• JP Magazine
  • Dirt Sports + Off-Road
  • 4-Wheel & Off-Road
  • Four Wheeler
  • Get A Print Subscription
  • Get A Digital Subscription
  • Gift Subscriptions
  • Subscriber Services
  • Back Issues
  • Personalized Covers

high Rock Canyon - four Wheeler - Photo 32658084

Back to Article
Share this
  • This is the actual route for the Lassen-Applegate Trail. In the background, dry summer grass covers the hillsides. Prized for grazing and watering the animals, these meadows provided a brief break. In hours, today's well-equipped 4WD reaches country that took weeks to access 150 years ago.
This is the actual route for the Lassen-Applegate Trail. In the background, dry summer grass covers the hillsides. Prized for grazing and watering the animals, these meadows provided a brief break. In hours, today's well-equipped 4WD reaches country that took weeks to access 150 years ago.
1006 4wd 01+high rock canyon+rock formations At the north end of Gerlach, Nevada, the Bureau of Land Management provides information and advice. In 2000, over 1.2-million acres of the Black Rock Desert and High Rock Canyon fell under BLM's designated National Conservation Area. The region's vast, multiple-use resources and historical sites will be accessible for generations to come. North of Gerlach, State Route 200 departs from Route 34. Route 200 leads to Soldier Meadows, 61 miles from Gerlach. A graded dirt road, watch for off-camber curves, oncoming vehicles, washouts, ruts, and washboard. This is typical Great Basin travel, with alkaline dust plumes trailing half a mile or more. View east across the playa shows the Black Rock Range in the distance. Pioneers, and later the miners, used these mountains as landmarks as they moved wagons and livestock across the dry bed of ancient Lake Lahontan. Precipitation of any kind can turn the Black Rock's desert floor into a quagmire. An hour from Gerlach, Mud Meadows Reservoir appears abruptly. The first hints of fresh water, Soldier Meadows and Mud Meadows offer cold springs. Seasoned pioneers could distinguish potable water from toxic waters. Hot springs are common in much of the region. Beware: Raw, hot spring water can scald people and pets—sometimes to death! After miles of washboard, Soldier Meadows Ranch lies one mile to the right. Suddenly, grazing grasses and signs of surface water appear. The trees at the working ranch are more than a century old. A 500,000-acre cattle operation and guest ranch, Soldier Meadows Ranch offers meals, lodging, historic tours, and a gravel runway for small aircraft. Pioneers rejoiced at this prospect, water running freely above ground in October. Under a bright moon, travelers could move quickly across the desert through the nights, targeting Mud Meadows. There, livestock could hydrate and eat edible grasses. These meadows were surely a topic of conversation while crossing the Black Rock playa. Mud Meadows offers up a cold water spring and tiny marsh. To desert travelers, this oasis was a welcome site! Today, Mud Meadows is less than two hours driving time from Gerlach. Just below the climb into Fly Canyon, these clear water sources and grazing grasses once provided pioneers a respite above the desert floor. This is the actual route for the Lassen-Applegate Trail. In the background, dry summer grass covers the hillsides. Prized for grazing and watering the animals, these meadows provided a brief break. In hours, today's well-equipped 4WD reaches country that took weeks to access 150 years ago.
Fly Canyon proved challenging and difficult for travelers. Livestock struggled between the steep, rocky walls of this passageway. The reprieve of Soldier and Mud Meadows quickly vanished. Rocks on the floor made the going tough. Wagons were lowered from the rim of the canyon by ropes, a process that took hours, sometimes days. Between 1846 and 1860, more than 10,000 people passed through these canyons, scurrying for the Willamette Valley to the northwest and California's gold fields to the west and southwest. Scarring on rocky walls gives a hint of challenges. Lowering wagons into the canyon required preparation and considerable effort. Some wagons fell to the floor of Fly Canyon and broke apart. These were rugged men, women, and children who battled every kind of