a secret hike in Joshua Tree

We managed to visit 3 desert national parks across 2 different states during our Great Southwest Road Trip. Each one had a completely unique environment. But without a doubt, the award for best hike goes to Joshua Tree National Park. 

I plan most of our trips, but I put the Husband in charge of finding us some great hikes to do in Joshua Tree and he nailed it by finding an off-trail hike to Eagle's Cliff with a great reward at the end. 

Eagle's Cliff is not on any map and there is no trail to follow. We hiked five miles through the desert based off of landmarks like odd shaped boulders and trees. We were watching for cacti, rattlesnakes, and scorpions with every step. Surprisingly, that wasn't our biggest concern. I was most worried about getting lost. This debacle was happening in the park while we visited with search and rescue crews looking for the missing hiker. It made me second guess taking the risk since we knew we were hiking off trail. We ultimately decided to go for it and make sure we did it the safe way. We told our families the general direction we were headed and when we should be back. If they hadn't heard from us by a certain time, they had instructions to contact help. In the meantime, we packed plenty of water, food, and a first aid kit before we headed out into the desert. Not sure if we're brave or just plain stupid. 

We started off on the Desert Queen Mine Trail, it's a well known hike in Joshua tree with several abandoned gold mines. 

There is also abandoned mining equipment along the way.

From there, we veered completely off the trail in search of the well-preserved and rarely seen Eagle Cliff Mine House.

Had to take a close-up with this cacti that Husband was so worried about me getting too close

Ha! Found the picture of this rock on my camera and was trying to figure out why I took this, then I remembered this was one of our landmarks that I decided to document on my camera. My version of leaving breadcrumbs I guess.

And just when we were contemplating turning around, we stumbled upon this....

This little house is built right into the cliffs. We were standing right in front of it for several minutes before we even realized it was there. We started smiling and cheering so hard that this hike was a success. We found what we were looking for!

This hidden home dates back to the 1890's. And aside from a bit of rust, the home is so well preserved with everything left untouched and undisturbed for all these years. How is that even possible? It's mostly because this hike is one of Joshua Tree National Parks best kept secrets.  

And for those of us who do know about it and have been there...well that means being dedicated enough to risk your own safety to do this hike just to get a glimpse of it. If you do all that, the last thing on your mind would be defacing this beautiful unique piece of history. 

I love our national park system and the fact that's it's here for us to all enjoy, but this place is extra special and needs an extra bit of protection. Thankfully it's hidden from the noisy families and pretend hikers. It's far off from the hipsters passing through for an Instagram worthy photo on the road from Vegas to LA. And for that reason, it will stay protected. 

signing the guest registry

Being extra careful with everything we touched--making sure we left everything as we found it to preserve for the next set of visitors. 

I had to share the magic of this "secret hike" in Joshua Tree. I know I didn't do it justice, but I'm amazed that the park system is not only protecting nature for us all to enjoy, but pieces of history too. Feeling extra grateful. Because not only do I get to know about the fact that this place exists, but I got to see it to.