A Pick-Up on the Way Home: A Birding Hike at the Big Morongo Preserve

Big Morongo Canyon Preserve

Date: November 30, 2025

Place: Big Morongo Preserve, Yucca Valley, California

Coordinates: 34.050394, -116.570635

Length: 2.6 miles

Level: easy 

 

 I first visited the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve in 2012 during on a road trip I did with Pappa Qauil and the chikas. One year after I was there again with my friend when we looked for desert bloom. Pappa Quail remembered the place and wanted to incorporate it into the itinerary of our 2025 Thanksgiving break, and so we did. The morning of our travel back home we packed up early, checked out of the lodge and drove westward to the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve. 

Twelve years is a long time and since my last visit at the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve a new toilet facility was installed there, as well as a nice kiosk with information, photos and brochures. 

 

A docent was sitting at a desk by the trailhead, and he was happy to answer our questions before we headed out on the trail. He told us that the education center was open and that there were birds there. I didn't even remember that there was an education center in that place. perhaps there was and it wasn't open at the time. 

Our hike as captured by my GPS

The preserve isn't very big but it has quite an extensive trail system. We decided to take the right trail that went by the education center. The trail started on a boardwalk that curved eastward along the edge of the thick vegetation area which marked where the creek was. South of the trail was an open flat covered with low brush. Little sparrows and towhees tweeted from the desert scrub but all we could see of them was some moving twigs. 

On the way I came upon a drying bush that had a very healthy looking mistletoe growing on it. The mistletoe was carrying berried which weren't fully ripe yet. 

Mesquite Mistletoe, Phoradendron californicum

We entered a more wooded area of mostly cottonwood trees. On top of one of the more distant trees was an American kestrel. 

American Kestrel

In the canopy of a closer cottonwood tree was a small group of western bluebirds. The bluebirds were out in the open enough to be photographed but they were quite high and wouldn't come down to the ground. 

Western Bluebirds

We arrived at the education center, where we found a small botanical garden and a number of bird feeders. 

There, at the bird feeders and below them, we found saw plenty of birds. Some of these birds were very familiar to us, such as the California scrub jay, which is a common species throughout most of California. 

California Scrub Jay

Also of a common species - house finches were enjoying the seed mixture plated for them on a hanging tray. 

House Finch

There were hummingbird feeders too - the red-bottomed containers of sugar-water with holes that fit the long and thin hummingbird beaks. Most of the hummingbirds there were Anna's hummingbirds, also a common species. 

Anna's Hummingbird, female

Although the Anna's humingbirds are fairly common and are the only species of hummingbird that stays year-round in Northern California, it was nice to see them up close and posing here. 

Anna's Hummingbird, male

At the hummingbird feeder we saw also a Costa's hummingbird - a species that we see in Northern California only in the summer. To see it in the winter we needed to be there at the Bog Morongo Canyon, in Southern California. 

Costa's Hummingbird, male (right), and Anna's Hummingbird, female (left)

A Nuttall's woodpecker appeared in the feeders area. Now, that was a bird species we don't get to see every day. 

Nuttall's Woodpecker

The chika and I went into the education center. The activities they had set up there were fitting young children, so we didn't stay inside very long. When we exited the building Pappa Quail called me over and pointed at the ground - a California thrasher was scanning the soil for seeds that fell off the feeder trays. 

California Thrasher 

There thrasher was out in the open but behind him, partially hidden by the low vegetation was a small group of Gambel's quail. Occasionally they ventured a bit into the open only to scurry quickly back into shelter each time someone walked nearby. 

Gambel's Quail

There were plenty of other hikers in the preserve that day, most of whom were birders as well, carrying long lens cameras and binoculars. Needless to say, they too visited the feeder station by the education center. 

Yellow-rumped Warbler

When we've had enough of the education center and no new birds showed up at the feeders we continued along the trail. 

The trail curved to the southwest and for a little bit we had a nice view of the snow-capped peaks of Mount San Gorgonio. 

Mount San Gorgonio

We were off the boardwalk now. The trail was dry and pretty dusty. Once again we were out in the open, enjoying the warming day under the direct sun. 

The beautiful golden canopies of the cottonwood trees were a present reminder that autumn was here now. California isn't known for its fall colors display but here and there the local autumn gold can represent very well our golden state. 

The trail curved again, to the southeast. East of us were the mountains. Nestled below the mountains was the thick riparian vegetation that lined the Big Morongo creek. 

