Trip Date: 3/26/2016

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 15.7 miles on Park Boulevard (be sure to stay left at the junction with Keys View Rd.) to the entrance to Desert Queen Mine Rd. Turn left and drive the short distance to a small parking area on the right (big enough for three cars). There should be a sign that this is the trailhead for the Lucky Boy Vista trail.

Synopsis: This hike leads you up a some gently (at first) ascending foothills before leveling out on your way to a ridge where the views extend east over the Split Rock area. After backtracking a bit you can either return the way you came, or make the hike a loop by heading north and down to a beautiful wash area, where you'll gradually climb along the streamed to the Desert Queen parking area, then walk back to your car along Desert Queen Mine Rd.

Trail sequence: Lucky Boy Vista trail / Lucky Boy Loop Trail / Desert Queen Mine Road

Type: Loop

Distance: 3.5 miles

Elevation: Min. - 4293’, Max. - 4505'

Profile:

Rating: Moderate (factors: heat, extended wash-walking)

Notes: The second half of this hike, if you take it counterclockwise as we did, spends an awful lot of time walking up a wash. This can be fun. But it can also be a pain, especially at the end of a long day while wearing hiking sandals (interminable gravel intrusions).

Tracks: Lucky Boy loop / vista - Joshua Tree NP - Everytrail, Gaia

Turn by turn:

  -- Head east on the trail as it eventually begins to veer to the southeast and starts to climb a bit. After a half-mile or so the path ascends a bit more steeply, but nothing too challenging.

  -- The trail levels out and, after passing a junction with the Lucky Boy Loop trail on the left, works it way pretty directly toward a low saddle on the ridge to the east. This is Lucky Boy Vista. One can continue hiking down into the Split Rock area from here, but to follow this guide, turn around and head back the way you came.

  -- Upon returning to the junction with the Loop trail, turn right (north) and follow the trail as it works along a hillside, the begins, sometimes steeply, to descend.

  -- Eventually you drop down into a wash that is narrow at first but opens up as you climb. Follow the wash - and the signs that keep you on course - as it circles to the south, then heads west in a winding fashion.

  -- As you near the trailhead, you may hear cars on the dirt road (Desert Queen Mine Rd.). This is where the trail turns north again and parallels the road for a short distance. It is possible to jump out of the wash here and shorten your hike a bit. We chose to follow the wash to the trailhead.

  -- Upon reaching the Desert Queen parking area turn south and follow the road back to your car.

Photos: Flickr

Video: Youtube