Lost Horse Mine Loop

At a Glance

Distance: 6.2 mile loop

Difficulty: Easy - Moderate

Elevation Change: 400 feet

Trail Condition: Very Good

Restrictions: National Park Entrance Fee

Trailhead Coordinates: 33.950685, -116.159805

This loop capped off a perfect car camping weekend in Joshua Tree. Heading south on Keys View road, make a left onto Lost Horse Mine road about 2.4 miles past the fork at Park Boulevard. Continue down to the very end of Lost Horse Mine road and you will find parking and pit toilets at the trail head. Once you turn off Keys View, you will be on a dirt road to the trail head, but fear not, my little sub-compact Chevy made it with no problem. 

We hit the trail early in the morning, as it's a popular hike and the parking lot fills up. Heading in the clockwise direction, you have two options: the 4 mile and change out and back hike to the mine, or head around the mountain to complete the 6.2 mile loop. If you have enough energy and water, I strongly encourage you to complete the whole loop.

Heading up the hill toward Lost Horse Mine

The first two miles to Lost Horse Mine greeted us with a gradual incline and gentle, rolling hills. The hills were a smooth, refreshing change from the often striking and severe peaks and points towering above the desert floor. This area was badly burned by a fire and there is a noticeable lack of vegetation, so please do your part in helping this area recover by staying on trails and not disturbing the surrounding plants and wildlife. Shoot off the main trail to get a little closer to the mine and take a snack and water break before heading around the hill. Note that due to vandalism, the mine itself has been fenced in. While you can't get close enough to the mine to touch it, there are informative and interesting signs posted about the history of Lost Horse Mine and the importance of mining to the area in the early twentieth century.

The Valley Floor stretched out to the East

I wasn't sure what was in store for us as we headed past the mine and around the hill. Luckily for us, we were about to enter an area untouched by the recent fire with sweeping views of the basin to the East. Winding up and around the nearby hill, we were greeted by a lot of small elevation gains and losses as we twisted and turned toward Quail Wash. The trail here narrows quite a bit, and while mountain biking is forbidden on this trail, there were obvious tire tracks along the trail, so keep an eye out and be safe as you move along the ridge. Stop and take a minute to enjoy the views of the valley stretched out toward the East and see if you can spot Malapai Hill.

Chimney just before Quail Wash

The narrow hillside trail eventually flattens out into Quail Wash, the final portion of the Lost Horse Mine Loop. The Joshua Trees in this wash are absolutely superb. This portion of the trail surprised me with some of the largest and most elegant Joshua Trees I had seen in the park to date. I can only imagine what this wash must look and sound like after a thunderstorm or flash flood, with water rushing through the sand around the great trunks of the Joshua Trees. As this wash forks and winds through the valley, keep an eye out for posted signs keeping you on the trail. The park rangers do an excellent job of posting signs where turnoffs may be the most confusing, but it's up to you to navigate through the wash appropriately.

Quail Wash

Enjoy your last moments of solitude and the beauty of Joshua Tree as you wander through Quail Wash. Soon you will turn the corner and be back on Lost Horse Mine road, a few short steps from the parking lot. As you wind through the mine area, back around the mountain and through the wash I hope you enjoyed the scenery and all that Joshua Tree has to offer as much as I did.

Ryan Mountain

At A Glance

Distance: 2.96 miles (out and back)

Difficulty: Strenuous

Elevation Change: 1234 feet

Trail Condition: Very Good

Restrictions: National Park Entrance Fee

Trailhead Coordinates: 34.002611, -116.136592

Elevation Marker at the Peak

After spending my first weekend at Ryan campground, I had my sights set on Ryan mountain. This desert beauty towers over Juniper Flats, keeping the campground in the cool shade until the sun peers over the ridge in the mornings. Getting to the trailhead was a piece of cake. It's a short ride east from Ryan Campground on Park Boulevard. The popularity of the trail was immediately apparent. The trailhead is very well marked and boasts restrooms and relatively large paved parking lot.

View Northwest toward Wonderland of Rocks

Heading south, we started gaining elevation right away. As we started winding around the west side of the mountain, the views were already spectacular. The Joshua Tree forests of Juniper Flats and the Wonderland of Rocks to the north were beautiful. It provided ample motivation to make it to the top.

The trail hugs the West side of the mountains for the majority of the hike. Near the peak, it flattens out into a very small valley and heads toward the eastern side of the ridge. The last couple hundred yards start to give glimpses of the sweeping Eastward views from the summit.

View Southeast toward the Hexie Mountains

Once we arrived at the summit, it was immediately obvious why this was such a popular hike. The 1.5 miles up the ridge paled in comparison to the 360 degree views of the park. The Wonderland of Rocks rises in the North and the Joshua Tree forest of Juniper Flats stretches out to the West. Lost Horse Mine is hidden somewhere in the gentle hills to the South. The vast expanse of the Pinto Basin, abruptly halted by the Hexie Mountains, lies to the East. My only advice is to take a fleece or a windbreaker, as it can get blustery and chilly at the summit.


The takeaway from this hike: DO IT! The short 3 mile jaunt is well worth the incredible views of Joshua Tree NP stretched out below.

Bushwhacking near Ryan Mountain

What started out as a hike to Lost Horse Mine via Ryan campground turned into an off-trail bushwhacking adventure south of Ryan mountain and east of Keys View road. After setting up camp at Ryan campground, we headed east down the California Riding and Hiking Trail (CRHT). After missing the 90 degree right turn, we turned around and headed west on CRHT, but missed the turn again! Finally, on the third try we were able to spot it. For your own notes, the turn is east of Ryan campground and right next to a National Park Service sign noting that the you are in a fragile burn recovery area. It's just after the CRHT makes a sharp(ish) left turn heading East.

