Tucked between spreading cities near Palm Springs, CA, Joshua Tree NP is nonetheless a sprawling park covering several different ecosystems and a variety of environments. The park sits at the confluence of the Colorado desert (east and lower elevation) and the Mojave desert (west and higher). These two areas and the gradual transition between them make up a unique ecosystem. The namesake Joshua trees are everywhere in the park's Mojave portions, while totally different plants live in the lower elevations. The park is also full of rounded, often weirdly eroded rock. It's sticky and sturdy and perfect for rock climbing. Joshua Tree's location is perfect for someone who doesn't want to go too far from civilization: the park's northern border is lined with small cities like 29 Palms, while the southern is lined with Indio, Palm Desert, and others spreading east from Palm Springs. The park is large and wild, but big cities with restaurants and stores are right nearby.
Boy Scout Trail
I arrived in the park in the afternoon on New Years' Eve and, driving through, stopped at a few short nature hikes (covered all together at the end of the report) until the sun set and then got to enjoy the wild, curvy ride out the south end of the park in the dark. On my first full day in JTNP, I decided to go for it and try the Boy Scout trail - a long hike which would break my personal record for a day hike! The trail is about eight miles from one end to the other, making the entire trek a whopping 16 miles. (Depending on the source, it may only be 15.6, but that's still awfully far.) I decided to hike starting from the north trailhead, since the trail ascends from north to south. That would make the return trip easier and put the big ascent at the very start of the long hike. Just starting out, I crossed this plain. I'm heading towards those mountains up ahead:
The trail becomes very exciting as it meanders into the canyons and ascends into the rocky hills:
The area is so wild that you feel lost! Here the trail clings to the hillside and continues to ascend:
This trail, though itself fairly smooth, is constantly ascending as it crosses through this magnificently rough terrain. In a few places, the trail follows gravel washes. This is the most scenic part of the hike, just stunningly beautiful, and quite isolated. On the northern half of this hike, I only saw a single person on the way out, and only two (together) on the way back. This is one of my favorite trail sections - it looks like you shouldn't be able to traverse this terrain, but you can! Emerging from the climb (which ascends about 1000 feet), the path levels out in the higher part of the park and the Joshua Trees start to come into view.
Early Mormon settlers, the story goes, gave these trees their name. In silhouette, the trees look like people with arms stretched to the sky, and reminded the settlers of Joshua beckoning his followers into the promised land. You may recall that, according to the Bible, Moses was not allowed to lead the Israelites into the promised land, so Joshua did so after Moses' death. Here are some more neat-looking trees:
How many arms did Joshua have? Did the Bible leave out that he had like twelve arms? That would have been worth mentioning. I found one that was bending down and got a selfie:
All through the southern half of this trail, the Joshua trees (technically a kind of yucca and not a true tree) are scattered all over the desert floor:
The southern half of the Boy Scout trail is significantly easier than the northern half because it is all flat. To the east is the "Wonderland of Rocks". At least one trail ventures into the Wonderland, but I unfortunately didn't get the chance to explore this trip. JTNP's characteristic rock pile hills are in the background here:
After a lengthy but mostly flat hike through the southern half of the trail, I reached the southern trailhead and turned back. The southern half of the trail passes by campsites and other trails, and so was much more busy. It certainly wasn't by any means crowded, but there were others on the trail. I certainly picked the right direction to hike. The trek back was much easier. The southern half is quite flat, but once I reached the canyons and mountains of the northern half, I was happy to be going downhill this time. I could float through the scenery and enjoy the views! Here's a nice shot as I was descending back towards the north trailhead:
After making my way back down the canyons and crossing the plain, I arrived back at the car after a magnificent hike of 16 miles. Boy Scout trail is a beautiful hike, especially the northern half, and is not that difficult for its length. (Also, it can easily be broken up.) All of the elevation gain is in the northern half. This one is worth the effort!
