State Parks and National Parks

Bradshaw Trail

North Palm Springs, CA U.S.A.

690 West Garnet Ave.
North Palm Springs, CA 92258
U.S.A.

760-251-4800 BLM Field Office

Open Year-Round

No Entry Fee Charged

State Park Information

Bill Bradshaw blazed this trail during the 19th century after learning about the area's secret water sources from the local Cahuilla Indians.

Bradshaw hoped to cash in on business from the migration of would-be miners who would abandon Los Angeles for the promised gold fields of the Colorado River.

But Bradshaw met with foul play before he could realize his dream. Today, the 70-mile trail that winds through the California Desert is an important trail for horseback riders and four-wheel-drive vehicles.

The dirt road trail is periodically graded by the Riverside County Transportation Department.

The trail traverses mostly public land and offers spectacular views of the Chuckwalla Bench and the Orocopia, Chuckwalla and Mule Mountains.

From Indio, take I-10 east to the Red Cloud Road off ramp. All drivers must be on the south side of the interstate to begin the trail. Drivers on the north side of the interstate can loop west under the interstate, drive southeast on Red Cloud for two miles to the intersection of Red Cloud and Gasline Road. Then, turn south on Gasline and continue for seven miles to the intersection of Gasline and the Bradshaw Trail. Turn east on the Bradshaw Trail. All major intersections are marked.

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 nine miles to its intersection with the Bradshaw Trail, just past Wiley's Well Campground.

Starting at the Bradshaw Trail's end near Ripley is not recommended due to its routing through and around agricultural fields on private land.

The Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range borders a part of the Bradshaw Trail to the south. This is a live bombing range and posted as closed to public entry.

Wiley's Well Campground, a BLM facility, is located just north of the Bradshaw Trail at its intersection with Wiley's Well Road. The campground has individual campsites with picnic tables, shade ramadas and grills, but drinking water is not available.

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