Mojave National Preserve · California

Ring Loop Trail

0.9 mi of trail, end to end · about 80 ft of climbing · 4,193 ft–4,239 ft · native surface · hiking

Picnic areas

4,232 ft 4,236 ft · 0.9 mi high 4,239 ft

Along the way Hole-in-the-Wall Picnic Area

Hike the Rings Loop the Park Service's write-up

1-2 Hours · dogs allowed · season Hole in the Wall sits at about 4400 feet, keeping it a little cooler than other lower areas in the Preserve. Summer days can still be too hot, so plan accordingly. Snow is possible in winter.

Start Rings Loop Trailhead

Banshee Canyon, along the Rings Loop Trail

The Rings Loop Trail is very popular with all ages. You'll walk through beautiful open valley views, where Native Americans, miners, and ranchers lived for centuries. Colorful cacti, rock art, and fascinating geologic shapes are abundant. Banshee Canyon provides exciting opportunities to explore the effects of ancient volcanic eruptions. To exit the canyon, climb up two sets of metal rings bolted into the rock walls.

Accessibility The trail is mostly narrow and passes through either soft sand or along mostly flat rock. When the trail enters Banshee Canyon, some mild climbing is required to get to the top of small piles of boulders, and it is also necessary to use rings embedded into the rocks to pull yourself up through sections of canyon. The rings can be climbed like a ladder. One rings section is about 10 feet tall and one is about 6 feet.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 14 trails in Mojave National PreserveFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.