Joshua Tree National Park is definitely on the must-see list of every tourist - who are we to disagree? On a sunny but chilly Saturday, the Tourists made the required pilgrimage to the park and hiked the 6 mile Lost Horse Mine Loop, located off the Keyes View road. Ferranti's "100 Great Hikes in the Palm Springs Area" guidebook says the loop is 8 miles for some reason, but the signs on the trail disagree. The book also says the loop is hard to follow in places, but that is not true anymore. There are signs everwhere to make sure that even the most clueless "touron" wont get lost.
We hiked the loop counterclockwise, saving the mine for last. For a long ways the trail followed a gentle mile-high desert valley dotted with picturesque Joshua Trees and even some juniper trees- practically a rain forest around here. After a few miles, the trail topped out on a ridge with long views and joined up with an old jeep road, which gradually descended to the remnants of a cabin. About the only things left of the structure were a chimney and a rusty bedsprings ("Its a Sleep Number Bed! exclaimed Bill, ever the wag - Sleep number -45 I thought). Weirdly the chimney was smoking vigorously, as if someone had build a fire in it. Further examination showed that flames were licking inside the rocks in the upper part of the chimney - old creosote or rats nests were burning. Strange.
Beyond the chimney, the trail climbed to a pass with a vast view over a valley with a big cinder cone popping up out of it and a strong chilly wind. Just when we thought the whole loop hike was going to be a piece of cake, the trail here became rugged, traversing a steep slope past old mines, then climbing at a lung-busting rate to the summit of Lost Horse Mountain. On the other side of the mountain was the main mine site with the well preserved remnant of a stamp mill. Despite the two mile hike in, the area was swarming with other tourists who were enjoying J.T. on a busy weekend day.
The final two miles back the trailhead were mostly downhill on a wide, easy trail and went quickly. The Seattle Tourists had a great time and agreed that the Lost Horse Mine Loop was a winner.
Silly tourists acting up at Lost Horse Mine:
Smoking chimney and old sleep number bed:
Real live Joshua Trees!
