Painted Canyon

Painted Canyon Road guides you along a sandy wash through a sandstone canyon whose sides have heaved up over the millennia to expose spectacular colors washing down the canyon walls. Rain and weather have carved deep vertical canyons in the soft sandstone creating an infinite tapestry of narrowing shadowed canyons and shapes. The road follows a motor vehicle access into the Mecca Hills Wilderness, a 26,000 acres protected area preventing motor vehicle access to maintain its primitive state. Painted Canyon Road is located between the Salton Sea, visible to the south, and the Joshua Tree National Park to the north. The end of the road arrives at popular hiking trails that lead deeper into the wilderness. There are many dispersed camping opportunities along the way, including a designated camp area at mile four.