Pinkham Canyon

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5/5 (21 reviews)
Desert Center, California (Riverside County)
Last Updated: 09/15/2020

Trail Information

Highlights

To some, Joshua Tree National Park is only a desert. It is actually two deserts, the higher elevation Mojave and the lower elevation Colorado. The result is amazing desert flora, rock formations and those wacky namesake trees (actually a type of yucca). Joshua Tree’s beauty shines around the clock, with vibrant sunsets melting into nights filled with uncountable stars. Joshua Tree National Park encompasses almost 800,000 acres, larger than Rhode Island. The Park offers hiking, photography, horseback riding, rock climbing, and camping, to name a few activities. Most 4x4 off-roaders love the Park for its trails. Almost all of the trails have a Gold or Silver Mine associated with them. Pinkham Canyons attraction is the Snow Cloud Mine, watch for Waypoint 4 for the trailhead to the north. So enjoy, and explore with safety.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

5/5 (21)
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300
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Rated 5/5
Visited: 10/25/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Harder

Completed this trail on 10/25/2023. I haven't seen any reviews since the big storm in August, and I have not been on this trail before, so I don't know if the conditions have changed. I am not very experienced so my rating of 'Harder' probably translates to 'harder than I expected'. I expect someone with more experience would rate this as Spot On. I was in a stock JL Wrangler Willys 2-door. Overall an enjoyable trail with a variety of terrain and challenges to test a newbie. There are a few washouts on the first section heading west, most of these are across the trail and kind of fun. There were a couple of places where the washout was on one side of the trail leaving the right hand track lower than the left. Most of these were no issue but there were a couple where the height difference was about at least 10 inches which were harder. There is no way to straddle the washout because there is either a ditch or thick bushes to the right. The mini-obstacle definitely made me think. I picked the best line I could but with no spotter it was hard. I got down it ok but did scrape a skid plate support on the drivers side. Before going through I got out and looked around. There was a dark line of fluid in the sand right after the rocks, I checked and it smelled of oil so someone had a bad day. For the final part through the wash I was way off the GPS track, I think it changes a lot so I just kept going south and got to the end I did not see any other vehicles or people all day. Picked up some pinstriping, no practical way to avoid it.
Trail Review: Pinkham Canyon - Jeremy
Trail Review: Pinkham Canyon - Jeremy
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Rated 5/5
Visited: 04/29/2023
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

This is a nice peaceful trail that is very good for new offroaders. Coming from the south, the actual turnoff for the trail from Aqueduct Road is at waypoint 8, further west than what the GPS track shows. There is a signpost at the designated entrance. The route overall is easy, mostly consisting of sand wash in the south and rocky hardpack in the north. The trail has fun wash ruts that let beginners get a taste of offroading and will likely set the hook. The rock obstacle at waypoint 4 was not a problem for a stock JL on factory "All Terrain" 31-inch tires. We came through in late April after a winter of good rains in SoCal, and the Ocotillo and wildflowers were in full bloom.
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300
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Rated 5/5
Visited: 12/14/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Completed in a stock Toyota 4Runner SR5 with Toyo ATs. Aired down to 20 PSI which worked out fine. Definitely narrow areas/pinstriping. The rocky "mini challenge" was no problem with good line placement. Very peaceful and pretty to drive.
Open
Visited: 11/20/2021
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

I did this trail in a stock 2021 F150 FX4 with only upgraded tires (285/70R17 Nitto Terra Grappler G2). The trail is very narrow and I would not recommend for a full size truck or long wheelbase vehicle. I ended up rubbing against a lot of brush. The difficult waterfall section also becomes more difficult with a long wheelbase vehicle. With a good spotter and smart rock placement, you can get through. It was a nice experience but there was really no pay off with views or destinations and I would warn that the payoff may not be worth the damage to your vehicle.
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Visited: 11/20/2021
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Ran this trail from south to north, east trail with no issues

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