The trail curved again to the east, delved into the vegetation, and crossed the creek on a small wooden bridge. 

When we came up from the creek we found ourselves on a narrow trail squeezed between the thick riparian vegetation on the west and the mountain slopes on the east. 

At the curve of that trail was a junction. The trail that would have taken us looping back to the parking area was blocked and the sign didn't provide an explanation. Our choices there were to go back on the same path or take the loop that went up the hill and down the canyon itself. Since we've only seen very little of the preserve up until then, we elected to go on he larger loop that went up the hill and down to the Big Morongo Canyon. 

The uphill part of the loop led us directly south, along the boundary fence of the preserve. We were out of the main creek line and the riparian vegetation that lined it. Near the trail was the usual high desert scrub, including some very healthy looking cholla cacti. 

Cane Cholla, Cylindropuntia bernardina

On one of my former visits to the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve we did make it up the hill all the way to the fence, but at that time that was where the trail ended and we had to backtrack downhill on the same path. Since then the trail was extended into a large loop, and when we reached all the way up to the crest of the hill we had a lovely view of the south-eastern ridge of mountains, and of the beautiful canyon below. 

We followed the trail down to the bottom of the canyon. The loop trail marked on the preserve's brochure map was following the creek downstream all the way back to the main area of the preserve. The canyon trail however, extended also south into the wilderness and I wondered how far and into which agency's land. I noted it to myself as something to explore sometime in the future. 

Canyon Trail

Still fascinated with the geology of the area I paid attention to some of the more colorful and interesting rocks that I saw along the way. 

At the bottom of the Big Morongo Canyon we rejoined the thick riparian vegetation, of which a very big component were the mesquite bushes. 

Parched at the top of the tallest branches of the tallest mesquite bushes were a few phainopepla birds, a species that is very common in the southern California desert areas, but a fairly uncommon sight in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I only saw them once.  

Phainopepla, male

 

Although we see more frequently the male phainopepla perched at the penthouse floor we do sometimes see also females occupy that top bush level. 

Phainopepla, female

East of the creek towered the mountain ridge - steep, rugged, and mostly naked of vegetation. What lay beyond that mountain ridge I could only guess. 

After photographing the phainopepla and dedicating some time to searching (unsuccessfully) for more birds we resumed our hike, following the marked loop trail back north along the creek. 

Canyon Trail

Pappa Quail was losing hope of seeing any other birds on the hike and he quickened his pace. The chika followed him, leaving me, still checking out the plants, at the rear. 

Creosote, Larrea tridentata

Naturally, most of the vegetation, definitely the greenest, was right by the creek bed. The slopes flanking the creek were arid and had more sparse and grayer vegetation/ Occasionally however, I did see a colorful plant, usually some sort of a cylindrical cactus. 

Most of the vegetation along the creek comprised of tall bushes. Here and there were also tall trees, of which the most common was the Fremont cottonwood tree. We were there at the right time to see these magnificent native trees turning colors before dropping their leaves for winter. 

Fremont's Cottonwood, Populus fremontii

 

The California fan palm wasn't as common on this part of the preserve but occasionally we did see one growing over the bushes. 

California Fan Palm, Washingtonia filifera

 

Our chika noticed a movement behind a large mesquite bush and called out, 'rabbit!' There were in fact, two rabbits there, and for a few long moments both Pappa Quail and me tried to get a good photo of the shy mammals. Eventually one of them braved stepping out a bit and Pappa Quail got him on his camera. 

Desert Cottontail Rabbit

Birding wasn't any better on this part of the trail. There were a few sparrows, usually white-crowned, as well as some dark-eyed juncos that were pecking at the trail's dirt and flew away as soon as we came near. They were too common and too hyperactive for Pappa Quail to bother photographing them. 

We reached the main part of the preserve. Since we couldn't loop back to the parking area by the closed trail we turned onto a connector path to get to the trail we came up on originally. The connector path was cut right through the chick vegetation, crowding us from both sides. 

I was surprised to find an old wreck lying there on the trail. I have no idea what was the story of this car and there wasn't any sign about it. 

We continued past the wreck and through tall walls of desert willow, a plant that was very useful to the local native Californians, and isn't related to true willows at all. 

Back on the trail we went out on, we turned north again to get back to the parking area. Ahead of us were the fall-colored canopies of the cottonwood mixed with the lovely stands of California fan palms. 

