Rock On!

Randy and I joked we thought we were in Sedona, Arizona or at Bryce Canyon National Park, but that is exactly what we thought as we got our first glimpse of these amazing rock formations.

We had never heard of Red Rock Canyon State Park, in fact we had to actually look it up when we were planning our adventure and initially we had it confused with Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas.

Red Rock Canyon State Park is approximately 27,000 acres within the Mojave sector of Tehachapi District of the California State Park System, located along State Highway 14 in Kern County, about 80 miles east of Bakersfield. The colorful rock formations in the park served as traveling landmarks during the early 1870's for 20-mule team freight wagons that stopped for water. Each tributary canyon is unique with dramatic shapes and vivid colors.

The day started a bit overcast, windy, and had a slight chill in the air. It was comfortable for exploring some of the rock formations. I jokingly called Randy's spirit guide a big horn sheep as he climbed with ease higher and higher up the rock walls. The views were just breathtaking, even with State Highway 14 in view. We took a moment to stop at a formation Randy dubbed the King's Table and I, the Queen's Throne. The wind silenced the traffic from the highway and whistled through some of the crags within the rocks, it was a moment of appreciation to be able to enjoying a space so beautiful.

Once we made our way back down, we headed to an area of the park where the Red Cliff's trailhead started. The cloud cover had melted away revealing a beautiful December blue sky with the towering cathedral rocks beckoning to be explored. The pink, brown, white, and red folds of rock crevices create chambers that invite you in. As you stand inside and look up, the walls frame an amazing view of the clouds passing overhead. Each pew, as I liked to call them, had their own unique view into the sky above.

Even though we only explored a small portion of the park, there are many hiking trails, nature walks, and canyons yet to be explored. The area even offers a great campground (closed on our visit) that we would like to stay at and review. Since Red Rock Canyon State Park is so close to home, we plan to return on a future adventure to explore some of the many OHV trails in the area. If you get a chance, plan a visit to this hidden gem of a State Park.

For the full Open Road 4Two experience, be sure to check out the video of our visit to Red Rock Canyon State Park, better yet, subscribe to our channel to see our trips for 2021!

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Until next time, we will see you down the Open Road!