Afton
Canyon is a beautiful spot. It was formed many,
many years ago when ancient Lake Manix broke through
its eastern banks and gouged out a route south of Cave
Mountain. The Mojave River now follows that route,
as did the Indians and the explorers that followed. The
Mojave River was a life giving respite on the inhospitable
trek westward from the Colorado River. These days,
however, this area, including the North Cady Mountains
to the south, is enjoyed by rockhounds and backroads
explorers...people kinda like us! The photos that
follow are from several different trips to Afton and
the North Cady's and will give you a general idea of
what can be seen and whether this is something that you
might like to do.
To
get to this general area take Interstate 15 east out
of Barstow for about 45 minutes or so. As you pass
north of Cave Mountain be on the lookout for the Basin
Road turnoff. Take this south to the Union Pacific
siding of Basin and cross the tracks there. Be
sure to look both ways! Head southeast on a typical
desert two track to Baxter Wash and work your way south. Following
this road as it bends back to the west will take you
to the Afton Canyon overlook, and south of it, as you
near the overlook, will be some colorful hills that are
featured in some of our photos. There are many
other scenic areas, some easier than others to get to,
that you will find with some diligent exploration. You
might even find our fluorite deposit! If you are
a rockhound you will want to be on the lookout for multi-colored
agate, saginite, jasper and jasp-agate, opalite, bubbly
chalcedony, calcite and of course fluorite. There
are plenty of good camping areas. You might be
fine with high clearance two wheel drive, but we feel
better with four wheel drive. You just never know
what you might encounter. Schedule this for fall,
winter or spring as the summers are brutal! Click
on the link below for a sampling of the area.
Afton
Canyon is a beautiful spot. It was formed many,
many years ago when ancient Lake Manix broke through
its eastern banks and gouged out a route south of Cave
Mountain. The Mojave River now follows that route,
as did the Indians and the explorers that followed. The
Mojave River was a life giving respite on the inhospitable
trek westward from the Colorado River. These days,
however, this area, including the North Cady Mountains
to the south, is enjoyed by rockhounds and backroads
explorers...people kinda like us! The photos that
follow are from several different trips to Afton and
the North Cady's and will give you a general idea of
what can be seen and whether this is something that you
might like to do.
To
get to this general area take Interstate 15 east out
of Barstow for about 45 minutes or so. As you pass
north of Cave Mountain be on the lookout for the Basin
Road turnoff. Take this south to the Union Pacific
siding of Basin and cross the tracks there. Be
sure to look both ways! Head southeast on a typical
desert two track to Baxter Wash and work your way south. Following
this road as it bends back to the west will take you
to the Afton Canyon overlook, and south of it, as you
near the overlook, will be some colorful hills that are
featured in some of our photos. There are many
other scenic areas, some easier than others to get to,
that you will find with some diligent exploration. You
might even find our fluorite deposit! If you are
a rockhound you will want to be on the lookout for multi-colored
agate, saginite, jasper and jasp-agate, opalite, bubbly
chalcedony, calcite and of course fluorite. There
are plenty of good camping areas. You might be
fine with high clearance two wheel drive, but we feel
better with four wheel drive. You just never know
what you might encounter. Schedule this for fall,
winter or spring as the summers are brutal! Click
on the link below for a sampling of the area.