State: California
Location: Joshua Tree National Park
Length, Round Trip: 1.5 miles
Trail Type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 4300 feet
Best Season: Spring, Fall, Winter
Difficulty: Easy
Usage: Light
Owens Valley
Trail Information
The Wall Street Mill Trail heads into the Wonderland of Rocks from the northeastern end of Hidden Valley. This route has the highest concentration of mining era ruins of any trail in the park. It leads north from the trailhead .75 miles, passing a house foundation, historic site marker, a windmill and stamp mill.
This hike provides plentiful examples of the desert’s power of preservation. Rusty old trucks still have their tires. Antique cars sit peacefully beneath oak trees. The mill protected by the National Register of Historic Sites due to its local technological and mechanical uniqueness still stands with its machinery intact, albeit a tad rusty. A barbed wire fence also protects the mill from visitors. Nearby are hulks of vehicles and other artifacts of life in the desert from 60 years ago. Visitors interested in the industrial history of the area will enjoy this short trek.
Directions
From Oasis Visitor Center:
Follow Twentynine Palms Highway (CA Hwy. 62) west to Joshua Tree. In Joshua Tree, turn left on Park Boulevard, which becomes Quail Springs Road after crossing Alta Loma Drive. Follow Quail Springs Road to the improved road that leads to Hidden Valley Campground. Continue 1.5 miles past the campground entrance to an unmarked dirt road. Turn left on this road that is the first road past Barker Dam parking area. Drive .25 miles to the trailhead.
