Willow Hole - Joshua Tree (AKA Willow Springs): National Park: Joshua Tree ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

12/9/2020: This is yet another great desert hike. It is pretty flat and might be moderate only because of the length (6.8 miles). We loved the rock formations and how the trail led to Willow Springs (yes, there are Willow Trees), where you can find many great places to sit, have lunch and relax. Just watch out for cactus - I got a good set of scratches when trying to get the farthest reaches of the trail. But it was still worth it. So beautiful and tranquil.

• 6.8 Miles roundtrip – Family Friendly. 5-year old grandson? Probably not. Elevation is not bad, but it is long for little legs. Let him grow a bit more.
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Elevation range: 4032' to 4163' gross: +173'
• Traffic: Moderate to Heavy (depending on season)
• Getting There: No issues
• Trail Obstacles: None – some deep, soft sand
• Fees: Yes – National Park Fees
• Trailhead Coordinates: 34.0409, -116.1856
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• Management: National Park Service - Joshua Tree
• Alltrails Info

Marg’s Notes: To Joshua Tree. Got up and left early (6:50). Drove to the Willow Hole trailhead, ~1 hour. It was chilly! I wore jeans and a sweatshirt! A very nice trail. Sand was soft tho. Very pretty. Rod took lots of pics. Willow Hole was also pretty. Scrambled past it over some boulders to have a snack. Then hike back. 7+ miles in all. Drove to the Hidden Valley picnic area for lunch. Not many people overall. All campgrounds are closed due to COVID ☹. Drove all the way down to the South entrance, which we had never done. Pretty! During our hike, Rod got scratched up by a pokey-pokey bush as we were climbing over rocks for our snack!

Chicken, taters, salad.