Painted Canyon and Ladder Canyon, Chuckwalla National Monument
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Painted Canyon and Ladder Canyon
Two narrow ravines in the Mecca Hills Wilderness; Painted Canyon, relatively wide, partly through banded metasedimentary rocks (gneiss and schist), and Ladder Canyon, which forms a slot, enclosed by pebbly, gray/brown sandstone. Both canyons contain ladders at several points, to pass dryfalls
Length: 4.4 miles (round trip)
Elevation change: 700 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Type: Loop
Usage: Medium
Season: Fall, winter, spring - too hot in summer
Trailhead: End of a gravelly track, 4.7 miles from Box Canyon Road
Rating (1-5): ★★★★★
Elevation change: 700 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Type: Loop
Usage: Medium
Season: Fall, winter, spring - too hot in summer
Trailhead: End of a gravelly track, 4.7 miles from Box Canyon Road
Rating (1-5): ★★★★★
The Mecca Hills Wilderness contains a sizeable area of badlands at the west edge of the Sonoran Desert, north of the Salton Sea, and is crossed by dozens of canyons, generally shallow, much branched, and in some places forming enclosed, slot canyon passageways. The two most well known are a pair of linked ravines, Painted Canyon and Ladder Canyon, cutting through the pinkish-gray, conglomeratic sandstone layers that cover most of this region, though the former is partly lined by harder, metasedimentary rocks including white schist and banded white/black gneiss; as if painted.
Both canyons are provided with metal ladders at several points to enable hikers to pass obstacles; Ladder Canyon has four of them and forms about a quarter of a mile of dark slot, while Painted Canyon, with two, is always significantly wider.
Painted Canyon and Ladder Canyon may be explored along a 4.4 mile loop for which the recommended direction is anticlockwise - up Painted and down Ladder, and, despite its rather out-of-the-way location and the fact that the trailhead is at the end of a 4.5 mile unpaved track, the hike is quite popular.
Mecca Hills Wilderness forms one component of Chuckwalla National Monument, which was established by presidential degree in January 2025. The future of the monument is uncertain, however, and it may be reduced in size or abolished altogether.
Painted Canyon is one of the few drainages in the Mecca Hills with an official name and, together with Box Canyon, divides the hills into three approximately equal sections. The gravelly track to the narrow part of Painted Canyon leaves Box Canyon Road near its south end, one mile from 66th Avenue in Mecca. The canyon is signed at the start of the track, and another notice states the road is for 4WD vehicles only, though this is not generally the case, as nearly all the surface is firm and stony. Softer patches on the verges can cause some vehicles to get stuck if they leave the main driveway. The route is completely straight for 2 miles, wide, dusty and washboarded, then bends to the right and reaches the wide streambed at the mouth of Painted Canyon. It follows the wash upstream, now rather narrow, winding through a few bends, where the canyon is bordered by darker rocks, and passing several primitive camping spots, before reaching the parking area, shortly before a major fork in the drainage. Some of the parking area has soft gravel so care is needed when choosing a parking place.
The hike is up the main, east fork of Painted Canyon, which is soon enclosed by vertical brownish sandstone cliffs, up to 250 feet high. After just a few minutes walking, a tributary joins on the left (west); this is another slot-like ravine, Rope Canyon, in which the dryfalls are taller, requiring ropes rather than ladders to pass, and so making for a more strenuous hike. A quarter of a mile further, the next tributary, also on the left side, is Ladder Canyon, a narrow slot in the cliffs, and some or perhaps most people enter here, to explore just the lower narrows, instead of continuing up Painted Canyon for the full loop. Opposite the Ladder Canyon junction, on the east side, is another narrow tributary, with a ladder at its lower end, to allow ascent of a dryfall.
After Ladder Canyon, the main ravine is fairly open for a while before gradually narrowing, as the rocks around the streambed change from the light-colored sandstone to the banded metasedimentary strata, and the passageways become more colorful. Navigation of one steep, rocky section is aided by two ladders, the only ladders in Painted Canyon, though not far beyond is another east-side tributary which has at least three ladders at its lower end. All the while, the streambed is formed of loose, coarse gravel or stones, never any soft sand. Several sections are lined by exotically patterned rocks, including pure white, white and black stripes, and red. After another short enclosed tributary to the right, and several more bends, Painted Canyon widens and splits into two equal-sized branches. The cliffs now have receded somewhat, allowing views of the wider landscape.
Following the west fork, this remains semi-enclosed for a short while, until a stone arrow marks an exit path to the west, up a short slope to a ridgeline, which is then followed back south towards Ladder Canyon; an easy walk across open, barren terrain with very few plants. Ocotillo is the only large shrub hereabouts, while the most visible cactus species is diamond cholla. Views are extensive, over the surrounding ridges and ravines, north to the higher peaks of Joshua Tree National Park, and south a long way, to the Salton Sea and the San Jacinto Mountains.
