Question about Hurley Flat and Halls Grade Road

[zippetydude]

Does anyone know if either of those are open to the public? If so, it will make my quest to explore the Onion much easier. Any info, even an informal "I went up that way and didn't see anyone" would be helpful. So far, I've just been going in circles (I suppose you could call that making Onion rings?) Thanks!

z

[Hikin_Jim]

Not that I buy into the idea that this silly chunk of rock is worth visiting and not that I'm trying to egg you on...

But I do notice on Google, that the "street view" extends all the way to the entrance to Twin Pines Ranch. Here's an overview map of the area.

Notice how Twin Pines Ranch is just west of Hurley Flat. Now, here's where the Google truck could drive to (i.e. publicly accessible), basically to the gates of Twin Pines Ranch. Here's a photo (screen capture):


Notice that there is some kind of gate and some kind of sign (that presumably says that the road is not open to the public or something like that). Note also that there are vehicles pulled over to the side. If people are parking there, perhaps it's OK to walk in? Dunno.

It's about 1.5 miles from the gate/entrance to the base of what I'll call "Cabazon Ridge" (since it contains Cabazon Peak) -- the ridge that also hosts Onion Rock.

HJ

[Hikin_Jim]

And of course the above assumes that you're coming in from the west. As you have already mentioned, there's "Halls Grade Road" that comes in from the north. It's possible that Halls Grade Rd could bypass Twin Pines Ranch and give you access to east Hurley Flats (your jump off point).

Looking at the topo/sat photo of "Halls Grade Road" (toggle back and forth), you can see that it's faint but it's there.

Looks like it climbs a couple thousand feet over roughly 6 miles. Should be no trouble for someone who is a trail runner. But again, I'm not egging you on. Definitely not. Nope. I wouldn't do that you know.

HJ

[Hikin_Jim]

Now, notice this: If you look at a sat photo of Hurley Flat and Cabazon Ridge, you can see clear trails or old roads that extend from either point "A" or point "B" and converge at point "C". Beyond point "C" there are a series of tracks that climb to a prominent saddle on the ridge. I'm not sure what these are. Cattle trails? I'm not sure how clearly followable they'd be on the ground, but if I can see them from a satellite view, I imagine they'd be pretty followable. There are little tiny trails all over there, again possibly livestock. I've marked out the most prominent track which, again, leads to the prominent saddle on the ridge.

There. I've gotten you to Hurley Flats and I've gotten you atop the ridge. Now "all" you have to do is "just" go up the ridge. Easy, right?

HJ

[zippetydude]

Hmmm, I don't want to jinx it by expressing optimism, but if everything is abandoned along the Halls Grade Road, it looks like it might offer a northern approach option. The Twin Pines Ranch, since it includes security for incarceration, may prove problematic coming in from the west. Too bad, it's a nice area back there. Anyway, I'll get out there and explore a bit, hopefully very soon, and I'll post a TR. Thanks for the help!

z

[drndr]

HJ, can you put a point where the onion is? And am I imagining things or does acme mapper not have the "terrain" feature anymore.

[Hikin_Jim]

The "Onion" is here. They still have the "terrain" option. It's a sub-feature of "map".

It's quite prominent in a satellite photo.

HJ

[cynthia23]

This is truly off topic, but the mention of the "boys camp' at Twin Pines reminded me that one time years ago I looked for a house for sale near Twin Pines. It was virtually hanging off the side of the mountain and close to the back of the correctional facility.. It was a very curious house. The house was a run down mountain cabin and wasn't very expensive, at all, yet it had its own helipad (!) and a vast (football field size) underground concrete chamber built into the side of the mountain, accessible only via ten foot tall steel doors. The realtor mentioned that the owner was in Mexico and 'was in a hurry to sell it". Always wondered what they were doing in that chamber (there sure were a lot of electrical outlets in there ) and why they needed a helipad. Needless to say I passed on the house. :

Okay, now back to some actually useful information ....

[zippetydude]

Close enough to on topic for me! That's really interesting Cynthia, I wonder if it was one of those millionaire survivalist people who built bomb shelters back in the cold war. I wonder if it's still there? I not classy enough to like wine, but that underground facility could sure make a great wine cellar for someone.

z

[cynthia23]

I don't think the guy was a survivalist. The vibe I got from the realtor (without her ever saying so) was that the enormous chamber was a pot-growing space, and the former owner had fled to Mexico (perhaps via the helipad!) when the authorities started sniffing around.

Ya never know what's up in them thar hills...