Joshua Tree National Park, CA
A three-mile backcountry climb links Quail Wash and Bigfoot Trail.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
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 area
The Bird That Plants Mistletoe“A reddish tangle growing in a mesquite tree may be desert mistletoe, with a bird helping it spread. Phainopeplas, crested birds whose males are glossy black, eat the mistletoe's berries.”
Plays on the road 1.3 mi from the trailhead 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Panorama Trail is a roughly 3-mile backcountry traverse between the Quail Wash path and Bigfoot Trail in Joshua Tree. The park sign gives 3.0 miles; the mapped corridor is about 3.2 miles, so this is a rounded one-way distance. It is a through-route between trail junctions, not a loop. Allow about 2 to 3 hours for this section alone; longer Bigfoot–Panorama circuits add other trails and more mileage.
From the Quail Wash junction, the path climbs through open desert and rocky canyon country before dropping toward its Bigfoot Trail junction. The sampled profile gains about 930 feet and reaches roughly 4,250 feet. Local descriptions of connected hikes mention varied terrain, some wash walking and broad Joshua Tree vistas, but do not tie a particular viewpoint to this entire segment. Treat it as a backcountry connector, not a guaranteed overlook walk.
The mapped ends are trail junctions, and no direct road parking point for this 3-mile section was verified. A Park Boulevard roadside interpretation turnout 2.3 miles beyond the West Entrance is an access point for a separate 7.5-mile Bigfoot–Panorama loop; reaching this segment from there requires the connected trail network. Plan the full route and return before setting out. Food, drinking water and restrooms were not verified along the segment, so carry all water. The park warns that heat and dehydration make remote hikes dangerous. Pets are not allowed on park trails.
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
ModerateWindow Loop Trail5.5 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.9 mi awayA long Maze approach leads to Window Rock’s tiny opening.
ModerateNorth View Trail5.6 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.9 mi awayWide Morongo Basin views reward a long, rocky out-and-back.
ModerateMaze Loop Trail5 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.9 mi awayA five-mile boulder maze through sandy washes and Joshua trees.
ModerateMary Trail2.2 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.9 mi awayA backcountry link between Quail Wash and Samuelson West.
ModerateNorth Canyon Trail1.8 mi · 1 hr · 1.9 mi awayA one-way connector through the Maze’s washes and rocky ridges.
EasySamuelson West Trail1.1 mi · 30 min · 2 mi awayA 1.1-mile backcountry link with a Mary Trail junction midway
ModerateSamuelson Rocks via Creosote and Bigfoot Trails4.8 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayFollow desert paths to a lonely mound of carved messages.
EasyCreosote Trail1.2 mi · 45 min · 2.1 mi awayA short, lightly signed walk among creosote and Joshua trees.
Entrance station · 1.3 mi awayWest Entrance and Welcome SignThe west-gate sign, water fill, and first stop on the park drive.
Sight · 2.7 mi awaySamuelson RocksCarved desert messages from a man whose story went missing.
Sight · 3.8 mi awayNancy Karl Trail OverlookA sandy trail leads to a wayside view over the desert basin.
Visitor center · 4.7 mi awayJoshua Tree Visitor CenterPick up a map and ranger advice before the West Entrance.
Picnic area · 5 mi awayQuail Springs Picnic AreaPicnic tables and grills tucked beneath Joshua Tree’s granite boulders.
Sight · 5.3 mi awayEureka PeakA steep dirt-road detour to a wide 360-degree summit view.
Sight · 6.3 mi awayKeys RanchA ranger-led walk among a family’s desert buildings and mining gear.
Campground · 6.6 mi awayIndian Cove CampgroundCamp among boulders with climbing and a half-mile nature loop nearby.Parkwolf’s Joshua Tree ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
