Features: This trail includes scenic high points and passes the massive Bismarck Mine. However, these features can be accessed from other trails. The primary reason people drive this trail uphill is the challenge of the first obstacle. (If you see a Desert Tortoise, do not pick up or harass.)

 

Difficulty: Difficult. The first obstacle is extreme. Boulders are several feet high and widely spaced. Side walls of tires must be used to lift a vehicle over the boulders. This maneuver is very difficult and usually requires the help of an experienced spotter. A vehicle can easily slip off the side of a boulder, causing serious body damage. The remainder of the trail consists of several steep rock ledges, difficult but comparatively easier than the first obstacle.

 

You can avoid the first obstacle by taking a bypass located on the west side of the wash about 0.3 miles north of the paved road as you entered (see map). Doran Loop can also be driven in the opposite direction as described in the Odessa Canyon guide. The bypass is easier to find coming downhill.

 

Time & Distance: The loop portion of the trail is about 5 miles around. After completing the first obstacle, allow about 3 hours to drive the remain­der of the loop.

 

To Get There: From the park head north at Ghost Town Road and follow signs to Calico Ghost Town. Go east 0.5 miles past the entrance to the ghost town and turn left on a road marked Doran Scenlic Drive.

 

 

Trail Descripton: Reset odometer at the start as you leave the paved road. Head north on an easy gravel road. The road enters a wash and splits in various directions. Keep right following the best traveled route. As you continue northeast on the main road, look left for tunnels cut into the hillside. This is a popular play area for ATVs, dirt bikes, and small 4x4s. Continue straight at 0.4 miles. (The small road to the right cuts across to Phillips Loop and Mule Canyon. This is a fun drive for short 4x4s, ATVs and dirt bikes.) At 0.6 miles (02) bear left at a well-defined fork. (Right goes to Odessa Canyon.) After a narrow passage, the trail enters a wide, high-walled canyon. Park in this area and inspect the first obstacle on the north end of the canyon at 0.7 miles (03).

Reset your odometer above the first obstacle and continue uphill. At 0.1 miles, note the bypass on the left. Pass through a narrow spot at 0.4 then ignore a road that joins on the right. Ledges get rougher as you climb what is officially Bismarck Canyon. Note sections of eroded pavement along the way. The last ledge is completed at 1.3 miles. Continue right uphill at 1.5 miles (04). (The road to the left climbs to a scenic high point, then drops back to the main trail on a difficult route.) The main road swings to the right as you continue uphill to a wide spot above Bismarck Mine. From here, bear len downhill and pass through the mine area at 1.7 miles (05).

Reset your odometer at the mine. Bear right after the mine and climb a steep rocky hill to the left. Turn left at 0.3 miles at the top of the hill. Continue north along the side of a hill as the road swings right and drops into a drainage grade at 0.5 (06). Stay on the main road heading east, ignoring lesser roads. A road joins on the right at 0.7 before reaching a parking area for Sweetwater Spring Hiking Trail. Bear right past the parking area before an intersection at 1.0 miles (07).

Reset your odometer here (07) Turn right and head down Odessa Canyon. At 0.4 stay in the canyon as a road goes right uphill. At 0.6 miles (08) continue straight downhill, staying in the canyon as side roads exit. The trail gradually narrows with increasing rough sections. Eroded pavement only makes the trail more difficult. Be careful at one very narrow spot where a miscue can tip you against vertical canyon walls. Various ledges and sharp rock projections remain before reaching a final challenging boul­der field at 1.9 miles. After maneuvering through this boulder field, follow an easy road out of a narrow canyon. At 2.1 miles (02) continue straight at the fork you encountered coming in. Continue down the wash to the main paved road at 2.7 miles (01).