Pappa Quail wanted to stop again at the education center. As we approached the building I noticed the figure of a mountain lion on the roof, looking real enough to take its photo. 

At the bird feeders near the education center were all the usual suspects, but Pappa Quail had another opportunity to take their photos. 

Anna's Hummingbird

He did see another species of sparrow, one that we didn't see when we came by the education center earlier on the hike. It is otherwise, a pretty common species of sparrow.  

Song Sparrow

The chika and me didn't want to wait so we left Pappa Quail at the feeders and continued quickly back to the parking lot. 

I passed the time until Pappa Quail rejoined us to study the information sign at the preserve's parking area. I think it was the first time I realized that the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve was managed jointly by the Bureau of Land Managements and the Forest Service. 

The Big Morongo Canyon Preserve was the last place we visited and hiked at on our 2025 Thanksgiving vacation. I suppose that birding might have been better at a different place but neither of us was disappointed - we had a lovely trip, hiked new trails and saw many interesting things. By the time of writing this post, the young chika had completely recovered from her close encounter with the Joshua tree. 

Up to the High Place: Hiking Mastodon Loop Trail in Joshua Tree National Park

Mastodon Peak

 

 

 

Date: November 29, 2025 

Place: Joshua Tree National Park, Twentynine Palms, California

Coordinates: 33.737062, -115.810746

Length: 2.6 miles

Level: moderate

 

The Cottonwood Springs Oasis is at the south entrance of Joshua Tree National Park. I've been there a few times and hiked twice the trail to the Lost Palms Oasis, about three and a half miles southeast of Cottonwood Springs. Since I had in mind to hike trails that were new to me on my recent family trip to the park last November, I didn't feel like spending two hours of driving to get to the south end of the park just to look for birds that might be at the oasis. Pappa Quail however, was not satisfied with the bird count of the trip so far and really wanted to go there, so on the morning of our last full day in the park we woke up early and drove south to Cottonwood Springs. 

We walked down from the parking area to the oasis. We were welcomed by the familiar thick stand of California fan palms, the only palm species native to California. The palm thicket is where Pappa Quail was hoping to see birds. 

Cottonwood Springs Oasis

While Pappa Quail was scanning the palms for birds I looked around and noticed another stand of trees - the Fremont cottonwood poplars. The cottonwood were in varying stages of leaf turn and loss, as fitting the season. Oases are the only places in Joshua Tree National park where one can see plants that need copious amounts of water. The presence of the palms and the cottonwood is a reliable indicator of water present, either above ground or very close below. 

Fremont Cottonwood, Populus fremontii trees at the Cottonwood Springs Oasis

There were other water-loving plants in the Cottonwood Springs Oasis, of course. The riparian plant with the strange name of Mule Fat was also blooming a bit. 

Mule Fat, Baccharis salicifolia

At the lower end of the oasis was a relic from the time that the place was populated by the Cahuilla Native Californians. It was a grinding mortar cut in granite. 

We moved a bit away from the palms. Pappa Quail didn't see many birds there, and the birds that he did see were keeping to the palm canopies. We wanted to go on a hike but not the seven miles long in and out trail to the Lost Palms Oasis. 

California Fan Palm, Washingtonia filifera

We decided to go on the mastodon Loop Trail, which was only about 2.5 miles long, and neither of us had hiked it before. 

Our hike as captured by my GPS

It was hard to tell from the map where the Mastodon Loop trailhead for taking it clockwise was, and we didn't see any obvious signs. The default was to hike the loop counter-clockwise, then. The first part of the counter-clockwise Mastodon Loop Trail overlaps the Lost Palms Oasis. 

Mastodon Loop Trail/Lost Palms Oasis Trail

 

After the previous day's hike on the Lost Horse Loop Trail I didn't expect to see much bloom. Sure enough, there wasn't much but a few plants were blooming. 

Parish's Goldeneye, Bahiopsis parishii

The trail meandered between low ridges and hills. We were going on a mild uphill slope. The bushes were looking dry still but under these shrubs new sprouts were growing, turning small patches of sand the color of green. 

 

Mojave yucca plants were numerous along the trail and between the leaves of one yucca Pappa Quail found a bird that he could photograph - a little ruby-crowned kinglet. 

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Pappa Quail who was ahead of me suddenly turned around and motioned me to come over. He pointed out and said, Ocotillo. 

