We spent another relaxing weekend in Joshua Tree. Before we left, I researched a few different hikes, but I wasn’t really tied to any one plan. We didn’t get up super early, so by the time we got to Joshua Tree it was around 11:30 am. There was a sign on the 62 diverting people to enter the park at the north entrance. That’s when I knew it would be a long line of traffic to get into the park. This is the price you pay when you don’t get up early. Rather than wasting more time, I remembered the Boy Scout Trail. You can gain access to the trailhead at Indian Cove Road. So that’s what we did and it ended up being a lovely day void of any crowds. The hike on the Boy Scout Trail starts out fairly flat and then slowly begins to ascend gradually. We were taken through beautiful winding canyons surrounded by huge walls of rocks. The scenery was wonderful and we thoroughly enjoyed this pleasant, leisurely hike through the backcountry. When we reached our turnaround time, we headed back. With the days being much shorter, we’d soon be running out of daylight. The Boy Scout Trail is a little over 7 miles one way. If you begin on the Indian Cove side, it hikes you into the park. You can also start from the trailhead off Park Boulevard and hike all the way to Indian Cove. Some people like to do a car shuttle so then you only have to hike the 7 miles one way. After the hike we checked in at my absolute favorite place to stay in Twentynine Palms, The Campbell House. Then we had dinner and drinks at The Twentynine Palms Inn. Afterwards, we came back to the room, put on our fluffy robes and watched old movies on TV. I get so relaxed when I come here! The next morning we had breakfast in the main dining room and then headed out. We drove to Juniper Flats and hopped on the California Riding and Hiking Trail until we reached the junction for the Stubbe Springs Loop. From there we decided to loop it back on Juniper Flats road. It was an unseasonably warm day for November. Hopefully, when we come back in January, it will be cooler. At any rate, we had a wonderful time just as we always do any time we visit this magical desert.

We were on part of this trail in November, and I wanted to go back and do more of it. I like this trail because it takes you into the backcountry and away from the more popular attractions in the park. You can really cover a lot of mileage in a short amount of time on this section because it’s mostly flat with only a 594’ gain/loss if you’re doing it as an out and back. Overnight backpackers will do the whole 35 mile trail in about 2 or 3 days. For this section, we parked at Juniper Flats, crossed Keys View Road and starting hiking. We past Ryan Campground and between Ryan and Lost Horse mountains. The trail leads up up from Lost Horse Valley to a pass and down the other side where it becomes more rocky and rugged. We passed the remains of an old prospector camp. There are actually quite a number of these located in the park and not just the ones noted on the map. The trail then took us down the other side of the pass into Queen Valley. We continued across the vast Queen Valley enjoying the immense open space. We’d gotten a late start today, so we gave ourselves a turnaround time since we didn’t have a car shuttle on the other end and would have to hike back the same amount of miles that we hiked in. We were just 1.7 miles short of Geology Tour Road when we had to head back. We still logged in a good 10 mile hike.

Joshua Tree National Park, November 8 and 9, 2019, Boy Scout Trail from Indian Cove and CA Riding and Hiking Trail to Juniper Flats Road

Joshua Tree National Park-Day 1, California Riding & Hiking Trail: Juniper Flats to Geology Tour Road, 10 miles out & back RT, 594' +/-, January 13, 2018