Pixie Rock (and other nearby climbs)
My second full day in JTNP, I had reserved a guided rock climbing tour with a company called Cliffhanger Guides. The point of these trip reports isn't to advertise, but I want to give shout-outs for companies that do an awesome job! My guide was a gentleman named Roddy. We got suited up with gear in the morning and drove into the park to the Indian Cove campgrounds (which, incidentally, is near the northern trailhead of the Boy Scout trail). There are towering, rugged cliffs and hills all around this campground and lots of great spots to climb. The rock in Joshua Tree is called white tank granite, and is great for climbing: gritty, sticky, strong. It offers great traction and doesn't crumble easily. Now, I had only been rock climbing a single time before, several years prior in Shenandoah NP. This time I learned quite a bit more and conquered some much more difficult climbs. We started on an easy climb which wasn't very steep and ascended a corner. Here I am, most of the way up:
The first climb, Roddy had me scoot right and climb up the ridge. This picture is the second when I just went straight up the fissure. On that first climb, I thought it looked pretty easy from the ground. Eight or ten feet up the crack, I realized that is was in fact quite difficult and scary! Most of the times I do this kind of thing, it takes me a few minutes to turn off the nerves, and this one was no exception. I froze and had to take a few minutes. But, once I recovered, I was good to go and scampered on up. I was learning to identify and use footholds properly. I hadn't learned a whole lot that time in Shenandoah, because the basic concepts of pressing your heels down and avoiding leaning into the wall (both prevent you from sliding off narrow footholds) were totally new to me. By the second climb, I had chased the jitters and was fine. I can usually turn off the height jitters when I'm in a harness, but it takes a few minutes.
After this introductory climb, we headed to Pixie Rock, which has quite a few nice, beginner-level routes. Looking up from the bottom, it looked like a sheer cliff face. How the heck was I supposed to climb up it? I'd be climbing the flat part of the rock to the right of the middle of this photo.
From the bottom, it looked impossible. However, I found a few good footholds and started up as best I could. To my great surprise, once I got started up it wasn't all that difficult. Once or twice I got stuck and Roddy had to talk me through finding the next foothold, but I was quickly getting comfortable. It didn't take me long to reach the top:
And I couldn't resist a selfie, since I had my camera in my pocket. Here I am precariously balanced high on Pixie Rock:
I climbed a nearby route also on the flat face of Pixie Rock, which was a little harder but similar, then we moved to the right side and a more rugged route:
I found myself becoming quite comfortable with smaller and smaller footholds. Tiny spaces where the rock was just slightly angled and an inch or two wide, which I would have never considered using on my first climb, looked huge. I could stand on one foot on one of these tiny holds and relax. After having so much trouble on the first short climb, my guide was excited that I was now picking up the techniques quickly. For those of you who know rock climbing ratings, the Pixie Rock routes I did were 5.6 or so. The final challenge was a climb on a nearby rock protruberance which didn't have a particular name. This one was a challenge and my guide admitted he wasn't sure if I'd be able to make it up or not. It's a 5.8, which should be trivial to an experienced climber, but not to me! Here, I am approaching the crux of the route:
In that photo, I am just about to reach a crack, and climbing farther is not easy. I had watched my guide get past that little ledge, but once I was there I wasn't able to make it work. He had put his right foot up on a high hold and taken a big upwards step. I tried, but the step was too big for me. I could get my foot to it, but didn't have the strength or flexibility to pull myself up and my foot kept just sliding off. I would have fallen all the way down twice if not for the harness! (It's worth noting that these routes, for the most part, don't have much in the way of handholds. There was no way to grab something and pull myself up by hand, which would have made it pretty easy.) I took a few minutes on the ledge, trying Roddy's way and experimenting with other possibilities. Soon, I found a way to step a little up and way left which got me just high enough to step to the foothold. A short-legged person might not be able to use my step, but such is the advantage of being a little tall. I was past the crux and the rest of the climb was no problem. Looking down:
And here I am at the top:
I made it! And I know, real rock climbers, that this would be easy for you, but I sure felt accomplished. I really enjoyed my first challenging rock climbing tour. My guide was very patient and encouraging, and I really did improve in just a few hours.
