Joshua Tree National Park guide · 1 min read
8,000 Routes: Quail Springs to Intersection Rock
Rock climbing is the big draw at Joshua Tree, with more than 8,000 established routes spread across the park.
Climbers with experience are free to head out independently, and anyone trying the sport for the first time can sign up for lessons or hire a guide. The Quail Springs Area is home to the Trash Can climb.
Climbing with a dog is possible in a handful of spots, where the rock sits no farther than 100 feet from pavement, parking, or a campground. At the Quail Springs Area, the Trash Can climb qualifies. Belle Campground has Castle Rock, and the Indian Cove Area offers Billboard Buttress, King Otto's Castle, Pixie Rock, and Short Wall. Many of the climbs at Hidden Valley Campground also fit, though not every one. Back at Indian Cove, an easy 0.6-mile loop introduces the ecology and past of the place.
Bouldering is another option. Around the Hidden Valley picnic area and campground, a good number of problems are just a short walk from your car or campsite, 100 feet away or less. Trashcan boulders near Quail Springs and a pixie boulder at Indian Cove are other places to try it. The one-mile loop at Hidden Valley winds through a valley enclosed by rock, a good way to spend time before or after a climb. The Cap Rock loop is 0.4 miles and accessible, passing boulders and Joshua trees.
For multi-day trips, the Quail Wash Zone combines open valleys and rocky canyons with two of the park's highest peaks, Quail Mountain at 5,813 feet and Mount Minerva Hoyt at 5,405 feet. Loop routes there connect to trails in neighboring zones. Neither summit has a maintained trail, so reaching them takes off-trail navigation skills.
