The Grottos, Mecca Hills Wilderness Area

DAY THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY FOUR

The Grottos are a special area in the Mecca Hills Wilderness area where the erosion of steep mud and rock canyons have created cave-like formations. They are a fun area to explore due to the nature of the grottos themselves and the beauty of the surrounding canyons. They are reached from Box Canyon Road leaving the town of Mecca, near the Salton Sea.

There is a good parking area and a nice BLM sign pointing out some of the natural features of the Grottos area.

Hiking from the sign, you will see some trails heading up the hill to the right of the wash. This steep trail is not the official trail but I like it better anyway.

From the trail into the Grottos you get a nice view of the Salton Sea.

After a short hike of a couple miles you come to this canyon, the entrance to the Hidden Palm Oasis.

The oasis is listed on your topo map and is a very important source of water for wildlife in this area.

It's also good for thirsty puppies.

The walls of the canyon are multi-colored due to mineralization.

Hiking further up the canyon there are more places with interesting colors and shapes. My favorite is the rock "foam finger". You almost expect it to say, "We're #1" on it.

But even more interesting than these rock formations is this crease in the hillside.

Once inside you have to get down on your hands and knees and crawl through this little gap.

Once inside you have to have a flashlight or headlamp because it's DARK. The cavern goes back a hundred feet or so before any outside light is even visible again.

But this is not the way out.

The way out requires some climbing and some squeezing and crawling and a few other things that Kahlua really isn't up to today. There is a nice loop trip from the top of this Grotto that comes down into yet another Grotto but I'll just have to leave that for another day.

Today I'll just content myself with going out the way we came and enjoying the hike out.

The Ultimate Canyon

THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SEVEN

Ladder Canyon in the Mecca Hills is a classic desert hike and a great place to take kids. That's one reason I've taken them there. There are about a million other hikes in the Mecca Hills and there's one hike that I think is perfect for kids. It's interesting, beautiful and not too long.

Although the Ultimate Canyon hike starts at the Ladder Canyon parking area it is not very heavily traveled. There were at least 10 cars in the parking area but I was the only one in the canyon when I went there.

Instead of going to the Ladder Canyon or the main canyon to the NW, head to the smaller canyon about 285º NW of the parking area.

The beginning looks like this.

As you get further in the canyon it narrows and the walls are probably 80-100 feet high in sections.

There are fun little passages for kids to run around although I stay in the main canyon. I'll have plenty of passages later.

You'll have this short 4-5 dry fall to climb and then you'll need to take an immediate left.

You'll then come upon this part where the canyon has collapsed upon itself leaving two small places to squeeze through, one low and one high. I choose high but wonder if it's a good idea.

Probably not.

It doesn't get any better from here.

OK, after one more tight squeeze I get to where I can actually see the sky again.

A bit further on is another tight squeeze but I can do this one standing up. Of course, I don't know if I'll be able to fit after dinner on Thanksgiving. It's really tight.

At the end of the canyon is a dry fall about ten feet tall. In another canyon nearby a ladder would be here but nobody's been able to squeeze a ladder back here. It is climbable but one should always remember that it is always much harder to come down something than to climb it. This is a good turnaround spot.

This is but one of tons of little canyons to explore in the Mecca Hills but it's a great one to bring the kids. To them, it will be the Ultimate.

Sheep Hole Oasis and Hidden Spring Oasis

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY NINE

I am so sick of this heat. It is less than a week until October and the high today was 117º. This is getting ridiculous. Thankfully, we are going to get some respite next week so I have something to look forward to. I seriously considered going to the Tram but didn't want to make the trip so I waited until this afternoon and headed over to the Mecca Hills for a hike to the Sheep Hole Oasis and the Hidden Spring Oasis. I'd hoped to make it to the Grottos but time wouldn't allow it today. I'll have to come back when it's cooler. As it was, I hiked an hour in the dark on the way back.

I get over to Box Canyon Road just as the sun is starting to set. The sun will be out maybe fifteen more minutes. I'm glad I brought a headlamp.

There's a sign at the turnout to the parking area now. Years ago there was only a gold painted rock to mark the right place to stop.

The sun is saying Buh-bye for the day. I figure I've probably got about a half an hour or so to get to where I want to before it gets dark.

Beyond here is a wilderness of canyons, coyotes and cacti.

Looking down from the ridge I can look down on the Sheep Hole Oasis. This oasis is a key watering spot for Bighorn Sheep in the area. There aren't many out here.

The sun gives off an orange glow and I try to move as fast as I dare; it's still over 100º.

These cliffs seem to me like they swallowed sunlight and are still giving off light.

It doesn't last long. As I make my way into the canyon, darkness descends.

At the entrance to the Hidden Spring Oasis I am required to bust out the headlamp. Tonight's half moon isn't much help.

About thirty palms surround a rock guzzler that's been built here. The oasis is growing with new palms coming up.

On the way back I hear a growling sound that startles me. I don't know if it comes from Kahlua, something else or my imagination. Whatever the sound was it paled in comparison to the yell I let out just after it. No doubt I scared whatever it was and it probably hasn't stopped running.

After an hour of hiking in the dark I finally arrive at a hiker's best friend.

Sorry, Kahlua. I meant second best friend. SECOND best.

Notch On The Belt

DAY TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY SIX

This afternoon I headed out to the Mecca Hills hoping to find some shade. According to Philip Ferranti in his book, 8,768 Super Stupendous Hikes in Palm Springs, The Coachella Valley And Other Places I Think Are Cool, or something like that, there's a canyon that he calls "Coffee Bean" Canyon. I figured I'd go and check it out.

I drove out through beautiful downtown Thermal and headed toward the Mecca Hills. At a place where the directions tell you to take a right, I took a right and ran right into a locked gate. Not literally, of course, I put on my brakes but the gate definitely barred my passage. According to the directions, I could've walked two miles down the road to get to the canyon but there was no shade on the road so time for some improvisation. I went back to where the directions told me to go right and went left instead. That led me into Thermal Canyon and a Jeep road up a sandy wash. I could have gone on for quite a while in this wash and the ridge road it brought me to but with hiking being my goal it was necessary to get out and walk.

The sign said the Wilderness was on either side of the road so I found a good parking spot and off we went.

I saw this hill (and some shade!) and decided that climbing it would be necessary. On the topo it is called Notch although I can't see why. It doesn't look like any notch to me.

From the top there is certainly a wonderful view. This little hill overlooks the entire Mecca Hills plus you can see the Salton Sea, the Coachella Valley, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains and that's just looking in one direction.

Looking to the Northwest you see this interesting formation. Maybe this is the notch that the name refers to. Perhaps Notch is short for Notch View.

And if you look to the Southeast, you get another view of a notch-like formation.

"I don't care how the mountain got its name. May I have some water, please?"

After enjoying some water, we enjoyed a sunset over San Jacinto.

We still had some light so we decided to explore a little more. Once the weather gets cooler, we'll be in these hills a lot. There are tons of canyons and adventures awaiting.

Before we leave, we decide to take a short little stroll down one of them. Notch Canyon I'm guessing this one is called.

The canyon is quite rocky but passable.

The walls are steep and crumbly. I considered coming down this way from the top of Notch Hill but am glad I didn't.

This is a very interesting landscape and one that deserves more exploration.

Today, however, the moon will not provide sufficient light to venture further so we head back.

We get back to the Jeep just a few minutes after I need to pull my headlamp out of my pack. The stars are starting to shine.

As are the lights of the valley below. Locked gates cannot diminish adventure or discovery; there are just too many wonderful places to explore. All it takes is the right frame of mind, although a Jeep and a dog sure do help.