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Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree National Park and the surrounding area in California

76 posts

Johnny Lang Mine and Quail Mountain

Johnny Lang Mine and Quail Mountain

I’ve hiked to the top of Quail Mountain from Covington Flat, but I wanted to visit the Johnny Lang Mine. Johnny Lang, being noted for his involvement at the Lost Horse Mine, made me curious about his mine on the shoulder of Quail Mountain. He worked this small mine

Samuelson’s Rocks

Samuelson’s Rocks

This isolated rock outcrop known as Samuelson’s Rocks was once the homestead of Johann (or John) Samuelson, a Swedish immigrant who arrived around 1926. He must have had some time on his hands because some of the boulders here have 1930s Depression-era political and naturalistic commentary. Search around the

Twin Tanks

Twin Tanks

The Twin Tanks are a couple of natural tanks enhanced by cattle ranchers with concrete dams to hold more water. The southern dam is concrete with rock mixed in, and the northern one is plain concrete. This one also has an inscription of "C. O. Barker" in the

Hidden Handprint Cave

Hidden Handprint Cave

Deep in the Wonderland of Rocks is a unique rock shelter. Once used by the Serrano, it is a sacred place. They must have gathered here for rituals. The ceiling is marked with more than a dozen small red handprints, a shooting star, spoked circles, and other interesting symbols. It’

Boundary Island Petroglyphs

Boundary Island Petroglyphs

Off in a far-flung corner of Joshua Tree is an isolated boulder outcrop with a few dozen petroglyphs on it. They are generally abstract in design and could be of Serrano or Chemehuevi origin. There are quite a few circle petroglyphs here with lines descending down from them. It would

Sun Sword and Whale Rock Petroglyphs

Sun Sword and Whale Rock Petroglyphs

With a tip from a friend, I went out searching for a remote set of petroglyphs in the backcountry wilderness of Joshua Tree National Park in early 2020. I had a few clues in my search. I was looking for petroglyphs that were near an old campsite and hidden on

Black Hands Pictographs

Black Hands Pictographs

I found these solitary black pictographs hidden under a pile of granite boulders out at the northern end of Joshua Tree National Park. The pictographs here are very faded. A casual passerby wouldn’t even notice them. You have to know what you are looking for and stop a minute