Trip report
Feb 24, 2017 — This small loop was a great little excursion in the Joshua Tree Wilderness of Rocks that includes some nice boulder-hopping, pretty canyon scenery, and a great overlook into the Wilderness of Rocks. For something more intense, check out our loop of Johnson Spring and Rattlesnake Canyon.
From the trailhead, we headed through the desert and located a shallow and not super obvious drainage heading southwest, the route obscured by countless boulders and rock outcroppings. The canyon of choice became choked with boulders and fun scrambling as it ascends to a rocky saddle, eventually leading into a wash that heads generally south. We left the wash to take a quick detour to the east leading to a cozy little area that's hugged by four bouldery hills and has a really nice view to the south overlooking the Wilderness of Rocks. It would have been a particularly rough effort to continue our intended loop from here, so we went back to the wash we left for our detour, which stared curving east. We descended the drainage, which had a bunch of boulders, but was mostly not too much effort. The canyon begins to narrow and included some water-carved prettiness as it heads northeast toward the end of the loop. Lots of talus caves and down climbs made the rest a lot of fun.