Parking
Start at Quail Springs Picnic Area, the first picnic area inside the west entrance on Park Boulevard. It has 31 regular spaces and 3 accessible spaces; the trail starts from the picnic area.
Overview
About Quail Springs Historic Trail
Why go
- A long, mostly level walk into open desert beyond the picnic area.
Heads up
- The start can be eroded and difficult to pick out.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Joshua Tree map
Full mapElevation3,783–3,980 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
5 active Joshua Tree alerts
- ClosureOasis of Mara Trail closed past the OasisThe Oasis of Mara Trail is closed past the Oasis due to a heavy flooding event; do not continue beyond the Oasis. Check current park conditions before visiting.Official details
- ClosureSR 62 and US 95 closed by floodingFlooding has closed portions of SR 62 and US 95; avoid the closed segments.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Joshua Tree Tour Guide
Your drive to Quail Springs Historic Trail, narrated.
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 trailhead
Quail Springs for a Picnic or Stars0:00 / 0:26
“You're coming up on Quail Springs Picnic Area, where tables sit beneath big granite boulders among the Joshua trees. It's a handy stop for a meal without adding a hike.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Joshua Tree Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Willow Hole from Boy Scout Trailhead
- The Life Between the Plants
- Hemingway Buttress and Its Climbing Cracks
- Hidden Valley Picnic and Loop
- 89 audio storiesacross Joshua Tree’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bighorn Sheep, Golden Eagle, Desert Tortoise, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 60 trails, 64 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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
Hiking Quail Springs Historic Trail
What you’re taking onThis is a 4.
This is a 4.8-mile out-and-back from Quail Springs Picnic Area along a mostly flat desert corridor toward Johnny Lang Canyon, then back the same way. Allow about 2 to 3 hours. You’ll cross open scrub among Joshua trees and boulder outcrops. The start can be hard to pick out, and the published route does not give a standalone mileage or endpoint; this listing follows the named westbound corridor and turns around at its mapped end.
Stay on the historic corridorThe route leaves the picnic area to the west.
The route leaves the picnic area to the west. The first stretch can be eroded and difficult to spot; beyond it, the walk is long and relatively flat. A separate connector branches toward Johnny Lang Canyon before the mapped end. Follow the historic line on an offline map and return from its western end rather than adding an unplanned connector. If you can’t find the tread or confirm the branch, turn back.
At the trailheadQuail Springs is the first picnic area inside the west entrance.
Quail Springs is the first picnic area inside the west entrance. It has 34 parking spaces, including three accessible spaces, vault toilets, picnic tables and grills. There is no drinking water in the park and no food service at the trailhead. Pets aren’t allowed on park hiking trails; leashed pets may stay in developed areas within 100 feet of roads, picnic areas or campgrounds.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Joshua Tree
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.
