Lots of room for boondocking all along Box Canyon Rd. Very neat area. We parked in the shade of a cliff. Looks kind of like you are on the moon. A very unique landscape (see area description below). At twilight there were lots of bats flying around. There’s a little bit of trash in the area. Box Canyon road itself is paved but the camping areas are located a few hundred feet off road. Sand can be loose. We didn’t need 4×4, but you need to look before you leap. There are plenty of roads to explore if you do have 4×4.

This is a flash flood area. The whole box canyon road is. Do not come here if there is any chance of rain. Be aware of the weather in the surrounding area.

The only noise we heard was the occasional car driving by on Box Canyon Rd. However, there are traces of parties and target practice all over the place. No one else was there when we were. We stayed here on April 2nd 2009. We had a weak EVDO internet connection. I can’t remember if it was Sprint or roaming.

Area Description:(from BLM website)
Small, narrow steep-walled canyons wind throughout the Mecca Hills Wilderness, creating a natural maze within this badlands labyrinth. Sandy washes divide this area and contain stands of ironwood, smoke tree and palo verde, while scattered stands of ocotillo grow on the gentler slopes and mesa tops. Uniquely faulted and folded geologic formations are the result of the San Andreas Fault, making the Mecca Hills one of the most unusual geological sites of its kind in the world. Entire regions expose eroded layers of rock, providing important information to scientists about the impact of earthquakes on the earth’s crust. Bighorn sheep have been observed crossing into the Mecca Hills from the Orocopia Mountains where they water. Prairie falcon, desert tortoise and spotted bat have also been seen here.

Directions:
Access this wilderness from the east from State Highway 195 (Box Canyon Road) via Interstate 10 or from the south at Mecca via State Highway 111. Painted Canyon Road provides four-wheel drive access at the intersection of State Highway 195 and the Coachella Canal.

BLM Map

Managed by:
Bureau of Land Management
Palm Springs – South Coast Field Office
1201 Bird Center Drive
Palm Springs, California 92262
Phone: (760) 833-7100
Fax: (760) 833-7199
Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., M-F

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