Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark

I decided to explore a bit of the Mojave Desert and a drive on that portion of Route 66 that parallels I40 in California.

In the quite little town of Amboy, CA  is the Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark.

There is no sign warning of the turn.  You have to see the roadside sign above to know it’s here.

I opted for the hike to and up the cinder cones volcanic  crater .  4.1 miles mid-day in the sun is a little wearing but it wasn’t too hot.

In such a dry place and you see these flowers in bloom it calls you to stop and enjoy the beauty.



I made it up to the crater and inside it.

I hiked through the crater and up the craggy loose rock and dirt path to the rim.

Here is the view of the path through the desert back to the parking lot, from the rim.

Above is an all trails screen capture of hike.

At 4.1 miles round trip this is a good hike.  The hardest section was from the crater bottom to the rim as the loose rock makes it hard to get safe footing.  The portion up the side of the cinder cone was ok but it too is steep so some care is needed.

Above is an all trails screen capture of hike.

Above is the hike route and elevation profile.

If you ever happen to be in Amboy or just one of those people looking for nostalgia on RT66., stop to see the Amboy Crater and enjoy the moment.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com