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Explore the Incredible Mormon Rocks: Geological Wonder in Cajon Pass, California | Outdoor Adventure Guide


Story and Photos By Ken Hulsey

The incredible geological wonder known as Mormon Rocks in Cajon Pass is one of our family's favorite hiking spots. Travelers on Interstate 15 to and from Los Angeles can't miss these mysterious rock formations just off the highway. The area offers numerous hiking trails and the rocks themselves are easy to climb, even for a middle-aged hiker like myself. It's a wonderful place to explore the outdoors and capture stunning nature photography, as evidenced by the photos in this post.


The Mormon Rocks are an area of exposed sandstone blocks along the San Andreas Fault in the San Andreas Rift Zone. Visible from the I-15 freeway as it passes through Cajon Pass, these rocks were named by Mormon settlers who crossed the pass in 1851 on their way from Salt Lake City to the Los Angeles basin. Cajon Pass was a natural route for settlers and Native Americans alike.


The rocks, also known as the Rock Candy Mountains, are raised hogbacks of variable quality sandstone conglomerate, with some walls reaching up to 200 feet tall. This dramatic landscape was formed through the process of plate tectonics, which exposed the sandstone blocks to the elements over time.

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