Forum Discussion

dedmiston's avatar
dedmiston
Moderator
Nov 15, 2023

Trip Report - Ft. Irwin Area

We had a great trip last weekend. Veterans Day is typically the kickoff time for our desert camping & riding season and this year's weather was perfect.

We camped about 30 minutes out of Barstow, CA near Ft. Irwin. We were pretty close to an "interesting" spot called Tonka Town. It's hard to describe it with words, so I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

One of the spots that we rode to is called Inscription Canyon, which is a narrow gully full of Native American petroglyphs. It's a shame that the signage only tells you not to disturb the area (good start) but doesn't give any history of the place. We ride to a lot of areas with petroglyphs, but this is the easiest to access and probably the most popular one.

And here's our camp chair stealer enjoying the fire.

      

  • opnspaces's avatar
    opnspaces
    Navigator II
    Nov 18, 2023

    Looks like it was a great trip. I might try going out and checking out Tonka Town just for grins. I'm assuming it's standard So Cal desert dirt roads that almost any vehicle can navigate.

  • dedmiston's avatar
    dedmiston
    Moderator
    Nov 18, 2023

    Hey there. Yeah, your Suburban could definitely make it there. 

    From Barstow take Ft. Irwin Road to Coper City Road. It's about thirteen miles out Coper City and then a left. I can dig up GPS coordinates if you're interested.

    • opnspaces's avatar
      opnspaces
      Navigator II
      Nov 18, 2023

      Thanks I think I'm going to check it out. There has to be more to camping than just Anza Borrego. 🙂

      I appreciate the directions. I never got into GPS coords, but maybe I should. Not asking for your favorite camping spot but can you give me a general direction on where people typically go to camp. I'm talking Boondock  but I guess I can go to a campground if that's all that's really available.

       

      • dedmiston's avatar
        dedmiston
        Moderator
        Nov 18, 2023
        opnspaces wrote:

        Thanks I think I'm going to check it out. There has to be more to camping than just Anza Borrego. 🙂

        I appreciate the directions. I never got into GPS coords, but maybe I should. Not asking for your favorite camping spot but can you give me a general direction on where people typically go to camp. I'm talking Boondock  but I guess I can go to a campground if that's all that's really available.

        We boondocked out there. There are spots to camp all along Copper City Rd, but it was a busy weekend and we ended up having to go way out there to find a space. It was a nice spot and the dogs loved it, but it was pretty far out there.

        There's also a decent campground nearby at Calico Ghost Town. It's a pretty popular spot and people seem to love it. It's kind of a tourist trap, but it's worth seeing once or twice.

About Western Group

26 PostsLatest Activity: Jan 13, 2025