On the way out through the campground, I spotted this roadrunner from the car:
Rattlesnake Canyon
I had only reserved a half day for rock climbing, so I was done in the early afternoon. I asked my guide for adventurous hiking suggestions, and he mentioned Rattlesnake Canyon, whose trailhead happened to be right near where we were climbing. Sure enough, at the western edge of the Indian Cove campground, a sign announced Rattlesnake Canyon. The park sign goes on to explain that it's not a trail per se, but a canyon you can explore by scrambling up a streambed over boulders. My favorite guidebook, which always comes with me on these trips, is the Oswald book on the National Parks, but even the venerable Oswald guide missed this one!
Rattlesnake Canyon is usually dry, but there was a stream in it this day due to recent rains. There are a few places like the picture below:
...where you can walk on the sand, but for the most part you're scrambling over boulders and it's slow going. I found myself using some of the climbing skills I had just learned to make my way around the breakdown. The canyon (which does indeed contain rattlesnakes, though I didn't see any) turns left and passes by a pretty waterfall carving out a grotto:
I wanted to get into this grotto and see everything up close, but couldn't get there safely. I would have had to cross a wet, slippery, dangerous rock face, and didn't think I'd make it. Perhaps some time when it's dry.
I clambered around to the right side of the waterfalls, through this passage:
...to arrive at a rocky field above the falls. Though I had not gone very far, it had taken a fair amount of time. With extra time, there was plenty more to see - people were climbing up on the opposite side of the falls and continuing on - but I was running out of energy after a long day of climbing. I scrambled carefully back down. A view of the descent:
Rattlesnake Canyon is a very cool place to explore! Wide-open exploring hikes like this are very attractive to me. It's fun to have to figure out your own path.
Ryan Mountain
I've seen this hike called the best in Joshua Tree, and while there are plenty of other great ones, Ryan Mountain packs amazing views and a trail all the way to a summit into a short, relatively easy trail. The whole roundtrip trek is only three miles. The trail, of course, is uphill all the way to the summit:
...but is never all that steep, just steady. It was a gray, hazy day when I hiked this trail. For some, they might wish for sunshine all the time when they hike, but some views are interesting in different ways with different weather. When Mo and I hiked Fall Canyon in Death Valley, for example, the shroud of fog and mist made it far more interesting. After traversing the hillside, the trail scoots between two hills in a little canyon with very impressive views. Here I am looking back down the trail:
The trail soon emerges out on the final ridge and heads for the summit. Here's a shot from the ridge of the hazy day and some distant, low hanging clouds:
After an uphill but rather quick hike, I reached the flat summit of Ryan Mountain, at 5457 feet according to this sign, which apparently has been blasted by a shotgun.
Do you think that's enough stones for the cairn? Look at that thing! Ryan Mountain is a little easier and shorter than most of the hikes I really enjoy, and is a nice family-friendly walk. The nice views make still a really nice place to check out.
Lost Palms Oasis / Mastodon Peak loop
On my final day in Joshua Tree I took one last hike, this one in the southeast corner of the park. It turns out that I had saved the best for last. The hike to the Lost Palms Oasis rambles through the remote desert across wild terrain full of ditches, crags, and uneven ground. Much like the northern half of the Boy Scout trail, the path has the wonderful feeling of being an off-trail route since it is a rough, only somewhat maintained route. (Though it is, in fact, plenty easy to follow for the most part.) Out and back, it's a little over seven miles, perhaps eight with the loop back by Mastodon Peak. If I only had time for one trail, I'd make it this one.
