{"id":2631,"date":"2012-02-10T04:27:53","date_gmt":"2012-02-10T04:27:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.backroadswest.com\/blog\/?p=2631"},"modified":"2022-09-22T15:49:55","modified_gmt":"2022-09-22T15:49:55","slug":"willow-hole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.backroadswest.com\/blog\/willow-hole\/","title":{"rendered":"Willow Hole in Joshua Tree National Park"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In our opinion, the hike to Willow Hole, which is located in the Wonderland of Rocks region of Joshua Tree National Park, is one of the most rewarding hikes in the park.<\/strong> The trail passes through all of the scenery that Joshua Tree National Park is known for, not only the famous yucca that the park is named after, but all of those beautifully sculptured granite boulders and long desert vistas that has captivated visitors to this park for decades.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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We\u2019ve gone on many hikes all over the park in search of that perfect trail that leads into the heart of the Wonderland of Rocks.\u00a0 In all our travels through the deserts of Southern California, granite rock outcroppings are a photographer\u2019s dream because of the endless formations created by Mother Nature.\u00a0 There are numerous outcroppings in the Mojave National Preserve<\/a>, as well as historic Alabama Hills near Lone Pine<\/a>, but nothing beats the granites of Joshua Tree.\u00a0 We thought that the trail into Rattlesnake Canyon from Indian Cove would give us good access.\u00a0 But after going on a hike with an experienced guide, we learned it took lots of rock climbing and trail finding skills to find your way.\u00a0 Perhaps a hike into Rattlesnake Canyon will be a future post in this blog.\u00a0 But we found that the Willow Hole Trail is much easier.<\/p>

Willow Hole is an oasis in the middle of the Wonderland of Rocks.\u00a0 When one hears of the word oasis, they envision dozens of palm trees around a remote spring.\u00a0 Willow Hole is almost the same.\u00a0 Replace the vision of palm trees with several dozen desert willows and other assorted trees nestled in a big hole between large granite boulder outcroppings and you\u2019ll see Willow Hole.<\/p>

One nice aspect of the Willow Hole Trail is that it is very \u201cuser friendly\u201d.\u00a0 Although the total length of the trial is about 6.5 miles (roundtrip), which might scare some people away, it is easy to follow and relatively flat.<\/p>

An interesting fact about this hike is that it isn\u2019t documented in any of the Park publications or any of the hiking books that we\u2019ve looked at.\u00a0 We simply discovered it by reading one of the many kiosk signs along Park Boulevard, which is the main road through the park.\u00a0 One would think that, because it isn\u2019t advertised, not many people would be out using the trail.\u00a0 However, we found quite a few hikers on the day we visited, but this was also during a good weather day between Christmas and New Years.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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