queen valley road

Queen Valley Road is a well maintained dirt road the runs east-west between the Parker Dam area and Desert Queen Mine Road; another good dirt road that heads south and reconnects with the paved Park Blvd. In dry weather, we had no problem traveling these dirt roads with our ordinary rental car but you may wish to check with a Ranger at one of the visitor centers first. While the paved Park Blvd to the south was very busy, we saw only couple of other vehicles on this road as we travelled through an excellent Joshua Tree "forest" which includes the largest Joshua Tree in the park at over 40ft (12m). Also along the road are some easy but good trails including a 1.2mi (1.9k) trail to the abandoned Desert Queen gold mine where there is still quite a bit left to see. The hike to the Desert Queen Mine, which starts from a parking area at the intersection of the two dirt roads, does take one down into and then back out of a fairly deep ravine; if you prefer not to be climbing in the heat and the sun, there is a short, nearly flat ~0.5mi (0.8K) trail to an overlook where one can get a good but somewhat distant view. This area is also popular for mountain biking and the Park Service has placed bike racks so one can lock-up their bike.

This dirt road is very narrow - take care if you happen to encounter a vehicle coming from the opposite direction. Road was in good condition the day we were on it (last week of March). We drove all the way to the parking area which was full.

Although this is in a heavily traveled area of the park, we didn't encounter a single other car on the road. We pulled out and explored at a couple of spots. Its a dirt road, but well groomed. We have a 4x4, but it didn't appear necessary if you moved slowly. This could change at different times of the year and depending up when grading was performed. I would check with rangers before going, although I notice they didn't have any warnings like they do on the Geology Tour Road

This roadway was recommended by a park ranger in the visitor center. I drove a little more than half the distance on a cold, clear, gorgeous morning in February. Although there's nothing in the way of stupendous rocks or vegetation to "sink your teeth into," it is a very nice drive with scenery that is easy on the eye. The roadway begins by winding through some cool rock piles, then drops slightly into a flat, expansive valley. Overall, there's very little elevation change, and although the decomposed granite-type roadway is passable by all vehicles, it is very narrow: if someone comes the other way one of the drivers must find a turn-out, or put the right wheels slightly up on the shoulder embankment, in order to let the other pass. During my trip, I encountered only one other vehicle. Fortunately, there was enough shoulder room for several stops to take photos of the landscape. While out of the car, I noticed almost pure silence (not even birds) . . . it was amazing.

Die meisten Besucher des Joshua Tree Nationalparks verbringen nur wenige Stunden im Park und verlassen nicht den asphaltierten Park Boulevard. Es gibt jedoch einige “upaved backroads” ohne eilige Touristen, wo man in Ruhe seltene Tiere (Kojoten, Roadrunner, verschiedene Arten von Eidechsen) beobachten oder einfach die Landschaft mit den vielen Joshua Trees und den schönen Felsformationen genießen kann.Ich empfehle jedem Besucher die “Queen Valley Road”. Ca. 2 Meilen (3,2 km) westlich der Jumbo Rocks, wenn man von der North Entrance Station kommt, fährt man an einer Kreuzung mit zwei “unpaved roads” rechts auf die Desert Queen Mine Road Richtung Norden. Auf der anderen Straßeseite geht’s auf der sehr rauen Geology Tour Road Richtung Süden in das Pleasant Valley. Nach weiteren zwei Meilen endet die Desert Queen Mine Road am Parkplatz des Pine City Trailheads. Hier biegt man scharf links Richtung Westen ab und befindet sich schon auf der Queen Valley Road, für mich eine der schönsten und abenteuerlichsten Straßen im Park.Es geht ca. 6 Meilen durch einen Wald aus Joshua Trees und vorbei an schönen Felsen Richtung Hidden Valley, immer entlang des Queen Mountains. Beim Weg zum Barker Dam beginnt wieder der Asphalt und dann kommt man zur Straße Richtung Keys Ranch, die aber durch ein Gatter verschlossen ist. Nach einer Meile hat man dann den Hidden Valley Campground erreicht und wenig später wieder den breiten Park Boulevard.Die Queen Valley Road ist in der Regel auch mit normalen PKWs ohne Vierradantrieb befahrbar. Aufpassen muss man auf "flood washes" bzw. Abschnitte mit Waschbrettpiste, da kann es ganz schön rumpeln. Übrigens - uns begegnete kein einziges Auto, ausweichen wäre auch schwierig gewesen.