The route starts at Cottonwood Springs, near the visitor center by the same name in the southeast corner of the park. The trail heads right by the towering palms of Cottonwood Springs. There are only a few stands of palm trees in the park, which is mostly too dry. However, the spring is wet enough to allow palms to grow.
These trees are huge and majestic!
Look at the size of the railing to get a sense of the scale of those trees.
Past the spring (which is right at the parking area), the trail emerges out into the desert badlands.
The trail has a fork here which turns left and head by Mastodon Peak and Mastodon Mine. A shorter hike (around three miles) can be made by turning here and looping back. Of course, I wanted to see the Lost Palms Oasis, so I'd be taking that side path on the way back.
The path becomes less and less maintained (though still not difficult to follow) as it winds serenely through the desert. Here's a gully along the way:
And a neat, misty view of the gently rolling hills:
More of the bleak, rugged landscape:
After a long, lonely trek through the wild desert, the trail arrives on the southern rim of a broad canyon. Below, you see the Lost Palms Oasis:
Look carefully for cairns here - a narrow path darts down into the canyon in the midst of the palms.
Why is this oasis here? The bottom of this canyon is a stream. I believe it is an intermittent stream, but there was a little water running through the day I was there. That stream feeds these towering palms. You can continue the hike down the canyon, and it is more adventuresome at this point. There isn't a trail, and you splash through the shallow stream and scramble over rocks. You'll pass various other palm stands:
Here's a photo taken straight into the sun in an unsuccessful attempt to be arty:
You can hike a whole mile down the canyon to Victory Palms, but I had limited time and limited snacks, so I turned back. Be sure not to miss the path back out of the canyon!
The hike back across the desert was beautifully, ruggedly serene. After a few miles, I arrived back at the side path to Mastodon Mine. This trail leads up into the hills over some makeshift stone stairs. There is an optional side climb to Mastodon Peak, which the sign says is only 1/10 of a mile. From the top of Mastodon Peak:
The climb to Mastodon Peak is short and not difficult, but it is a scramble. Here is the path on the way back down:
The trail then leads by Mastodon Mine, a defunct gold mine. Apparently, a fault split the vein of gold, and the miners weren't able to find it again. (Some of the mine structure has been rebuilt to preserve the ruins that are still there.) The mine entrance is, of course, sealed so no one goes in and gets hurt, poisoned, or trapped, but it's fun to imagine the miners searching for the vein of gold. They searched in vain for the vein. Hahahahahaha.
The trail winds its way out of the hills and settles into a wash which leads back in a gentle loop by the Cottonwood campground and to the parking area where the whole loop started.
This is a fantastic and underrated hike! The scenery is subtly beautiful and the trail is wonderfully, starkly wild. The hike steadily changes throughout the route.
Nature trails
Joshua Tree NP has about a dozen short nature walks, all of them a mile or less in length. I walked several of them en route between longer hikes or on the way out of the park. Easily the coolest of the short hikes I tried is Hidden Valley loop. It's about a mile through a craggy, rocky valley:
This boulder in the Hidden Valley looks like a puffin:
Joshua trees in the hidden valley:
Another short path leads to Skull Rock:
That orange spot is a person crawling into the skull's eyehole. I was racing the setting sun on this hike, but still got a picture of the skull from another angle, making it eerie and distorted:
Cholla cactus occasionally appears along JTNP's trails, but one 1/4 mile loop leads through a Cholla garden - a huge patch of nothing but Cholla cactus.
Arch Rock is a fun area to scramble around on the rocks. Here is the natural arch:
And here I am on top of the arch looking down:
I always enjoy meeting people in the parks, and it's surprising how many tourists come to the parks - even the less famous ones like Joshua Tree - from overseas. The folks in that picture were speaking a language I can't identify for sure, but sounded like Russian.
The nature trail by Cottonwood Campground wasn't too interesting, but here it is:
And this easy quarter-mile loop, Bajada, has signs describing the plants of the Colorado Desert.