From West trailhead to South trailhead and back again. With "desert dog" Buster. Didn't see any vehicles or hikers the whole day. If you can trust the BLM sign-in box, I was only the 3rd hiker on this trail this month. Only evidence of civilization was the occasional airplane you could hear in the distance. Trail is not well marked, but is a combination of old jeep trails and game trails. There are some rock cairns, but they aren't consistent. Table Top Mountain is usually within sight. Lot's of song birdsand the lava is cool!

Didn't think much of it at the time, but there are a couple of prominantsigns indicating;

"CAUTION - Smuggling activity is common in this area because of the proximity to the international border. Be aware of your surroundings at all times".

When I pulled up out of one of the washes noticed an abandoned jacket, blankets, and spent food rations off to the side...

A tip if you are to drive to the West trailhead - always choose the left (north) fork on the 4WD path off Vekol Valley Road at the cattle well. Made a couple of wrong choices on the way in and had to double back...