Sight · Joshua Tree National Park
Old mine gear at the end of a quieter four-mile desert hike.
Overview
Contact Mine is a historic mine reached on foot from a trailhead about half a mile south of the North Entrance Station. This is not a quick roadside stop: the out-and-back is 4 miles with 700 feet of climbing and takes 2–3 hours, starting in a sandy wash before climbing the rocky mountainside. Choose it for a quieter hike and mining history; skip it if you only have time for short stops. Take water and sun protection. Pets and emotional-support animals aren't allowed; service animals are permitted on a six-foot leash.
Parkwolf’s verdictWorth the hike?Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Joshua Tree Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Joshua Tree National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Joshua Tree audio tourRecorded for this place
Contact Mine: A Hike to the Old Workings“Contact Mine's trailhead is coming up, for a hike to old gold and silver workings on the mountainside.”
Plays as you drive up to Contact Mine in the Parkwolf Joshua Tree Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
At the end, the mine remains sit out in the open: a grated shaft, rusted cable drum, metal beams and pieces of tram track against the surrounding mountains. Don't handle or remove historic artifacts. For a photo, keep the fenced opening or rail fragments in the foreground and the steep, dry slope behind; a wider frame shows where the mine sits.
The Contact and Contact No. 2 lode claims were located on July 1, 1923. Gold and silver ore was worked here, with mining recorded in the early 1930s and again in 1940. After abundant winter rain, spring wildflowers can brighten the approach.
Wildlife
129 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
15 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
413 sightingsDesert TortoiseMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
275 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
47 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
32 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Joshua Tree. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateContact Mine Trail3.8 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.3 mi awayA quiet desert walk ends among century-old mine workings.
EasyPine City Trail4 mi · 2.5 hr · 3.4 mi awayA desert walk to pinyons tucked among granite boulders.
EasyDesert Queen Mine Trail1.5 mi · 1.3 hr · 3.4 mi awayOld mine gear rewards a short desert walk; stay outside the gates.
ChallengingEagle Cliff Mine Trail3.5 mi · 3 hr · 3.4 mi awayA hidden cabin in boulders, reached by a faint desert route
EasyLucky Boy Vista Trail2.5 mi · 1.5 hr · 3.9 mi awayAn easy desert walk to mine remains and a wide valley overlook.
EasyLucky Boy Loop3.3 mi · 2.3 hr · 3.9 mi awayDesert views, old mine remains, and a final road stretch.
ModerateSplit Rock Loop Trail2.5 mi · 2 hr · 4.1 mi awayA short boulder loop with a Face Rock detour worth the turn.
EasyOasis of Mara Trail0.5 mi · 20 min · 4.3 mi awayA half-mile paved loop beneath fan palms, with history on the signs.
Entrance station · 1.2 mi awayNorth Entrance StationA quick north-side stop to sort your park pass.
Sight · 1.4 mi awaySky’s the Limit Observatory and Nature CenterWalk a Solar System model scaled for human steps.
Sight · 3.2 mi awayEagle Cliff Mine and Boulder HouseA miner’s stone cabin tucked into a narrow boulder cleft.
Sight · 3.2 mi awayDesert Queen MineWalk a short loop past ore bins, old shafts and mining debris.
Sight · 3.8 mi awayFortynine Palms OasisA shaded palm grove at the end of a desert ridge hike.Sight · 4.1 mi awaySplit RockThe namesake boulder sits at the start of a 2.5-mile desert loop.
Sight · 4.2 mi awayOasis of MaraA palm grove with a surprisingly deep Serrano story.
Visitor center · 4.6 mi awayJoshua Tree National Park Visitor CenterA focused cultural introduction before the desert roads.Parkwolf’s Joshua Tree ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
