This Desert Hike Has a Built-In Climbing Gym. Sort Of.

The Mojave National Preserve is already a place where the landscape looks like it's been sculpted by a particularly dramatic deity. But deep within its "Hole in the Wall" area, things get even more theatrical. We're talking volcanic rock formations so uniquely eroded, they look like nature's own brutalist architecture, complete with a secret passage through a canyon named for a wailing spirit.

These aren't your typical lava-flow rocks. These are "tuff units," born from ancient, superheated ash clouds that basically welded themselves together. Except, as nature often does, it didn't do a perfectly even job. Some parts are tougher, some are softer, and over millennia, the wind and water have carved out spires, hoodoos, and even a "Swiss cheese" effect on the cliffs. It's like a geological funhouse mirror.

The Canyon That Howls Back

Which brings us to Banshee Canyon. Yes, it's named for the mournful, howling sound the wind makes as it whips through this narrow slot. The canyon itself is a larger crack in that unevenly welded tuff, widened by eons of erosion, culminating in a striking exit through a cliff face. That dramatic exit is probably how the whole "Hole in the Wall" area got its evocative name in the first place.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. A trail actually snakes through Banshee Canyon, giving you an up-close-and-personal view of all that otherworldly rock. But at two points, the trail decides it's had enough of being horizontal and goes almost vertical. Instead of a scramble, though, you'll find a series of iron rings bolted directly into the rock.

Yes, actual climbing aids, in a natural preserve, on a public trail in the U.S. Because apparently, even the desert occasionally wants to help you out. It's an unexpected, slightly surreal touch that makes this particular hike feel less like a walk and more like an adventure, complete with its own built-in, no-membership-required climbing gym.