I have seen ocotillo along the trail so I didn't get Pappa Quail's excitement at first, but then he pointed out that the ocotillo bush he was looking at was blooming. Not a big, bull scale bloom, but some of the branch tips carried a red inflorescence. 

Ocotillo, Fouquieria splensens

We came up the low ridge where the blooming ocotillo was to take a closer look at it. We didn't get close though - Pappa Quail detected a movement in the branches of that bush - it was a ladder-backed woodpecker. We remained at a camera-shot distance from the ocotillo so to not disturb the bird. 

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

There were more ocotillo bushes along the trail. Most of them were not blooming, but all of them were covered in foliage - the sign of good recent rains. 

Mastodon Loop Trail/Lost Palms Oasis Trail

There were plenty of cacti in the area too. None of the cacti were blooming (not that I expected any) but all of them looked nice and healthy - another blessed outcome of the rains. 

Beavertail Cactus, Opuntia basilaris var. basilaris

California barrel cactus is more common and grows to larger sizes in the Mojave desert type, which is in the northwestern part of Joshua Tree National Park. Still, there were quite a few barrel cacti, mainly small ones, along the trail. 

California Barrel Cactus, Ferocactus cylindraceus

The California barrel cactus adds nice red color to the beige-gray desert soil. Red color comes also from another source - the mesquite mistletoe. 

Mesquite Mistletoe, Phoradendron californicum

Pappa Quail and the chika continued up the trail. Once again I lingered behind them. The chika's head was still hurting from her close encounter with the Joshua tree yesterday. 

Mastodon Loop Trail/Lost Palms Oasis Trail

I found an empty nest hanging on a bush since last breeding season. I thought it might have been a cactus wren's nest, but I'm not sure. 

Meanwhile Pappa Quail found a battered butterfly that was getting nourishment from one of the few blooming plants that we saw on the hike. 

Painted Lady Butterfly

The trail followed the path of a shallow wash and occasionally came pretty close to the wash bed itself. Naturally there was more vegetation in the was, and some was of good size too, such as the pinyon pine in the photo below. 

California Singleleaf Pinyon, Pinus californiarum

Since we started our hike fairly early, the morning shadows were still pretty long. The air was chilly when we started the hike but warmed up fast as we moved along the trail. 

Mastodon Loop Trail/Lost Palms Oasis Trail

I was missing the Joshua trees. Their yucca relatives were numerous, but did not feel the vertical space as much.

Mojave Yucca, Yucca schidigera

We moved up the trail to another crest. To our left rose the beautiful ridge of Mastodon Peak. It looked like a poorly ordered jumble of granite boulders, crawling with yuccas. 

From the crest we could see the trail to the Lost Palms Oasis continues on southeast. We were not going there, not this time. We were turning left to go up to Mastodon Peak. 

Lost Palms Oasis Trail, view southeast

I found another cactus near the trail - one that I haven't seen yet on this hike. This cactus too was not in bloom yet. Cacti follow their seasonal calendar in a tighter manner than other plants. 

Cushion Foxtail Cactus, Escobaria alversonii

Not far from the cushion foxtail cactus was a very healthy-looking silver cholla. Yesterday at the urgent care clinic where the Joshua tree thorn was pulled out of the chika's skull we were told that many people come to the clinic to have all kinds of thorns pulled out. I assume the cholla might be responsible to many of these cases. 

Silver Cholla, Cylindropuntia echinocarpa

A conical hill nearby had me confused a bit - I thought that that hill might be the Mastodon Peak. I quickly realized however, that it wasn't. 

On the lower slop of that hill were more ocotillo bushes though, and some of them were blooming. Not a fully committed bloom, but bloom nonetheless. 

Ocotillo, Fouquieria splensens

After a short hydration break we turned toward Mastodon Peak and started ascending the tail. Here too I let Pappa Quail and the chika get ahead while I took my time bringing up the rear. 

Mastodon Loop Trail

It wasn't so much the plants this time, but the fascinating shapes of the rocks all around me. They had the most imagination-inspiring shapes. 

Soon I got the view of the real Mastodon peak up ahead. On the map was a small spur trail that split from the main loop trail, leading to the peak itself. I knew that I would want to go up there but I wasn't sure if Pappa Quail and the chika would. 

I caught up with Pappa Quail while he was taking some time trying to photograph some sparrows that played hide and seek in the boulders across the wash below. 

