Trip Date: 4/2/2017
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 20.7 miles along Park Boulevard (be sure to stay left at the junction with Key's View Rd.) to the intersection with El Dorado Mine Rd. Turn right and go another 7.9 miles to an unsigned parking pullout on your right.
Synopsis: We have little to no interest in the mining history of Joshua Tree, but any excuse to get off the road and venture into the spectacular desert backcountry is worth the time and effort. If you manage, as we did, to catch this trail during an excellent wildflower season then you will be doubly rewarded. The views from the ridge are typically expansive.
Trail sequence: Silver Bell Mine trail
Type: Out and back
Distance: 1.6 miles
Elevation: Min. - 2525’, Max. - 2847'
Profile:
Rating: Easy-Moderate (factors: heat, steep sections, rocky trail)
Notes: We turned south on the top of the ridge in the hopes of linking this destination up with another mine, the El Dorado. There was a distinct trail heading in that direction but it peters out around the south side of the hill. It may have been used to summit the hill itself.
Track: Silver Bell Mine - Joshua Tree NP: AllTrails, GaiaGPS
Turn by turn:
-- Head south from the parking pullout, following the sometimes indistinct but nearly always discernible trail. It dips in and out of washes and sometimes circles around seemingly aimlessly as you cross the flat area toward the obvious trail heading up the hill.
-- Upon reaching the established trail begin climbing toward the abandoned structures up on the ridge.
-- After reaching the site and checking out the buildings there are excellent views to the south if you climb a few more feet up to the top of the ridge.
[From here we explored a bit, setting out on a trail that heads east along the ridge. It dead-ended as we round the hill, so we headed back to the mine site.]
-- Re-trace your path back to the parking area.
Photos: Flickr