Home › California › Barstow › Rainbow Basin Natural Area
Rainbow Basin Natural Area
4.8 ★★★★★ 180 Google reviews · Running trail in Barstow, California · Open 24 hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Not reported
- Loop distance
- 5 mi
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Not reported
- Access
- Open 24 hours
Confirmed from Rainbow Basin Natural Area's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Badlands area with multi-colored rock formations, deep canyons & campgrounds near hiking trails.
What runners say about Rainbow Basin Natural Area
“Loop Drive itself is absolutely gorgeous, with stunning orange red green and yellow colors coming out from all the rocks and the slotted Canyon Drive is a lot of fun as well.”
“It's a nice, quiet place to explore and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.”
Rainbow Basin Natural Area is similar to the Artist's Palette scenic drive in Death Valley but not as vibrant or as crowded. A great pit stop location about 20 minutes off the highway. There is about 3 miles of dirt road to reach the main scenic drive.
The road going to and from the main paved road is a little washboardy it and can be pretty choppy so take that one pretty slow or try and alternate sides of the road to hit smooth banks.
Went here the past two weekends to camp and map the basin with my UCLA geology class. Amazing place to learn to map, as there are many examples of synforms, faults, and the geologic rule of V’s present in the basin. Good parking and hiking available, though no restrooms or amenities nearby.
In my opinion, the loop scenery road requires off road oriented vehicles. I went in my 4x4 right after it rained a lot and there were deep slots the water carved into the road. (Lots of bumps.) Maybe in better weather and aired down tires, you could possibly do it in a normal SUV/car, but I still wouldn't recommend it.
Trail conditions & character
“Loop Drive itself is absolutely gorgeous, with stunning orange red green and yellow colors coming out from all the rocks and the slotted Canyon Drive is a lot of fun as well.”
“Loop Drive itself is absolutely gorgeous, with stunning orange red green and yellow colors coming out from all the rocks and the slotted Canyon Drive is a lot of fun as well.”
“Great place to explore especially just off the road during the 5 mile loop in the basin, lots of hidden canyons and even some tunnel like caves.”
“It's a nice, quiet place to explore and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.”
“Good parking and hiking available, though no restrooms or amenities nearby.”
Plan your run at Rainbow Basin Natural Area
The practical stuff
- AccessOpen 24 hours — no gate to beat, so a 5am or a 10pm run both work
- Loop distance5 mi back to where you parked. Long enough for a real long run.
- ShadeNot reported. Assume some of it is exposed and carry water in summer.
- At the trailheadrestrooms, water — reported by runners
- Websiteblm.gov
- Phone(760) 252-6000
- Social Instagram · Facebook
Hours
| Monday | Open 24 hours |
| Tuesday | Open 24 hours |
| Wednesday | Open 24 hours |
| Thursday | Open 24 hours |
| Friday | Open 24 hours |
| Saturday | Open 24 hours |
| Sunday | Open 24 hours |
Running trails near Barstow
Other trails within easy driving distance — useful when this one is flooded, gated, or just not the run you had in mind today.
Dana Park
4.1 ★★★★☆ 416 reviews
Clean park featuring picnic tables, tennis courts and a skate park.
Barstow Community College Park
4.6 ★★★★★ 11 reviews
Apple Valley Legacy Trail
4.3 ★★★★☆ 3 reviews