The cache is located about one mile from the parking area, up
Ladder Trail, which is off Painted Canyon. Ladder Trail is a narrow
(3' in places!) canyon with 100 to 200 ' high canyon walls. There
are 3 to 5 ladders to climb. I have seen 10 year old children take
this trail. Take water.
Painted Canyon is in the Mecca Hills of the Orocopia Mountains,
about 40 miles South of Palm Springs, CA. To get there from Palm
Springs, take I-10 East to HWY 86s to Mecca. Turn left on 4th,
cross the RR tracks, turn right on Hammond Rd, left on 66th that
turns into Box Canyon Rd. Cross the canal, and turn left on Painted
Canyon Rd. This is a dirt road suitable for 2wd cars. Go 5 miles to
the end of the road and park.
Box Canyon Rd. goes from Mecca to I-10, then continues on to
Joshua Tree National Park. You can also get to Painted Canyon Rd.
by taking the Box Canyon Rd. exit from I-10, and drive Southwest to
Painted Canyon Rd.
Park at the end of the road and start up Painted Canyon. About
1/2 mile up the canyon, you will see a Ladder Trail sign-stick on
the RIGHT side of the Canyon at N33,37.442 W115,59.783. It points
across the canyon to the Ladder Trail on the LEFT side. Things gets
fun right away ;-)
Your GPS will most likely stop receiving satellite data when in
the narrow (!) canyon. Just keep walking up the canyon. Amazing
canyon walls here. You will come to a 'Y' in the canyon. Currently
there is an arrow made of rocks pointing Left, but we went right at
the 'Y'(Shorter walk to the cache this way).
If you go Left, you will encounter 2 more ladders, then come to
a ridgetop at a huge rock cairn. Go up the hill to the next cairn
and turn right (South) on the intersecting trail,then about 1/4
mile to the cache).
On the way up, my GPS just started working again right about the
'Y'.
After you find the cache, you can return the way you came, or
walk North on the trail, then right and down into Painted Canyon, a
somewhat longer way back to your car this way. (More caches here
and then down another ladder).
Watch your friends up on the trail, there are big drops down to
Painted Canyon which is the large canyon to the East.
Coordinate List:
- N33.61904 W115.99915 = N33,37.142 W115,59.949 Parking
- N33.62406 W115.99646 = N33,37.442 W115,59.783 Ladder Trail
- N33.62586 W115.99656 = N33,37.551 W115,59.794 3rd Ladder
- N33.62742 W115.99429 = N33,37.645 W115,59.658 The Y
- N33.63073 W115.99264 = N33,37.844 W115,59.558 Ridge Top
- N33.63029 W115.99239 = N33,37.818 W115,59.544 The
Cache
Have Fun - This is a fun hike!
sdompier