Mule Canyon
California
Find: Selenite, serpentine
GPS: 34.93335, -116.84026
Nearest city: Barstow, CA
Recommended Vehicle: 4x4 Truck/SUV
Season: Accessible year-round, Winter months best for temperature.
Summary:
Mule Canyon is an isolated spot located in the heart of the empty California desert. Many people come out here to go shooting, so you will see plenty of gray and orange ceramic targets and shell casings strewn throughout the hills. Please wear a hi-vis or something brightly colored to keep yourself safe. In hindsight, I definitely should have had one with me out here!
In those same hills are selenite veins, which seem to wind infinitely into the horizon. I did not dig extensively, but I could imagine that you could find thicker, clearer samples than I did if you continued over the hills to dig.
This is a spot where navigation is highly important. It can become disorienting once you go away from the road and it is exceptionally hot. If you choose to actually dig for selenite here, please backfill your hole once you’re done. Sites tend to get closed off to rockhounds if unfilled holes begin popping up everywhere.
Video
Check out the video for a better look at what can be found when exploring this spot.
3 Helpful Tools
Geology Pick
A geology pick was helpful to pull loose pieces of selenite from the veins in the soft clay.
D-Handle Mini Shovel
If I were to return, I’d try to dig to find better pieces and this style is what I prefer.
Water Bladder
I use a 3L water bladder whenever I’m in the desert. A cheap one that is dishwasher safe is plenty good.
The selenite occurs in seams, between layers of sedimentary rock. Thickness ranged from paper-thin to a few inches wide.
Selenite has a 'vitreous' luster, meaning it shines almost like glass - especially in the sun.
I had some fun seeing the other oddities out here besides the rocks.
This is what you will be hiking through. Plan a route, rather than wandering. It's hot and remote here.
The selenite is very fragile, this piece seems to have some growth layers to it.
You'll want something to wrap and store the delicate pieces in. Selenite is soft and brittle. If you pile all your finds in a bucket, you may come home to dusty fragments.