Willow Hole Trail

Willow Hole is about 7 miles round trip from the south Boy Scout Trailhead, following an out-and-back route. Allow about four hours. Park information gives both 7 and 7.2 miles for this hike, so plan for roughly seven. The trailhead description lists 246 feet of climbing. Choose it for a longer desert walk that changes from Joshua tree forest to a boulder-lined wash, not for a short stroll or a guaranteed pool of water.

Follow the Boy Scout Trail for about 1.2 miles, then take the signed turn right, northeast, onto Willow Hole Trail. Climbing access paths split nearby; stay with the marked day-use route. Continue about 2.3 miles through sandy washes to the willow grove, then return the same way. Among the boulders, pay attention to the signs and the correct wash. Stay with the markers when a wash splits; the correct route follows the signed corridor around the boulders.

The route gains only about 246 feet, but the sandy wash can be soft and deep underfoot, especially farther in. That slows an otherwise mostly flat walk and makes seven miles feel like a real half day. Much of the route is exposed. The park cautions that its moderate hikes may not suit summer heat; start very early or save this one for cooler conditions. Bring all the drinking water you need from the trailhead; there is no potable water service on the route.

The Boy Scout section crosses open desert and Joshua tree stands, with broad views toward the distant mountains. After the turn, the landscape tightens into the Wonderland of Rocks: sandy washes threading between cliffs, canyons, domes, and rounded granite walls. A sandy foreground in one of the narrow passages helps show how high the rock walls rise.

Pets are not permitted on this park trail. Overnight camping is prohibited at Willow Hole and in the Wonderland of Rocks area. The south Boy Scout Trailhead is the right access for the distance above; starting elsewhere on Boy Scout Trail changes the walk.