split rock

Not many people on this trail so it was very pleasant. It's a 2 mile loop trail and the middle section is kind of uninteresting ---- but the beginning and the end of the trail have great rock formations. So --- if your time is limited -- you might want to consider doing part of this hike --- either end (since it's a loop) The counter-clockwise entrance is near the Split Rock. The clockwise entrance is just over to the left side of the parking lot. (That section would be our first choice if time is limited / if you walk in 10 or 15 minutes, then return to the parking lot - you'll have a scenic short hike)

Split Rock is a 2 mile loop, bring water. We walked in only about 1/2 mile. The scenery was beautiful, however I still would have to say Hidden Valley was better. This is worth a visit however. A bit more quiet as it is not one of the recommended sites that the visitors center tells you. Easy to lose track of the path. More holes in the none trail area, I freaked out that it was snake holes, but never saw any.

Split Rock trail is a very pleasant 2 mile loop trail. Mostly flat with a little up and down.Trail markings good but not great. Need to pay attention on latter portion if hiking counter clockwise, as we did. What my wife and I enjoyed most was the solitude, At 3 pm we saw no one on the 2 mile loop as opposed to Hidden Valley which was packed.Also the variety of rock formations is superior to the other trails we were on. Great little trail.Has picnic table and privy.Previously reviewer has some nice pictures of the trail.

Split Rock Trail is located across the road from Jumbo Rocks area. Split Rock Trail is generally overlooked, because it is across the road from the much better publicized JUMBO ROCKS area. However, Split Rocks Trail does provide some wondrous discoveries for the adventurer and photographer.Split Rock Trail can be accessed from the end of a gravel road. Split Rock Trail is a big oval loop, where the most interesting features include mitten rock (located inside of the oval loop) and white-colored quartz veins. Joshua Tree National Park Geology (page 21) by Trent and Hazlett describes these quartz veins. Split Rock Trail can also be easily accessed on foot, by walking across the desert, and walking towards the west, starting from the vicinity of Live Oak Campground. This walk takes you through a sort of valley, and just over a gentle ridge, you wind up on Split Rock Trail in the vicinity of the mitten rock. (Please see my photograph of the mitten rock.) If you are not able to find this access, by way of the valley, then you can instead following the dirt road that leads to the parking lot right next to the rock known as, Split Rock.If you travel counterclockwise on Split Rock Trail, beginning at the rock known as Split Rock, you first encounter a boulder resembling a pregnant woman (see my photo), and then you encounter an old man with finger in nose (see my photo), and then you encounter a sphere that is wedged into a cliff (see my photo). The old man with finger in nose is actually the same boulder formation that resembles tweezers, but if you view the tweezers from an angle, the old man materializes. The tweezer/old man with finger in nose can best be viewed by walking about one minute off trail, in the northerly direction. The mitten rock (see my photo) can only be seen from the eastern-most region of the Split Rock Trail. The distant region of the Split Rock Trail, that is, the southern-most region of the loop, is poorly marked, and so, some poking around might be needed to connect with the entire loop. Unlike the Jumbo Rocks area, which has plenty of junipers, there seem to be few or no juniper trees on the Split Rock Trail.For those willing to go off trail, there are plenty of interesting boulders resembling sculptures in art museums, and these are located inside the oval region defined by the Split Rock Trail, as well as to the north of the Split Rock Trail, that is, within the valley that is defined by mountains located to the east and west of the valley. Although a child could get lost in this area, getting lost is less likely for the adult, because the entire area of the Split Rock Trail is located on the slope of a mountain, where (aside from an intervening small mountain range), what is located at the bottom of the slope is the highway that takes visitors past Live Oak campground and Jumbo Rocks campground.

We were here in the late afternoon and the area and rocks are beautiful with the afternoon sun.Being so late and all the warnings in prior postings about the trail not being marked very well, we only hiked about 1/2 mile. This first part of the hike was beautiful and at least this part of the trail was very well marked.I can't wait to go back on next visit and hike the full 2+ mile loop trail.

We picnicked here and enjoyed the area. Lots of good bouldering and 4-5 picnic tables for a quick lunch spot.

