Short on Time? Do the Loop!
- Shanghai Brown
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- May 27, 2018
- 6 min read
There is so much to do in Joshua Tree National Park, and so many places to explore, it could take a lifetime to do it all. Don’t have the rest of your life to visit? That’s a shame. But you can still enjoy an excellent introduction to Joshua Tree National Park even if you only have a few hours for a drive. It’s called “The Loop.” Start The Loop from either Twentynine Palms or Joshua Tree. These days, it’s quicker to enter the park through the Twentynine Palms entrance. Both entrances have a Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center, so you can ask questions, buy a pass, and load up on water. Make sure to bring water and food with you since there are no concessions within the Park, and gas up the car before heading into the park. There’s no gas in the park. And it’s a big park. The Loop takes you along Park Boulevard through the Mojave Desert portion of the park. You’ll see Joshua tree forests, extensive and sometimes bizarre rock formations, and much more, just by driving The Loop. But remember—getting out of the car is half the fun.
Things to do on The Loop
Explore Hidden Valley Stop at Hidden Valley and explore rock formations where the McHaney brothers once reportedly stashed their stolen cattle. Hidden Valley’s day use area provides a great picnic location and easy scenic hiking through the rock formations on a loop trail. An excellent location to find a rock to watch the sunrise or sunset—just make sure to bring a light and be very careful on rocks and trails.
Hike to Barker Dam Turn off Park Boulevard to nearby Barker Dam for a 1.3 mile (easy) loop trail that takes you among the rock formations to a dam built to hold rainwater for cattle, and by petroglyphs left by Native Americans. It’s a great little walk and works well with kids. If you go at the right time, you may even see bighorn sheep!
Wall Street Mill Hike Another great hike accessible from the Barker Dam turnoff is the easy hike out to the Wall Street Mill. Built by Bill Keys, the two-stamp mill, built for crushing ore from nearby mines in the Desert Queen area is a good example of late-19th century mill equipment. Near this location there was once an engraved stone that noted, “Here is where Worth Bagley bit the dust at the hand of W.F. Keys, May 11, 1943.” Bagley hadn’t liked Keys using a desert road that crossed his property, and it led to a shoot-out. Keys was convicted of murder and sent to San Quentin Prison, but was pardoned in 1956 due to the efforts of Erle Stanley Gardner, author of the Perry Mason crime novels. Keys Desert Queen Ranch Tour A tour of Keys Desert Queen Ranch provides excellent insights into the story of Bill and Frances Keys and their family’s six decades in this remote Mojave location. Visit the ranch house, school house, and workshop, and learn their story during a 90 minute ranger-led tour. Bighorn sheep are known to occasionally pay a visit, and special artist/photographer tours are held from time to time. The ranch is only accessible through these tours. For tickets visit one of the visitor centers. Tour prices are not included in park admission.
Keys View & Cap Rock Turn off to go to Keys View if you have time. From this high vantage point you can gaze across Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, the San Andreas Fault, and the Salton Sea—all the way to Mexico on a clear day. Note the rock formation at the turn to go to Keys View. Look at the top—that’s Cap Rock, and it plays a fascinating role in American pop music culture. There’s a short nature trail at Cap Rock that provides a great break from the car.
Geology Tour Road If you have a 4WD or high clearance vehicle, Geology Tour Road (dirt) makes for a great drive through Pleasant Valley. Look for interesting rock formations, signs of Native American habitation and petroglyphs near Squaw Tank, and old mining activity. The one-way loop section past Squaw Tank is rougher, but well worth the drive. For the real adventurous—and very well prepared—Berdoo Canyon Road (4WD high clearance required), can provide an interesting back country drive south out of the park into the Coachella Valley. Visit the ruins of Berdoo Camp, built in the 1930s during the construction of the California Aqueduct. Check with rangers on road conditions before taking this route or any other back country routes. Weather conditions can greatly impact the condition of these roads and may, at times, render them unpassable.
Desert Queen Mine The dirt road going north from the turnoff for the Geology Tour Road takes you on a short drive to the Desert Queen Mine (usually passable for passenger cars), a historic mining district where you can visit the remnants of a stone cabin and a number of mines (never go into mines). Imagine the sound of giant stamp mills crushing ore 24 hours a day as these mines were in production. Look for the remains of an old stone cabin, and think of how harsh life could be for Native Americans, prospectors, miners, ranchers, and homesteaders in earlier times. An easy hike to Pine City is also accessible from this location.
Cholla Cactus Garden, Ocotillo Patch & Cottonwood If you have time, at the junction of Park Boulevard and Pinto Basin Road, you may want to head south and visit the Cholla Cactus Garden. Walk among these hearty desert cacti, but be careful—they can jump! (They glow at sunset though!) A little farther south is the Ocotillo patch, which is beautiful in bloom. You can even visit the Cottonwood Visitor Center and hike to nearby palm oases, but be aware that this adds hours to your trip. You can take this southern route to reach Interstate 10 and the Coachella Valley/Palm Springs area. Well prepared drivers with a 4WD high clearance vehicle in very good condition may take the Pinkham Canyon/Thermal Canyon roads out of the south end of the park to Interstate 10. Rangers recommend bringing emergency supplies with you for these roads. ALWAYS ask a ranger about road conditions for back country travel.
Rock Climbers In the western portion of The Loop, as you drive along the Wonderland of Rocks, especially between the Boy Scout Trail and Jumbo Rocks, keep an eye out for rock climbers on the massive faces of the granite rock formations along Park Boulevard. Joshua Tree National Park is one of the leading rock climbing destinations in North America, so you’ll frequently see climbs in progress.
Picnic in the Park Purchase a box lunch in Joshua Tree or Twentynine Palms and enjoy a picnic along the way. There are several day use areas along The Loop that make for excellent picnic spots and offer parking, restrooms, and picnic tables. But remember—bring your own water and food.
Dine, Shop & Browse After taking The Loop through Joshua Tree National Park, enjoy lunch or dinner outside the park in Joshua Tree or Twentynine Palms, browse the art galleries and shops, tour the Oasis of Murals and public art projects in Twentynine Palms, or stop to go antiquing in Old Town Yucca Valley before heading back to the hotel or home. Remember—the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Centers in Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree are excellent places to plan your visit to the park and make the most of your time. Bring plenty of water and make sure you fill-up your gas tank before entering the park.
Care for Your Park—Our Park Our public lands are undergoing assaults on many fronts. Misguided artists and vandals are defacing historical sites, rock formations, and Native American petroglyphs and sacred sites. Looters are stealing Native American and historic artifacts. Off-roaders are obliterating protected habitat and historic sites. Others are dumping garbage, starting illegal bonfires (that can quickly spread—they’re illegal for a reason), taking their dogs on trails where they are prohibited (again, for a reason), and ignoring park rules. The destruction and theft destroy invaluable resources meant to be shared with future generations of Americans and visitors from around the globe. As a result, more historic sites are closed, resources are diverted to repair vandalism and investigate thefts, and our heritage is damaged and destroyed. Our national parks and public lands are our national treasures. Please join us in being good stewards of these treasures. Put the National Park Service Tipline number in your cell phone (888-653-0009) and report any suspected vandalism or theft during your visit. Rangers can’t be everywhere. We need to help care for our own heritage. Thank you!
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