Bradshaw Trail

The first road through Riverside County was blazed by William Bradshaw in 1862, as an overland stage route beginning at San Bernardino and ending at La Paz, Arizona (now Ehrenberg, Arizona). The Trail was used extensively between 1862 and 1877 to haul miners and other passengers to the gold fields at La Paz. The Trail is a 65-mile graded road that traverses mostly public land between the Chuckwalla Mountains and the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range. The Trail offers spectacular views of the Chuckwalla Bench, Orocopia Mountains, Chuckwalla Mountains and the Palo Verde Valley.

From Indio, take State Highway 111 east about 23 miles to the Salton Sea State Recreation Area. Across from Park Headquarters is Parkview Drive. Turn left on Parkview Drive for about 1.7 miles, then left on Desert Aire for about 0.5 miles to the canal road. Follow the canal road for about 10 miles to Drop 24 and the beginning of the Bradshaw Trail. -Or from Blythe, take Interstate 10 west for about 17 miles to the Wiley's Well exit. Go south (left) on Wiley's Well Road for about 9 miles to its intersection with the Bradshaw Trail, just past Wiley's Well Campground. Turn right and proceed west towards Indio. Starting at the Bradshaw Trail's end near Ripley is not recommended due to its rerouting through and around agricultural fields on private land.