Quail Wash Loop - 2.8.2025
We parked at the Quail Springs Picnic area in Joshua Tree National Park and will start hiking south across Quail Wash toward the 5000 foot peaks and massive rock formations in the distance.
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Hiking south across Quail Wash... crossing Quail Wash and heading for the rock formations in the red circle... then we will continue east along the wash and then go up an unnamed canyon behind that huge rock wall... then drop down the other side of the peaks and loop back to the car.
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Nearing the huge rock formations on the right.
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Scrambling around in the huge rock formations.
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Denali Girl took this photo of Star Dancer and me checking out the rock formations.
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Star Dancer and Denali Girl relaxing in the rocks.
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Incredible rocks.
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I took this photo roughly 10 feet from the previous photo... but from here I can see what looks like a tunnel down below.
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Denali Girl took this photo of me getting ready to check out the tunnel.
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I have come out of the tunnel... but I couldn't find a way to keep going... so I will go back through the tunnel.
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Tracing my steps back through the tunnel... here looking back at what made me turn around.
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Awesome rock formations.
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Awesome rock formations.
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After spending 20 minutes in the awesome rock formations we will start hiking SE along Quail Wash.
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Continuing to hike SE along Quail Wash... with that massive wall of rock up there on the right.
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We are looking for an entrance to the unnamed canyon that is behind the huge wall in the previous photo.
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Getting ready to leave Quail Wash and enter our unnamed canyon.
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Getting ready to start gaining elevation in the unnamed canyon.
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Heading up the unnamed canyon.
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Gaining elevation in the unnamed canyon... here looking back across Quail Wash to Hemingway, Hidden Valley and part of the Wonderland of Rocks... with Queen Mountain on the left-center horizon and Ryan Mountain on the right-center horizon.
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Continuing to gain elevation in the unnamed canyon... heading for the low point on the horizon.
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Working our way up the unnamed canyon.
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Looking back as Denali Girl works her way up the unnamed canyon.
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Looking back as we continue up the unnamed canyon.
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Continuing up the unnamed canyon.
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Wow... we have actually reached a flatish area in the unnamed canyon... we will work our way over to the low point 'V' on the horizon in the middle of the photo.
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Enjoying the flatish section of the unnamed canyon... but there will be some more elevation gain coming soon.
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Starting to gain elevation again in the unnamed canyon.
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Looking back as Star Dancer and Denali Girl come up to join me.
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Looking back down the unnamed canyon.
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Watching Star Dancer and Denali Girl working their way up to our high point of the hike.
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Looking back down as we are almost up to our high point in the unnamed canyon.
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After hiking a total of 1.8 miles we have reached the 4,383 high point in the unnamed canyon.
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Time to start losing some elevation as I head down the backside of the unnamed canyon... Star Dancer and Denali Girl will wait here until I make sure we can get down this side of the unnamed canyon.
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Looking back toward our high point... and I told the ladies to come on down.
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Denali Girl and Star Dancer are coming down the unnamed canyon to join me.
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Heading down the backside of the unnamed canyon.
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Heading down the backside of the unnamed canyon.
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Almost out of the unnamed canyon.
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After hiking a total of 2.3 miles we have completed the one mile distance of the unnamed canyon... and we have found a nice little unnamed wash.
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Hiking north in the little unnamed wash.
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After hiking a quarter-mile in the little unnamed wash I decided to leave the wash and head over to Point 4137... while the ladies chose to stay in the little unnamed wash.
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Looking down at the ladies in the little unnamed wash as I head over to Point 4137.
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I can see the very subtle Point 4137 over there in the foreground... located just above the trail that is a short cut from Quail Wash over to Johnny Lang Canyon.
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A pano shot from Point 4137... looking across Quail Wash... with Queen Mountain on the center horizon... Ryan Mountain on the right-center horizon... and we navigated our unnamed canyon somewhere in the huge rock formations in the right foreground.
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I have left Point 4137 and heading down to get on that short-cut trail that connects Quail Wash and Johnny Lang Canyon.
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Heading down toward Quail Wash on the well defined trail that connects Quail Wash and Johnny Lang Canyon.
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We have returned to Quail Wash... and we will head over to brown berm in the middle of the photo.
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Hiking toward the parking lot on the brown berm in the right foreground... here looking back at where we were earlier in the day.
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The car is a stone's throw away as we get ready to close our loop hike... the total hike was 3.9 miles, gaining 594 feet of elevation.
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