Trip Date: 2/22/2015
Location: Joshua Tree National Park
Permit/Pass: 7 Day Permit ($15), JT Annual Pass ($30) or National Parks Pass
Trails: NPS
Directions: From Hwy 62 (Twentynine Palms Highway) in Yucca Valley follow the signs to JTNP (south on Park Blvd - Quail Springs Rd - National Park Dr) to the kiosk at the Northwest entrance. Drive 18.5 miles on Park Boulevard (be sure to stay left at the junction with Keys View Rd.) from the entrance to the the right turn into the Live Oak day use area. Stay to the right heading west until the road ends at a circular parking area.
Synopsis: Live Oak day-use area is a nice spot for a lunch break. At the end of the dirt road there's a parking area that gives access to the south to the Live Oak Wash. It's a pretty little loop around the area's rock outcrop, and through the wash that give's this spot its name.
Trail sequence: Live Oak Wash / off-trail / day-use area road
Type: Loop
Distance: 0.9 miles
Elevation: Min. - 4142’, Max. - 4270'
Profile:
Rating: Easy (factors: heat)
Trail notes: A few steps down into the wash you'll find the oak that has gotten star billing here. It's apparently an unusual hybrid. Our last time here it appeared sickly. Fingers crossed...
Live Oak Wash - Joshua Tree NP
Turn by turn:
-- After parking, head south into the wash and follow as it immediately winds between the west side of the rock outcrop and the eponymous oak.
-- Continue in the sandy wash past Live Oak tank - a small man-made above-ground reservoir - behind a low stone wall.
-- The wash circles to the east and behind the rocks. Soon you veer to the northeast and then back to the southeast. We chose to climb over a couple of low stone benches and head back up toward the road through a small wash heading to the north. (For a bit longer walk, continue along the Live Oak Wash past a rock pile and find the use trail heading back to the picnic area on the east side of the outcrop.)
-- As you reach the backside of the rocks veer to the right (east) toward the picnic tables. In a few hundred feet you'll see a low rise to the north along with the top of the restrooms. Head up and over this spot to return to the road.
-- Once you reach the road turn to the left (west) and continue back to the parking lot.
Photo gallery: Flickr