Pappa Quail didn't want to go up to the peak, but he didn't mind waiting while I went up there. The chika decided to go along with me so we had a few sips of water then I left the backpack with Pappa Quail and started up Mastodon Peak. 

Mastodon Peak

The trail was clear and easy at first, but it soon got steep, and slippery with thin gravel. Moreover, the one obvious path soon split into several possibilities, some of them became either too treacherous or stopped at a dead end all together. 

Mastodon Peak

Even on that part of the hike I was still stopping for interesting plants along the way. This time I was the one ahead, looking for the most favorable path and guiding my chika who followed close behind be. 

Anderson Thornbush, Lycium andersonii

Every now and then I paused and appreciated the view that spread below be. The vast desert has a very calming effect on my mind. I love the desert, especially the rock-textured desert such as the kind seen in Joshua Tree National Park. 

View

The last part of the path up mastodon Peak was mainly rock scrambling, using the hands too, and also getting over gaps and boulders, squeezing around thorny bushes, and treading all too close to the precipice. 

The reward though, was fantastic. We arrived at the peak and had a gorgeous 360 view of the entire area. 

The next ridge on the southeast rose above a jugged plateau that wasn't flat at all. That southeastern ridge was a small one, and I wasn't even sure it was within the park's boundaries. 

 On the northwest I could see the access road and the Cottonwood Springs campground area. That was the way into the park. 

View Northwest

 

 On the southwestern horizon a thin, blue range rose over what looked like a blanket of fog. That range was the Santa Rosa Mountain Range, that is terminated on the north with Mount San Jacinto. 

View Southwest

 

The blanket of fog was hovering over Salton Sea, one of the strangest bodies of water I know of, and not only in California. I increased my zoom to maximum - the water was visible below the fog.  

Salton Sea View

 

We saw Pappa Quail sitting far below us and called him to take a photo of us on the peak. We saw other hikers come up the trail, leave their backpacks, and starting up the mastodon Peak spur trail. The chika and me looked at each other - it was time to had down. 

The way down was just as slow as going up. It wasn't more difficult, but we did have to take turns with the ascending hikers going through the tight places. On these pauses I noticed the dark inclusions embedded in the red granite. 

We actually found a little different path to get down the lower part of the Mastodon Peak. I then had to go up the original path we took to retrieve my hiking poles that I left there when the ascend became too rocky. 

We rejoined Pappa Quail and continued northwest on the loop trail. We were now walking fairly fast on a mild slope downhill.

Mastodon Loop Trail

I don't know how Mastodon Peak got its name. I can't imagine any mastodon fossils were anywhere near that place. We were however, walking along the ridge that Mastodon Peak was the top of. 

Mastodon Loop Trail

On the ridge coming down from the Mastodon Peak we came upon the Mastodon Miner site. It was a very small site, one of about 300 such sites within the park's boundaries. An information sign that was behind the fence that barred the mine shaft said that this site wasn't all that rich.

Mastodon Mine

Pappa Quail noted that the trail was descending toward the Cottonwood Springs Campground. I knew that there was a trail split leading to the campground but considering that the Mastodon Peak Trail was a loop trail, I was sure that there was a curve somewhere that would lead back to Cottonwood Springs Oasis, where we were parked. That trail I was sure existed, was not marked on our navigators, but it was labeled on the paper map that I had with me. 

We descended into a shallow, wide wash. The banks of the wash were lined with bushes and shrubs and I spotted some that were in partial bloom. 

Paperbag Bush, Scutellaria mexicana

For a while the trail was right on the wash bed. The wash was wide and flat. We walked on soft wash gravel. The wash bed surface looked completely dry but a shallow scratching of the surface revealed moisture below. 

Mastodon Loop Trail

The moisture retained in the wash below the surface supported the speedy growth and bloom of wildflowers. Not a large variety of them but enough to make me very happy.

Desert Bluebells

The plant that was taking advantage of the hidden water in the wash's gravel was the desert bluebells - a beautiful Phacelia that blooms in dark, vibrant blue, a very unusual color in the desert's brown-yellow-gray palette. The color of blue flowers in the desert is the color of spring. I was fortunate to see it in November. 

Desert Bluebells, Phacelia campanularia var. vasiformis

Other than the flowers and the greening bushes, I was also attracted to the beautiful, round granite features that defined the wash's banks. 

