Sunflower Springs Road

Starting at the near ghost town of Essex, California, Sunflower Springs Road skirts the eastern edge of the Old Woman Mountains Wilderness and passes several intersecting hiking and motorized trails that lead into the wilderness and often to abandoned mines. A working cattle corral is next to the trail, just before reaching the Native American Land Conservancy, which is surrounded by beautiful rock formations and is approved for day use. 

The last 8 miles of NS021 are part of the Eastern Mojave Heritage Trail (EMHT) network Segment 4, and from its end, EMHT continues to Turtle Mountain Road. The Eastern Mojave Heritage Trail (EMHT) network. EMHT Segment 4 is a curated set of trails that provides a 145-mile tour of the remotest areas of the Eastern Mojave. The trail network is managed through a partnership between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association, where details can be found for all four segments of the 733-mile adventure.

While a few existing previously disturbed campsites are visible from the trail, there are many suitable sites along the way to establish a campsite. 

Most of the trail passes over the desert basin of Ward Valley, where the road surface is hard-packed sand and flat. There are occasional rocky sections that could be driven over with a 2-wheel drive vehicle with some clearance.