Fordyce Jeep Trail (152.18 miles away)
Soda Springs, California
High Rock Canyon
Scout Route
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High Rock Canyon, an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), boasts exceptional scenic beauty, vital wildlife habitats including bighorn sheep terrain and dense raptor nesting areas, and National Register-quality archaeological sites and districts. It also features a 14-mile stretch of the Applegate Trail, a National Historic Trail adorned with emigrant graffiti. Captain John Fremont first chronicled the Northern Paiute trail through the canyon in 1844. The Applegate brothers later led emigrant wagon trains through this rugged passage en route to Oregon's Willamette Valley. During the gold rush 1849 and into the 1850s, it was a bustling route to California's goldfields and towns. Today, it lies far off the beaten path, preserving its unique charm.
The journey through High Rock Canyon is a demanding trek, accessible only to seasoned explorers with well-equipped four-wheel-drive vehicles. Visitors are advised to carry extra spare tires, ample food, and sufficient water. High Rock Canyon Road is closed annually from the end of the chukar hunting season (around February 1st) until the second weekend in May to protect nesting raptors and lambing bighorn sheep.
