Trip Date: 10/9/2016

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 17.2 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 Jumbo Rocks campground. Turn around here and return to the main road but just to turn left and find a parking space on the north side of the road (park as far forward as you can, since you'll be walking along the road to the west).

Synopsis: A walk in the desert followed by a scramble through the rocks. In most cases this would sound like a fun couple of hours. In Joshua Tree it's guaranteed to be a blast. Oh, and there are amazing views from the top, too.

Trail sequence: 

Type: Out and back

Distance: 3 miles

Elevation: Min. - 4369’, Max. - 4536'

Profile:

Rating: Easy-Moderate (factors: heat, scrambling, route-finding)

Notes: This is an easy hike, except for one spot (which is the reason for the addition of "-Moderate" in our rating). After reach the large, rocky outcrop on the which the old (rumored to be World War II era) lookout is situated, and climbing around and up the east base of the rocks, there is a spot where the trail appears to end. It is here that one must turn and scramble up a large crack on the side of the rock wall. This is a relatively easy scramble, but it should not be taken lightly by those who are not confident in their skills. After surmounting the 10-12 foot climb and stepping up onto the outcrop's top the trail becomes apparent once again.

Track: Crown Prince Lookout - Joshua Tree NP: Alltrails, GaiaGPS 

Turn by turn:

  -- Walk about a quarter mile from the parking on the side of the paved road. Keep an eye out for a series of four or five medium-sized reddish rocks on the south side of the road. These mark the beginning of an old road that first heads southwest for a short distance, then turns sharply to the left. (As can be seen from the above track we neglected to find these rock markers before heading into the desert and looking for the road.)

  -- Follow the old road as it first heads south-southwest, then gradually circles to the east as it climbs over a low rise, then drops toward a grouping of rock outcrops. After about 0.8 miles the trail forks. Turn right (south) toward the prominent rock pile in that direction.

  -- The trail heads directly for the outcrop, then winds its way (often indistinctly) around the north, then east side and ascends up the walls. If you've followed the correct path you'll find that it snakes along the east walls of the outcrop, finally seeming to begin descending to the south. It is at this point that you need to look for a distinct, south facing crack in the wall with rocks that allow you to climb up into the opening. With a little effort this spot can be scaled, after which you climb up some rock steps and level out on the top of the rock pile.

  -- On top the trail appears again, and heads to the west side of the outcrop where there is a square concrete block and some metal anchors in the ground - be careful not to trip on these.

  -- Once you're done admiring the amazing views from the top, find your way back to the scramble point, carefully drop back down, and retrace your track back to the park road.

Photos: Flickr