We hiked this area on two different days, one day we explored the the Calcite Mine Trail, the next and then hiked the Palm Wash. Another day we hiked the Palm Slots. All were great hikes and quite different from one another.
The hike to the old Calcite Mine was up the Calcite Mine Trail. The old Calcite Mine was quite active during Word War II as optical calcite was being used to make gunsights. The remains of the old mine can still be seen along with lots of little pieces of calcite scattered everywhere on the ground and in the rock. It is a hike up the rough road which, when you see it, is hard to believe 4WD’s even drive up it but it can be done! An interesting hike AND a nice view of the Salton Sea.
As we came down Calcite Mine Trail we saw another wash off to the side which we decided to try (not the Palm Slots) and lo and behold we hit some more slots. We hiked for awhile until we pretty much got stuck in the slots so we turned around and headed to the wash and hiked for awhile. We then realized the trail was not coming around and it seemed to continued to the Salton Sea so we decided to turn around and head back to the Calcite Mine trailhead. A great day!
Then a few days later we headed off to the Palm Slots, wow, were those lots of fun! We had a blast. A highly recommended hike full of tight squeezes, nature, and beautiful scenery. We never saw another person nor did we see any Bighorn Sheep, but we did see their tracks.
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