lost horse mine

Park rangers were so helpful in understanding the area. But, don't be reluctant to venture out on this interesting hike. Hiking this area in the less crowded winter months is so serene. We enjoyed the tranquil beauty of this hike by ourselves with no one around. Oddly, in February when alone in these desolate, obviously uninhabited areas we felt as though we needed to be quiet so we didn't disturb the wilderness! I rather guess that was the reason, but we may have been quiet because we were enjoying 'down time' with each other and just by ourselves. Highly recommend this fantastic experience, especially in any less crowded, off season.

We enjoyed this area as there were views, the mine to check out and a decent hiking trail. Take your time as you really feel you have gotten off the beaten path on this trail. Off season was best, had the place to ourselves the whole time.

Hiked the short 4-mile out-and-back in the heat of early Sept but also hiked another 1/2 mile past the mine and got some great views to the east and south. Not the most thrilling of hikes although there is always something interesting when hiking thru (less then picture perfect) wildfire burned areas. Natural scenery isn't always picture-perfect.This time in the cooler temps of January went for the longer 6-mile loop starting with the trailhead at the west side of the parking area which leads to a nice 2 mile flat hike thru Joshua Tree habitat, followed by a easy ascent over some low ridges before getting to the climb to the "back side" of the mine at about 3 miles. That makes the final 2 miles back to the car basically all descent. I can easily recommend this route in moderate temperatures for a good variety of scenery in a short hike.

This is a great place to take a hike out to the old mine. It is fenced off, but it's pretty cool to see the old mine site.

This excellent hike leads up to the old Lost Horse mine. It's still standing but is all fenced up. The hike up is breathtaking. Not too strenuous but pretty hilly. Climbing up to the mine can be a bit challenging depending on which way you go. Some of the trail can get a little confusing. It could be marked a little better. Bring a bunch of water.

It was a decent hike and the mine / processing plant was pretty interesting, but the scenery did not come close to matching the main areas in Joshua tree.

It was a really nice walk to the Lost Horse mine in this fantastic national park, and beyond the mine to continue with the Lost Horse Loop trail.You take the two mile hike to the mine through stunning peaceful scenery and just try to imagine how tough life must have been for the miners who worked this mine. Do not expect any excitement at the mine, it is more about its location on the hill sides. The option then is to continue the Loop trail or walk back to the car park. I did the full trail, taking just over 2 hours in total time. If I went again I would walk to the mine and continue the Loop trail until getting to an isolated stone chimney (the only remnant of an old cottage) then turn back and retrace my steps. The reason for this being is that the views are great until about reaching the chimney, but the last part of the trail is flat and not so interesting. Regardless I did still very much enjoy the walk. Whilst I was doing the full loop (bit over 6 miles) my wife went to the mine and came back. She has serious knee challenges with one already replaced, so if she can do it, many other people can. It is not what I would call steep. We would both recommend. Just need to be aware that the car park at the trail head is quite small.We went at 9am on a warm February morning so wore just hat, shorts and a T-shirt.Do of course remember to take plenty of water.

I enjoyed this hike, it is very easy, just a few semi-steep hills. There are some wonderful views of the valley. It's pretty breezy, so make sure to dress appropriately! Even the view driving into the park was wonderful, but this was a great trail to hike. There is an entrance fee to get into the park, but if you are in the military or a military dependent, make sure to bring your ID, you get a free annual pass (as of Jan 2014).

I've been to Joshua Tree a handful of times mainly for the rock scrambling/climbing and various hikes. Have done the hike to the dam a few times and we were on our way out of the park that day with some time to kill so we figured we'd try something new. The mine sounded different and interesting so we opted for that.The hike itself is not bad. It's not grueling by any means and the trails are clear, passing some of your standard desert sites, namely cactus and rocks. We came across a what looked like an old building foundation or maybe storage place built of stacked rocks and poked around for a while before heading further up the trail. There were some good views of the surrounding valleys once you made the gradual ascent. The final payoff of the mine was somewhat lackluster. It's fenced off with an unsightly chain link fence surrounding it, which when I first saw it was a bit of a letdown. It's understandable considering that the exterior of the mine has been defaced with paint pens and undoubtedly people sneak in and around the mine if and when the fence is low enough to hop. All in all the hike was some nice exercise and wasn't all that crowded considering the zoo that had amassed for the ideal weather conditions for the time of year and that was populating the Hidden Valley and Skull Rock areas. However the mine wasn't all that much to behold and until the park adds something to it, I'm not in a big rush to make it back there when the park has so much else to offer. The story of the mine is more interesting than the mine itself, so maybe pick up a pamphlet and read about it on a hike or to beneath atop a more picturesque vantage point.

