"About 18.5 million years ago, giant volcanic eruptions forever changed the landscape of what is today a swath of protected California desert land, bound by two major interstates between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The eruptions left behind unique rock formations, including cliffs and canyons made up of rhyolite tuff, a volcanic rock formed by different particles and rocks merging together from the heat of an eruption."
"Those rocks are now part of the Mojave National Preserve, a massive piece of protected desert (at around 1.6 million acres, the preserve is the third largest National Park Service unit in the continental U.S.). The preserve is roughly bound by Interstate 15 to the north and Interstate 40 to the south, somewhat near the desert outposts of Barstow, Baker and Needles. While many parts of the preserve require four-wheel drive, the aptly named Rings Trail is accessible along paved roads, and just a 25-minute detour north from Interstate 40's Essex Road exit. It's a quiet drive through creosote bushes and yucca plants, with wide views that put the preserve's vastness on full display."
"The volcanic explosions in the area now called Hole-in-the-Wall, where the Rings Trail is located, went on for "several million years" and were "larger than perhaps any eruption recorded in historic times," according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The approximately 1.5-mile loop trail starts out relatively flat and relaxed, curving around a large ridge through an area still used for cattle grazing with wide panoramic desert views."
About 18.5 million years ago, massive volcanic eruptions produced rhyolite tuff cliffs and canyons in the area now within the Mojave National Preserve. Metal rings were later affixed to a canyon to facilitate scrambling through the volcanic rock. The preserve spans roughly 1.6 million acres, the third largest National Park Service unit in the continental United States, and lies between Interstate 15 and Interstate 40 near Barstow, Baker and Needles. The Rings Trail is an accessible 1.5-mile loop reached via a 25-minute detour north from Interstate 40's Essex Road exit, passing creosote, yucca and panoramic desert views; many other areas require four-wheel drive.
Read at SFGATE
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