The El Paso Mountains are beautiful, wild, and open; they are a 4-wheeler's delight. Numerous trails, ranging from easy to impassable in anything but the best locked-down, trail-ready jeep, cross these rugged desert mountains. There are many, many interesting sights and things to do -- mines to visit, outcroppings of rare and semiprecious stonesand gems to work, places to camp, and sights to see. Some of the trails in the mountains include Last Chance Canyon, Mesquite Canyon, and Burro Schmidt's Tunnel.

The 23,780-acre El Paso Mountains Wilderness is located in Kern County, southwest of Ridgecrest, and about 20 miles northeast of Mojave. Numerous reddish-colored buttes and dark, uplifted volcanic mesas dissected by narrow canyons distinguish this wilderness. Badlands topography surrounds Black Mountain, the central feature of this wilderness. The southern portion of the wilderness is included in the Last Chance Archaeological District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to the areas numerous cultural sites. The vegetation in the El Paso Mountains is primarily creosote bush scrub with Joshua trees on the western side of the mountain.

Access this wilderness via State Highway 14 north of Red Rock Canyon State Park and along Red Rock - Inyokern Road along the west; Hart Road (EP155 - four-wheel drive only) along the south; and from the east via U.S. Highway 395 south of Inyokern, along EP 18 to Sheep Springs Road (EP26) (four-wheel drive recommended).