Ladder Canyon and Painted Canyon Loop: BLM – Mecca Hills Wilderness ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

12/6/2020: We really enjoyed this hike! It wasn't very hard, but the ladders and rope ladders might cause you pause. Big 4x4 trucks with super wheels got stuck in the soft sand at the trailhead. We parked about 100 yards short of the trailhead because there is a huge soft spot right before you reach the TH. The hike goes up many ladders and opens into a shade-free zone for about a mile. When coming back through Painted Canyon, you will see why it has that name. Be safe climbing down the rope at 3.5 miles (if you do Ladder Canyon first – clockwise – as part of the full loop - see the map). I can see legs, arms, etc. getting broke if you are not careful. See video and pictures.

• 4.50 miles clockwise loop – Family Friendly. Not really for little legs? 5-year old grandson? Not the full loop.
• Difficulty: Moderate  
• Elevation range: 608' to 1332' gross: +1655'
• Traffic: Moderate to Heavy – go early to avoid crowds
• Getting There: You will see warning signs early that tell you the road to the trail is for four-wheel drive only. Pay attention to that. Even dry, the sandy road is rutted with deep, soft sand. You can get stuck. We were fine in our all-wheel drive CRV. We saw big 4x4 trucks get stuck (showing off, probably). – Could our old Odyssey make it? No!
• Trail Obstacles: There are many ladders in Ladder Canyon. Some over 10 feet high. This shouldn’t pose much problem for most folks. However, at about 3.5 miles (if going counterclockwise, Ladder Canyon first), you will come to a 15 feet or higher slide chute. The only way down (or up) is going down a knotted rope. This could cause pause for many folks. See video and pictures.
• Fees: None
• Trailhead Coordinates: 33.61904405828724, -115.99935786565129
• Driving Directions
• Trail Map
• Search this Trail
• Photos
• Geo-mapped Photos
• Management: BLM – Mecca Hills Wilderness
• Alltrails link

Marg’s Notes: Drove for about 45 minutes to Mecca, CA through citrus orchards and fields of something? Broccoli? Saw a farm a palms…must be dates. Then, got on a dirt road and drove 5 miles. 4WD vehicles were suggested. We had the CRV. The road had lots of fine dust on it and rocks, of course. No trouble driving it. The parking lot was another matter! Started getting really soft, so Rod parked. The car in front of us got stuck! (An Escalade). They got pulled out by their friends who had a Jeep. We headed out to Ladder Canyon. It is called this because you had to go up ladders in some places! It looked daunting, but wasn’t too hard in reality. There were lots of people to start. We left the Hotel ~8:00. Ladder canyon was a cool slot canyon. We came out onto a hillside and climbed up more. Great views. Heading down we went to the right into Painted Canyon. Beautiful rocks colored with quartz. Lots of pink. Picked up some for the kids. It was a nice walk down a river bed. I got lots of rocks in my boots! Toward the end we had to slide down a chute holding onto a rope! Rod gave a young boy a boost up after we went down! There were a bunch of cars stuck when we got to the parking lot! Back to hotel…early p.m. Went swimming. Water was warm, air was cold!

Chicken & taters for dinner.