Connecting Odessa Canyon and Doran Canyon, this shortcut, sometimes referred to as Josh's Cut-Through, will save you several minutes when making the loop between the two canyons. With tons of rich mining history, this is the perfect trail for groups that want to avoid the rock crawling of Doran or Odessa Canyons and would rather spend their day exploring the old mine ruins and history of Calico.

This trail is a shelf-mining road, so if heights are not your thing, this won't be your favorite trail. This trail also has a steep, loose, and slightly off-camber descent and ascent on both ends that can be intimidating but can easily be handled by stock 4x4s with little assistance outside of airing down.

Camping along this trail is not ideal, and no pre-established sites exist.

The Bismark Shortcut in the famous Calico Ghost Town area, located in Yermo, CA, is a shortcut on Doran Canyon to the Bismark Mine. For the longest time, people thought this was Doran Cayon Trail. To many's disbelief, it isn't. This trail immediately turns right where the canyon opens up and heads up a tailing pile/jeep trail up the side of the mountain. You pass many open mines just feet off the trail along the route, so use caution while driving the trail. Once on top, you are at the Bismark Mine main spot that everyone photographs, which is the towering open-face mines where the cliff wall was just destroyed by what looks like a giant woodpecker looking for what might be his last meal. The trail is comprised of mine tailings, with rocks ranging in size from golf balls to baseball. These rocks have been compacted into a solid surface for the last 100 years. It is common for rocks to move around a little near the top of the trail as they are still settling in. This trail is suitable for any high-ground clearance vehicle with aired-down, durable off-road tires. Offroad experience is recommended, and 2WD is generally sufficient. Less experienced drivers may require 4WD.

Since this is just a shortcut, there are no suitable campsites along the trail. One spot at the top could support a group of 5+ vehicles at the top of the trail at the Bismark Mine. The spot is flat but mostly tailings, so the ground wouldn't be conducive to sleeping on it. Also, watch out for all the open mineshafts, as they have been known to ruin people's days.

The Mud Hills Southern Route is an entirely different experience than the other Mud Hill routes. While the other routes run along deep, narrow canyon floors, the southern route is up on the hills the entire way. Because of this, the route is much easier and an easy way to connect Odessa and Phillips Canyon. Since this trail is mostly an easy dirt trail, 2WD high ground clearance vehicles with offroad tires that are aired down can drive this trail in normal conditions.

There is no camping along the trail.

CM7600 parallels the paved Calico Road for 0.8 miles from its trailhead at Mule Canyon. It provides convenient access to large flat sandy staging areas and dispersed camping with many existing rock fire rings.

The trail is easily driven by large recreational vehicles. The location is conveniently close to gas, charging, and supplies at EddieWorld, only about 1.5 miles to the south. Also, Calico Ghost Town, with its improved camping, is only two miles north.

Two interesting connecting spurs, CM7606 and CM7608, invite exploration, but these require four-wheel drive high clearance vehicles.

At its end, CM7600 connects to the paved Calico Road.

This short 0.4-mile spur offers inspiring geology at an impassible shear-walled box canyon that looks back over the desert basin. Some maps show CM7606 continuing through to Mule Canyon, but whatever road once existed has long ago disappeared, leaving only an impassible shear wall of rock.

Only a high clearance, four-wheel drive vehicle should attempt this rough rocky trail. The road narrows at its end, requiring a careful turnaround to keep the tires on the road. A spotter is very helpful here.

There is no flat camping area here. The best nearby campsites are on the connecting CM7600.