Location: Northeast of Barstow, north of Yermo.

Difficulty: Easy. The road gets little maintenance but is relatively smooth. Suitable for all stock SUVs. Stay off the western half of this road when wet. Several steep sections have a day surface that is very slippery after a min.

Features: This short drive gives you a glimpse of the area and some idea of what the other trails are like. See evidence of historic mining activity. Pick a spot you like and dry camp just about anywhere. Limited-use area for ATVs and dirt bikes. Retrace portion of historic Twenty-Mule Team Route (western half of route). Visit Early Man Archeological Site at end of trip. (If you see a Desert Tortoise, do not pick up or harass.)

Time and Distance: Takes about an hour for this 8.7-mile drive.

To Get There:  Exit Interstate 15 on Calico Road at Yermo. Go north about a mile and tum right at a small signpost for Mule Canyon Road. (Optionally, you can take Ghost Town Road north from the park.)

Trail Description: Reset odometer at the start. Head north on a bumpy road. Continue straight at 0.6 miles where a road goes left. Good camping along the road near Camp Rock at 1.6 miles where Phillips Loop goes left. This is a popular area for ATVs and dirt bikes, but obey signs where marked for limited use. Stay right at 2.0 miles where Phillips Loop returns. Begin climbing through moonscape-like terrain before reaching a long hill at 2.7 miles. A clay road surface here becomes extremely slippery when wet. Vehicles have slid off the road and tumbled into the nearby ravine. Bear left at 3.1 to avoid following an old railroad bed. Continue straight at 3.4, 3.6 and 3.8 miles. Evidence of heavy mining through this area. Go straight again at 4.3 miles where a big rock with an arrow points left to Tin Can Alley. Bear right at 5.8 and 6.0 miles and follow a power line downhill. At 8.2 miles continue straight downhill to Interstate 15 then tum left to reach the Minneola Exit at 8.7 miles.