South of CRHT & Ryan Mountain, Looking West

It was clear that this trail is not actively maintained and you should be confident in your backcountry navigation skills if you're going to head in this direction. Sections of the trail appear to be a long abandoned access road. Other sections will make you wonder if you are on any sort of trail at all! We wound up between a few small hills directly South of the CHRT turn off. This area was absolutely perfect for some backcountry camping so we will be back soon.

After passing through the hills, we started to turn slightly southeast and down into a wash. We hit what appeared to be a junction, consulted the map and made a left turn. There were plenty of footprints in this area, and the left turn appeared to be more heavily traveled. Post-hike analysis of the GPS trek and the trail map have indicated we should have continued straight, so this must have been the beginning of our backcountry bushwhacking adventure. We wound up eastward through a wash that had clearly been traveled by many before us. The scenery started to change as we gained a little bit of elevation. There was more shade and even a few pine trees as the trail narrowed and continued along a fold in between the hills.

Heading Through the Wash

We finally traveled far enough up the wash to where there was no longer a clear path forward. It was getting late in the afternoon as well, so we decided to turn around and bushwhack our way back to the trail junction. The hike back was smooth with one small exception: I walked straight into a cactus. When you have to really concentrate on finding the trail, punting a small cactus is easier than you might think. After continuing skin irritation and a little research, it turns out I bumped into a silver cholla cactus. They are native to the region and left mosquito-bite looking bumps on my legs for a few weeks. Luckily, it's all healed up now and the marks are barely noticeable.

Overall, this was a beautiful area of Joshua Tree and we noted a few great looking backcountry camping locations. We were disappointed about not making it to Lost Horse Mine, but I am really looking forward to the backcountry camping areas we scoped out. Another great thing about exploring roads less traveled is the opportunity for solitude. We didn't spot a single soul (except the bunnies of course)!

Willow Hole via Boy Scout Trailhead South

Joshua Tree National Park at long last! I have been looking forward to this trip since the government shutdown forced us to cancel our first trip. We arrived at the park around 10:00 AM Saturday morning, planning to car camp and do a few 7-9 mile hikes but every campground was already full. Lesson learned: call ahead next time, and plan to camp on the trail. Due to an unfortunate series of events, we didn't have our tent and sleeping bags on us and we had planned to sleep in a campsite in the back of the truck. So, long story short, we called an audible and turned an overnight trip into a longer, one day trip. Looking for campsites had already killed over an hour, and noon was approaching so we needed to get on a trail. We settled on Willow Hole via the Boy Scout Trailhead South. Given the amount of time we had, and the fact that we would be driving home that night, a 7 mile hike was just what we were looking for.

Boy Scout Trailhead South

View Northeast From BST

The fastest way to access the Boy Scout Trail is through the West Entrance in Joshua Tree (the city). Head south on Park Boulevard and you will eventually see the trail markers on your left. There was plenty of parking, even though we arrived at noon and the park was packed. There is a back country registration board at this trail head, in case you plan on spending the night. Just be sure to camp on the West side of the trail, the East side is Day Use Only area.

Willow Hole Junction

Travel about 1.25 miles north on the Boy Scout trail and you will come to the Willow Hole junction. The first 1.25 miles is mostly flat and takes you through a forest of incredible Joshua Trees. It's very well marked and both trails are well-traveled. Bear right to head into the Wonderland of Rocks and on to Willow Hole!

I'll put a short disclaimer here: while the trail is very well marked, it's crucial to pay attention to your surroundings. The Wonderland of Rocks is a famously disorienting and confusing place. Having a reliable compass and an accurate topo trail map is an absolute MUST for heading off this way. We also brought our Garmin Oregon 450t with pre-programmed waypoints. Pay attention to trail markers and don't wander too far off the trail without confidence that you can navigate back with your map and compass - visual landmarks are not reliable for navigation here.

The Wonderland of Rocks

Willow Hole is about 2.5 miles from the junction. The terrain stays much the same for the first mile, but then begins to change as you head deeper into the Wonderland of Rocks. You will pass by a small trail marker pointing north to Outer Mongolia, and might be lucky enough to see some rock climbers scaling it's face. Keep heading northeast into the Wonderland, and you will start to encounter some new scenery and terrain. The rock formations start towering above you and the plant life starts to change slightly. While the beginning portion of the trail offers no shade at all, there are plenty of large rock formations and bushes right next to the trail that provide some shade and resting points if necessary.

The Wash

The last portion of the trail follows a large wash, so expect your progress to be slowed. Be careful to follow the posted signs and other not-so-natural looking trail markers to stay on the trail. Occasionally it leaves and re-joins the wash, which could be confusing and disorienting for someone not paying close attention to the trail. Take note of the small flowers and other plants that would not survive outside of the cooler wash area. We also heard a lot more birds singing on this part of the trail than at earlier points.

Willow Hole

Keep traveling through the wash as it bends slightly south, and then back to the north. Enjoy the magnificence and beauty of this complicated environment. The boulders and rock formation tower above, providing shade and relief for some of the smallest flowers. Stop and enjoy a break and the abundant shade at Willow Hole before either heading back to the Boy Scout Trail.

This was a wonderful hike and a perfect representation of what Joshua Tree has to offer. In just 7 miles, you can experience the vast forests of Joshua Trees and the diversity of the Wonderland of Rocks. I highly recommend this trail for a half-day excursion in Joshua Tree.