element. Imagine your worst day of 4WD recovery work—then multiply that times months. That's what it took to get from Ft. Hall, Idaho, into the southern Willamette Valley by wagon train. While the pioneers had more than their share of scenery, today's 4WD travelers can enjoy the picturesque features of High Rock Canyon without hardship. Colors hint of geological features. Spiking rock formations, bright rock faces, and tiny watercourses provided similar images to the 1846 pioneers. Indians had traversed this country for eons. In a fragile setting, wagon tracks last 150 years or more. Today, "Tread Lightly" and "Leave No Trace" practices help preserve the Applegate Trail for future generations. Carefully lined with wilderness, motorized vehicles stay on designated routes. Camp a minimum of 300 feet from water sources. Respect these guidelines to protect this national treasure. In 1853 alone, 3,500 people passed through High Rock Canyon. Trail names were like our interstate highway routes, known widely by those heading to the Far West. Hardships, foul weather, disease, and accidents claimed many pioneers. It took commitment to make these trips. Seasoned guides repeated the process year after year. A spring-fed stream runs freely across the road, but water crossings are shallower in October. Be cautious of creek or stream crossings in late spring and early summer. Mud Meadows or High Rock Lake (typically dry) can be soggy and muddy at times. Know local weather and road conditions before traveling the Black Rock Desert or High Rock Canyon Areas. A narrower, shorter wheelbase 4WD, like this lifted XJ Cherokee, works best. Expect brush scratches and possible high-centering with non-lifted, longer wheelbase trucks. Pools of water obscure obstacles. A true 4WD route, caravanning with another vehicle is smart. In slicker areas, ARB Air Lockers can eliminate wheel spin. Mileage is deceptive in this country. The 61-mile drive from Gerlach to Soldier Meadows Ranch takes a fraction of the time needed to crawl through Fly and High Rock Canyons. Heavy rain can create flash flooding. Camp on high, solid ground, away from washes. This homesteaders' cabin is near the top of High Rock Canyon.
Today, grazing cattle make drinking this spring-fed water unsafe. Enjoy the area and its resources, but bring plenty of fresh, clean drinking water. Here, the elevation atop High Rock Canyon approaches 6,000 feet. Overnight freezing begins in early fall and ends in late spring. Expect winter snow at higher elevations. Stevens Cabin provides free, first-come-basis lodging. Northwest of High Rock Canyon, the BLM site offers campsites, corrals, and modern vault toilets. A graded road leaves Stevens Cabin, continuing NW to Massacre Ranch and Route 8A, a wide, compacted dirt road to Vya, Nevada. Pavement begins at Surprise Valley near Cedarville, California. To complement an ARB Air Locker system, a smart accessory is the ARB air tube field repair kit. Available through ARB dealers as part number ASK001, the kit allows quick fixes of damaged air tubes or fittings. Carry an extra coil of tubing and this repair kit for quick, effective field repairs. You can perform quick field repairs with the ARB repair kit, some plastic ties, and extra tubing. ARB's quick-disconnect fittings are easy to service: simply push in the orange ring evenly and pull out the tubing. Install new tubing or use the repair kit's splices to fix a torn or melted section. Route tubing away from heat and rough edges. In addition to its low, 1.35 amp/hr draw, a built-in voltage safeguard prevents the ARB Fridge Freezer from running down your vehicle's battery. We quickly pre-cooled the unit at home (110V) before loading it in the Cherokee. During a day on desert trails, frozen foods stayed rock hard! This is a genuine freezer/refrigerator. Place deep freeze items in the bottom of the basket. Vegetables, sandwiches, and beverages go higher up. Forget the mess of melting ice and soggy sandwiches! If you do serious travel, camping, hunting, fishing, or a lot of picnicking or boating, a 12V DC or 24V DC power source will power up this bona fide appliance.
Back to Article
< 1 - 9 of >

Related Galleries

Connect With Us

Newsletter Sign Up

Subscribe to the Magazine

Sponsored Links