keys ranch

Keys Ranch is located in Joshua Tree National Park. The ranch is in a state of decay and is only open to tours. There is a lot to see if you can get in. There are old buildings and structures. There are several on cars and old ranch equipment. There is even a dam built many years ago.

Thanks to Park Service employee Lacey, we had a marvelous time on this tour. She was smart and funny and knew her stuff. The ranch would be very interesting even without her commentary. I definitely recommend making this part of your Joshua Tree experience. You must plan ahead and book reservations in advance. We hiked at Barker Dam in the a.m., went into Joshua Tree for lunch at Crossroads Cafe, and then back into the park for the ranch tour. An excellent day!

After all the review I'd read. This tour is just too long and unless that era really happens to be your thing or your guide is amazing, I think it's a bit of overkill. If you're only spending a day or two in the park, I would forgo this for a hike.

We arranged ahead of time for the tour, but it was well worth our time. Two adults with an 11 yo, enjoyed the Ranger led tour. The stories were steeped in rich American history: mining, settling, problem-solving, family life in the desert and so much more.

Need to be escorted by a Park Ranger. Learn the way of life of one of the first pioneer families. Family members still live in the local area.

This tour was one of the highlights of our trip to the Palm Springs area. The website for the guided tour shares quite a bit of information, so I won't repeat it here, but have included a link below. If you like learning about the history of the American West, you will love this tour. Our tour guide sometimes leads tours in other parks, but she claimed to love this tour the best, and it showed in her enthusiasm and her deep knowledge of the family that had once owned the ranch. Some practical tips:1. Small children (under the age of 7) probably won't do well on this 90 minute trek. 2. Be on time, or even early. There was a long, slow line of cars waiting to get admitted to the National Park, and it took almost 20 minutes for us to get up to the admissions gate. Some members of our tour had paid for tickets in advance but were more than 10 minutes late getting to the ranch gate and the guide could not wait for them any longer. We all drove through the gate as a group and the stragglers would have found a locked gate when and if they finally did arrive.3. It is hot and sunny, even on the morning tour. I brought a hat, parasol, sunscreen and water and was really glad I did. 4. Bring a picnic lunch if you are on the 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. tour, because you will be hungry and there is not much food for purchase nearby.

I definitely recommend signing up for this Ranger led walking tour of the Keys Ranch. It was very interesting to learn about how it came to be and how folks survived out in the desert.

LOGISTICS:Need to make reservations in advance. Add’l cost of $5 / person, on top of park admission. They take groups of 25. I was able to book reservation less than a day before, but we ended up having a full group. There is a locked gate approx. ½ mile from the ranch. You’re asked to drive up to the gate 15 mins before the scheduled tour. Everyone was pretty much on time. The tour guide met us at the gate, checked us in, and then had us caravan behind him on the road to the ranch. There are restrooms at the gate, and also by the ranch. You’ll be standing outside, so bring sunscreen & water. Tour took the fully-scheduled 90 mins. TOUR:Our tour-guide was an ex-marine named Dave – very energetic & informative. He thoroughly took us through the history of the Keys family, and each aspect of the homestead. He pre-emptively addressed any questions that were forming in my head. The ranch is an amazing testament to American frontier spirit and ingenuity. Besides being inspiring, it’s also in a beautiful area, nestled into a small canyon in Joshua Tree NP. The schedule shows that some tours have period actors reenacting life on the ranch. This wasn’t the case on my tour. I think that would have been interesting to see. But part of me enjoyed the peace and serenity of the now-abandoned ranch. I recommend the tour either way!

Fue algo que no pude aveiguar antes de ir y si, cuando llegue y pregunte me dijeron que para ir hasta alli si o si debe ir en excursion y estaba full asi que me quede con las ganas de conocerlo, una lastima,