Opal Mountain Road

4/5 (3 reviews)
Barstow, California (San Bernardino County)
Last Updated: 05/11/2019

Trail Information

Highlights

Opal Mountain, just north and east of the Black Mountain Wilderness, has a lot to offer. Its name hints at the possibility of finding some opal. You may find it, but most will be common opal which, although it comes in many colors of honey, green, orange, red, yellow and white, lacks the fire of the better known precious opal. In the 1900s, mines in the Scout's Cove area produced precious opal, as well as some beautiful cherry and orange common opal. However, the best seams were about 200 feet below the surface and were locked in extremely hard rock. Ultimately the expense of extracting the opal became too much and the mine closed down. In 2003 the BLM bulldozed all vestiges of the mine itself. The good news is that the area is crawling with common opal. In many cases, you can simply pick up chips from earlier rockhounds. The best specimens, though, are gotten by extracting them from the seams with chisels and hammers.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

4/5 (3)
Open
Rated 3/5
Visited: 05/07/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

An easy loop trail that is more like a dirt road with some whoops on it. Not difficult at all for my (at the time) fully stock Jeep.
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 02/20/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

Fantastic weekend enjoying this trail along with other trails in the area. The previous review is spot on with the ratings from waypoints 2 to 3 and 3 on. 1st gear and 4lo with 30psi and my old truck just ate up the trail on the climb. Beautiful place and great trail! Kids enjoyed lapping up all the opal pieces. Great views. I highly recommend!
Open
Visited: 01/18/2021

The section between waypoints 2 and 3 can be a little steep. It is very rocky with mostly softball sized rocks embedded in the trail. 4wd is a must, and you might want 4 low to feel more confident. You climb over some small hills with a blind top, so take it easy when getting to the peaks. You are mainly driving along a narrow trail on the ridge, with no passing room. This section is probably a level 4 rating. The sections from waypoint 3 to 5 is smoother and easier than Fossil Bed Rd leading to it, slightly sandy.

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