After keeping left at the first junction (right is to Rope Canyon), then right at a second, less obvious intersection soon after (left is a path that continues down the ridge, eventually back to Painted Canyon), the ridgeline trail descends into the upper end of Ladder Canyon, which soon forms shallow, curvy narrows through the dusty, dull-colored conglomeratic sandstone. A briefly more open section leads to the proper slot, which is often deep and tight, with nice, knobbly rock textures on the enclosing walls. The first ladder, quite short, leads to deeper passageways then the second, taller, drops down to the best part of the slot, in which a few places are more colorful due to bands of reddish clay. The last section has two more ladders, which are not really needed, to negotiate a sequence of big fallen boulders, just before the junction with Painted Canyon.
Both canyons are provided with metal ladders at several points to enable hikers to pass obstacles; Ladder Canyon has four of them and forms about a quarter of a mile of dark slot, while Painted Canyon, with two, is always significantly wider.
Painted Canyon and Ladder Canyon may be explored along a 4.4 mile loop for which the recommended direction is anticlockwise - up Painted and down Ladder, and, despite its rather out-of-the-way location and the fact that the trailhead is at the end of a 4.5 mile unpaved track, the hike is quite popular.
Mecca Hills Wilderness forms one component of Chuckwalla National Monument, which was established by presidential degree in January 2025. The future of the monument is uncertain, however, and it may be reduced in size or abolished altogether.
Painted Canyon Access
Painted Canyon is one of the few drainages in the Mecca Hills with an official name and, together with Box Canyon, divides the hills into three approximately equal sections. The gravelly track to the narrow part of Painted Canyon leaves Box Canyon Road near its south end, one mile from 66th Avenue in Mecca. The canyon is signed at the start of the track, and another notice states the road is for 4WD vehicles only, though this is not generally the case, as nearly all the surface is firm and stony. Softer patches on the verges can cause some vehicles to get stuck if they leave the main driveway. The route is completely straight for 2 miles, wide, dusty and washboarded, then bends to the right and reaches the wide streambed at the mouth of Painted Canyon. It follows the wash upstream, now rather narrow, winding through a few bends, where the canyon is bordered by darker rocks, and passing several primitive camping spots, before reaching the parking area, shortly before a major fork in the drainage. Some of the parking area has soft gravel so care is needed when choosing a parking place.
Start of the Hike
The hike is up the main, east fork of Painted Canyon, which is soon enclosed by vertical brownish sandstone cliffs, up to 250 feet high. After just a few minutes walking, a tributary joins on the left (west); this is another slot-like ravine, Rope Canyon, in which the dryfalls are taller, requiring ropes rather than ladders to pass, and so making for a more strenuous hike. A quarter of a mile further, the next tributary, also on the left side, is Ladder Canyon, a narrow slot in the cliffs, and some or perhaps most people enter here, to explore just the lower narrows, instead of continuing up Painted Canyon for the full loop. Opposite the Ladder Canyon junction, on the east side, is another narrow tributary, with a ladder at its lower end, to allow ascent of a dryfall.
Painted Canyon
After Ladder Canyon, the main ravine is fairly open for a while before gradually narrowing, as the rocks around the streambed change from the light-colored sandstone to the banded metasedimentary strata, and the passageways become more colorful. Navigation of one steep, rocky section is aided by two ladders, the only ladders in Painted Canyon, though not far beyond is another east-side tributary which has at least three ladders at its lower end. All the while, the streambed is formed of loose, coarse gravel or stones, never any soft sand. Several sections are lined by exotically patterned rocks, including pure white, white and black stripes, and red. After another short enclosed tributary to the right, and several more bends, Painted Canyon widens and splits into two equal-sized branches. The cliffs now have receded somewhat, allowing views of the wider landscape.
Ridgeline Path
Following the west fork, this remains semi-enclosed for a short while, until a stone arrow marks an exit path to the west, up a short slope to a ridgeline, which is then followed back south towards Ladder Canyon; an easy walk across open, barren terrain with very few plants. Ocotillo is the only large shrub hereabouts, while the most visible cactus species is diamond cholla. Views are extensive, over the surrounding ridges and ravines, north to the higher peaks of Joshua Tree National Park, and south a long way, to the Salton Sea and the San Jacinto Mountains.
Ladder Canyon
After keeping left at the first junction (right is to Rope Canyon), then right at a second, less obvious intersection soon after (left is a path that continues down the ridge, eventually back to Painted Canyon), the ridgeline trail descends into the upper end of Ladder Canyon, which soon forms shallow, curvy narrows through the dusty, dull-colored conglomeratic sandstone. A briefly more open section leads to the proper slot, which is often deep and tight, with nice, knobbly rock textures on the enclosing walls. The first ladder, quite short, leads to deeper passageways then the second, taller, drops down to the best part of the slot, in which a few places are more colorful due to bands of reddish clay. The last section has two more ladders, which are not really needed, to negotiate a sequence of big fallen boulders, just before the junction with Painted Canyon.
Painted and Ladder Canyons Topo Map
Painted Canyon and Ladder Canyon - Similar Hikes
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