Parking
No dedicated parking or roadside trailhead is documented for this connector. The nearest backcountry entry and exit trailheads for Quail Wash Zone are Boy Scout, Covington Flats and Juniper Flats; plan a connecting route before setting out.
Overview
About Samuelson West Trail
Why go
- An easy, low-gain link between two Bigfoot Trail junctions.
Heads up
- No route-specific surface or parking directions are documented.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Joshua Tree map
Full mapElevation3,750–3,911 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 Samuelson West 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 area
Samuelson Rocks from Creosote Trail0:00 / 0:25
“You're nearing the Creosote Trail pullout, an access point for Samuelson Rocks.”
Plays on the road 1.1 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Joshua Tree Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Life Between the Plants
- Maze Loop Through the Boulder Country
- The Bird That Plants Mistletoe
- Quail Springs for a Picnic or Stars
- 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 Samuelson West Trail
A short link in Quail WashSamuelson West Trail is a 1.
Samuelson West Trail is a 1.1-mile point-to-point backcountry path between two Bigfoot Trail junctions, with a Mary Trail junction about halfway along. The 1.1 miles is one way; retracing the same line makes about 2.2 miles. Available route figures rate it easy and show about 72 feet of gain. Allow roughly 30–45 minutes each way.
Plan it as part of a longer routeThere is no trail-specific parking location or designated roadside trailhead in the route…
There is no trail-specific parking location or designated roadside trailhead in the route information. Both ends meet Bigfoot Trail, and Mary Trail crosses it partway through. The nearest backcountry entry and exit trailheads for this zone are Boy Scout, Covington Flats and Juniper Flats, so plan the larger route before setting out. Pets are prohibited on hiking trails and in the backcountry.
Keep it separate from Samuelson RocksThis connector does not reach the inscribed rocks.
This connector does not reach the inscribed rocks. Several separate hikes go to Samuelson Rocks from other approaches, and their longer distances do not describe this 1.1-mile line. The route is named and mapped, but its own tread, surface and wayfinding details are sparse; don't treat either endpoint as a roadside trailhead.
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.
