would talk about UFO sightings also every author who wrote books on the subject seemed to be there. they would sell there books and other weird stuff. kinda like a small swap meet. George Van Tassel seemed to me to be this very tall power full guy, larger then life.my mom new him and I've been inside of Giant Rock. it was Georges library. it had stairs that were carved out and they went down about five feet to the floor there were book shelves carved into the wall they were full of his books. I know this sounds crazy but i think there was a piano in there too. the one thing i do remember is that I could not shake the feeling that i was going to be trapped inside from a cave in LOL hey I was six years old! anyway sure wish the guys could have seen the place then. the only graffiti was this one rock that said "push this to change the weather" the night sky was so incredible i would turn anyone into a believer. I'm glad people still visit though i think one day I'm going to organize a clean up and sand blast the place back to it's glory. Heidi read more