Go sit in the crease of Split Rock. It's 10 degrees cooler in there. Oh, and the hike nearby is real nice.

The trailhead for the Split Rock Trail is located at the Split Rock picnic area just off the north side of the eastern end of Park Blvd; in addition to the picnic tables, there is ample parking and restrooms. The giant boulder with the prominent crack is clearly visible from the picnic area and the beginning of the trail when hiked counterclockwise. Since the trail is located away from the more visited western end of Park Blvd and it is not promoted on the Park’s website or pamphlets, we found that we had the trail to ourselves to enjoy the wonderful variety of plants and small animals as the trail winded gradually up and down through many granite outcrops. At one point, about two thirds of the way along the trail, one comes to the top of a small rise and passes between some rocks to look down on a small but beautiful valley full of Joshua Trees surrounded by granite; almost like a miniature Hidden Valley but without the dozens of other people. One work of caution, at points the trail is not well marked on the bare rock. We had learned of the trail from a Park Volunteer at one of the visitor centers who told us the hike was about 2mi (3.2k). Having taken hundreds of hikes, we have become fairly good at estimating distances and when we came to the sign pointing to Face Rock in one direction and the parking lot in another, we thought we were reasonably close to the end and became a little concerned when the trail became a little hard to follow and the parking lot did not emerge as expected (reading other reviews, we were not the only ones who had trouble at this point). Eventually, the trail became clearer and we found the parking lot after winding through some more excellent rock but we estimated the trail to be closer to 2.5mi (4.0k); we later overheard another hiker questioning the length at a different visitor center and the Ranger said that it is actually 2.6mi (4.2k). Nevertheless, this was one of our two favorite short Joshua Tree hikes; the other one being a evening hike of the Barker Dam Trail.

This may sound silly for a 2 mile circular hike, but bring a GPS! I have gone many desert miles, but something about this particular place helped me lose my way for a short time. I took the 2 mile loop counter-clockwise and when I got to the sign that says "Parking Lot" this way, and "Face Rock" something-or-other .1 miles that way, I thought, "Heck, it's only 500 more feet that way...." Well after looking for the face in the rock for awhile, and cross crossing dry washes, sand beds, climbers trails, and other trails for :20 or so, I really didn't know where I actually was. I eventually made it back to the car, but I know it wasn't the right way. Given that the trail is so well marked in the beginning, I didn't have any reservations going for an evening stroll around the beautiful basin. But don't be fooled. Look at the map, bring map, bring water, and a compass or GPS. Worst case, you can head in a direction that will force you to intersect Park Boulevard (south). But it is a beautiful area and worth the trouble.

Split Rock sort of stands there all by itself begging to be admired. Sorry that we didn't have time to walk the trail to see "tulip rock" and "the tooth" as well. Nice area.

There're many rocks in Joshua Park, but only some of them are good for climbing. This is one of them that doesn't require gears to climb. If you're brave enough you could climb with your bare hands. Only need to wear anti-slip shoes and long pant, since the rock is knife like and for some steep ones you may even need a pair of gloves to keep your hands from being cut. And it truly intrigued my interest in climbing~

The Rock seems to be struck into half by natural axe or karate “knife hand”. You might want to climb/hike a little along a well-marked loop trail before you settle dome for lunch at the picnic table. Enjoy the spectacular view!

My wife and I hiked this based upon the recommendation of the ranger at the Oasis Visitors Center, he was right in the mark when he told us that it was an excellent hike to see a nice variety of the rock formations, plant and tree life as well as small animals. It was easy, we walked it on gym shoes casually in just under 2 hours. That was including stopping many, many times for taking pictures and watching some guys rock climb.

Little over 2 or 2 1/2 miles though it felt like more for some reason. Really beautiful rock formations and seems to be less traveled than some others which is nice. We were there on a week day and passed maybe 5 to 7 people on the trail. The trail is not marked really well from about 1.3 to 1.8 miles nor is marked all that well towards the end so pay attention to where you are walking. Highly recommend this for all age groups.

This spot looks like a giant came through and swung his axe. A chasm runs for several hundred feet with split rocks and interesting rock formations. Picnic benches for your lunch. A good spot to stop to eat your sandwiches and take some photos.