Mastodon Loop Trail

Some of the rocks had specific shapes that grabbed my attention. In a different setting I might have approached them for a closer exploration, but this time I continued on the hike with my family. 

Mini Split Rock

There were places where the rocks constricted the wash, creating a narrower pass. I would have loved to see this place when the wash flowed. The time of a desert flash flood however, is a very dangerous time to visit such places. In this case maybe less so, because the banks looked very accessible from the top. 

Then the trail ascended from the wash bed on the north bank, continuing in the direction of Cottonwood Springs Campground. 

Mastodon Loop Trail

On the crest, seeing the campground ahead, I suggested to Pappa Quail that he'd continue there with the chika while I would go to the Cottonwood Spring Oasis on the road if the hiking trail was indeed not there. Pappa Quail wasn't sure about it but the chika jumped on my offer - she wanted to go directly to the campground. 

Mastodon Loop Trail

We still needed to descend to the low desert flat below. I was impressed by the rock formations along that part of the trail. They reminded be a bit of the hoodoos at the Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona. 

Mastodon Loop Trail

We joined the path of another wash, also wide, flat and with a soft, dry gravel that hid moisture below the surface. This time the vitality hidden below the surface was given away by greening and blooming shrubs along its banks. 

Mastodon Loop Trail

On the top of the northern creek bank I saw the one and only Joshua Tree in along this hike. It was smallish, and didn't look very happy. It was alone, too. That part of the park isn't much of a Joshua Tree habitat, but this one had made it home and was hanging on bravely. 

Western Joshua Tree, Yucca brevifolia

The banks of that wash too were lined with lovely granite features. If my home was in the area I would imagine my yard filled with these. 

A line of stones marked the trail turn to leave the wash bed. Behind the line were a few desert bluebells in bloom and not far from them a single poppy plant that was blooming. One, lonely poppy. 

Desert Poppy, Eschscholzia sp. 

We left the was and went up along the trail to the crest that still separated us from where the campground was. From the crest we saw below us yet another was. Moreover - right at the creek bed there was a trail junction there. There was the trail that was leading directly north to the campground, but the other trail turned southwest in the direction of the oasis. On the upstream side of the creek was a small stand of palms - and a couple of tall eucalyptus trees - a species introduced from Australia. It was a tiny, cute oasis. 

At the junction we split ways. Pappa Quail and the chika continued to the campground while I followed the curve which followed the wash, in the direction of the Cottonwood Springs Oasis. 

Mastodon Loop Trail

 

On their way to the Cottonwood Springs Campground, Pappa Quail and the chika found a tarantula. The chika told me that at first they thought that the large arachnid was dead because it didn't move, but when they got close it did start walking. 

California Ebony Tarantula

They spotted some lizards too, and one of them paused long enough to get photographed. 

Western Side-blotched Lizard

Pappa Quail didn't have any more luck with the birds on this hike. In the campground itself he photographed a white-crowned sparrow, which is one of the most common birds in California. 

White-crowned Sparrow

I continued along the wash, and I soon found out that I was on the interpretive part of the Mastodon peak Loop Trail. There were several signs along this part of the trail, explaining about the plants I was seeing, and about their traditional uses for the Cahuilla Tribe. 

Bladderpod, Cleomella arborea

 

One of the bushes that lined the wash bed was the desert willow, which has no relations to actual willow. That bush was one of the most essential plants of the Cahuilla Peaple. It was heavily used for building their homes and their weapons. 

Desert Willow, Chilopsis linearis

Technically I was still following the wash bed, but the wash was so wide there that It was hard to tell where the water would actually go when it flowed. The trail was marked with a line of stones to prevent hikers from wandering off.  

Mastodon Loop Trail

I came up to the Cottonwood Springs Oasis from behind the parking area. No wonder we couldn't have found that trailhead from the oasis itself below. When I arrived at my car the lot was completely full. A line of cars was parked along the access road and more cars were driving in. I made someone very happy when I left my parking space and dove off to the campground to meet with Pappa Quail and the chika for a lunch picnic. We finished that day with having the chika practice some dirt road driving on the Geology Tour Road, coming pretty close to Malapai Hill, and a short reprise of the short Hidden Valley walk, but without the flowers. That was our last day in Joshua Tree National Park on our 2025 Thanksgiving vacation. On the following day we were to drive back home, but we did start the day with a birding hike at the Big Morongo Preserve at Yucca Valley.