If there was something worthwhile at the end of the line this wouldn’t be so bad. But there are so many other great trails to hike, why waste your time with this one? The trail is basically unimproved, so it has lots of ruts, rocks and twists and turns to it. Most of it has steep inclines followed by moderate drops, so you’re going up and down the whole way. Not a strenuous walk if you’re in moderately good shape or stop occasionally to rest. Because of the incline you will swear the trail is longer than 2 miles, but the downhill return trip will restore your faith in the accuracy of pedometers. There is no shade except in the late afternoon hours when the sun falls behind some of the hills.Extremely quiet! Only passed 2 people going in and 4 people returning. The only good view is about 3/4 of the way in when you can see the entire valley and surrounding mountains. Other than that all you see is rocks and desert scrub. Then you reach the mine and it is fenced off. Can’t see anything. Boring destination deflated a somewhat enjoyable hike. Kind of like driving 100 miles to go to Disneyland just to find out it’s closed and all you can do is look through the fence at the rides.It takes twice as long to get in as to return – the 2-3 hour estimate on sign is accurate for most. We went Memorial Day weekend and weather was in the low 80s. Took water, but didn’t really need it. Would recommend hats and sunglasses. Gate closes at dusk so you should plan for this. Fairly clean restroom in the parking lot – no running water so bring hand sanitizer.

Do not miss the Lost Horse Mine when in the area of Joshua Tree.It is only a short drive away from the park and for us, a short detour on the way back to Palm Springs. Historically rich, you are really made to feel like you are in The Far West indeed!!! Fun family trip.

There are two different trails to get to the mine. One is only a couple miles, and the other is about twice as long. The short trail was great and had some nice views. It was really cool to see a piece of history like that, but I was so disappointed that the entire thing was fenced off. I wanted to touch the structures and walk around it but I had to appreciate it from the other side of a chain linked fence. It was still worth it though :)

It is only a 2 mile hike to the mine from the parking area unless you want to do the 6 mile loop (we opted for the 2 miles there and 2 miles back hike as it was late in the day). The hike itself was pretty easy (and I'm 66 years old) and going in November it wasn't hot. The mine has applied to be on the National Historic places register, but that's not yet been approved as of this second. The scenery is desert scenery, rolling hills with no dramatic rock outcroppings. It is well worth the hike for exercise/fitness and desert views. Next time we will go earlier and do the 6 mile loop. You are in the National Park, so there is an entry fee.

We intended to hike out to the mine site and back, but we started on the wrong end of the loop trail, and ended up doing the entire 6 mile loop. At the trailhead, the shortest route to the mine starts at the end of the parking lot, behind the metal gate. We mistakenly started from the trail at the head of the parking lot, just across from the restroom. About two miles out, we realized our mistake, but decided to keep going, so that we could see the mine. If you do it backwards, like we did, the trail starts out very flat and gentle for the first 1 1/2- 2 miles. After that, it is up and down, with some very steep inclines in the middle of the loop. There are beautiful views of the valley on the south side of the park. October is a great time of year to visit Joshua Tree. The temperature was in the upper 60s during our hike from 11:30 - 2:15.

Of course, bring water on any hike you do in Joshua Tree, but especially this one because there's no shade. The trail head is easy to find, and there's lots of parking. The hike isn't super special, but you really get a feel for the scenery and being in the middle of nowhere. We hiked up to the mine and ate PBJ's on an old wall looking into it, debating on hopping the fence and going into the mine. We didn't, which I'm sure was a good idea, but it's very tempting! We decided to do a loop back to the car, and the trail was decently up and down. It brought us to an interesting chimney made of stone (or whatever it was), and to a creek bed. The creek was dry, but we followed the path for a while, and soon wondered if we were going the right way. I'm not sure if we missed the turn-off or if it was the actual trail, but after a while we hit the road past where the parking lot was. So we followed the road back for about a half mile to the car. Fun evening hike, but I can imagine it being ridiculously hot in the day because there's no shade. Be sure to study the map first so you don't get lost!