ABOUT THE ROUTE:

The hike starts at the historic corral at milepost 8 on Walking Box Ranch Road. The corral is adjacent to the north side of the road and there is ample parking. Historically, corrals were fenced-in areas used to hold livestock, for sorting, feeding, or temporary holding. At the middle of the corral on the west side, a one lane backcountry road takes off to the west. The trail is on that backcountry road.  

At mile 0.2 you are now within a beautiful Joshua Tress woodland habitat. Joshua trees have developed deep, extensive root systems that can stretch as much as 40 feet away from their trunks, enabling it to thrive in its harsh, dry environment. Joshua store water in their fibrous trunks and have hundreds of spaghetti-like roots that help them collect rainwater. Spring rains may bring clusters of white flowers on long stalks at branch tips. Like all desert blooms, Joshua trees depend on just the perfect conditions: well-timed rains and a crisp winter freeze. In addition to ideal weather, the pollination of the Joshua tree flowers requires a visit from the yucca moth. The moth collects pollen while laying her eggs inside the flower ovary. As seeds develop and mature, the eggs hatch into larvae, which feed on the seeds. The tree relies on the moth for pollination and the moth relies on the tree for seeds for her young, a happy symbiosis. 

The Joshua tree is actually not a tree but a member of the Agave family. Until recently, it was considered a giant member of the Lily family. However, modern DNA studies led to the division of that formerly huge family into 40 distinct plant families. Because of these studies, Joshua trees now have the more accurate Agave family designation. 

In addition to the Joshua trees, their cousins the Mojave and banana yuccas, are also present in abundance along this section of the hike as is blackbrush.

At mile 0.3, you will notice the presence of grasses beneath the Joshua Tree woodland. These perennial grasses play critical roles in soil stabilization, carbon sequestration, habitat creation, nutrient cycling, water regulation, and erosion control. They essentially hold the ecosystem together, produce the bulk of the organic matter which in turn provides the habitat for forb and shrub seedling survival. Without the perennial grass understory, the organic matter and nutrients in the soil oxidize and blow away. Some of the grass species along this section, such as the galleta grass, flower and seed during the warm seasons of summer and fall, especially after strong monsoon rainfall events. They are C4 grass species more commonly found in southern Arizona and Northern Mexico. 

Looking south at mile 0.4, are the Castle Mountains that rise to a height of over 5,000 feet, presenting a picturesque skyline along the route. Hart Peak is the prominent feature in the Castle Mountains skyline at 5,543 feet. The Castle Mountain landscape is formed of early Proterozoic gneiss and foliated granites overlain with deep volcanic deposits.

At mile 0.6, the tall cactus on both sides of the trail are buckhorn cholla and they are prevalent along the first mile of the trail. The plant branches profusely but irregularly, giving a rather untidy appearance, with crisscrossing slender stems of different lengths. The Buckhorn Cholla has a unique feature – its spines not only serve as a deterrent to herbivores but also play a crucial role in providing shade to the plant's surface, reducing water loss. This natural adaptation showcases the plant's ingenuity in thriving under challenging desert conditions. The buckhorn cholla are a favorite nesting site for many birds. They are not so spiny that the birds are in danger, but spiny enough to protect them from many predators. In late spring the Buckhorn Cholla bursts into bloom, showcasing greenish-yellow, pink, or red flowers. The birds also feed on the fruit and flowers. 

Other members of the cacti family are also well represented here such as red-spined barrel cacti, beavertail cacti and hedgehog cacti. Cacti store water so well that dehydrated animals target their reserves whenever possible. Cacti have, in turn, developed spines to keep animals away. Cacti root systems are large but shallow so they can soak up as much water as they can as soon as it rains. Large barrel cactus can survive for over a year without rain.

At the 0.7-mile mark you start getting closer views of the Castle Peaks which are a cluster of epic sharp pinnacles carved by erosion out of volcanic rocks. They are quite spectacular, rising abruptly from the Joshua Tree woodlands. The area traversed by the trail is an important wildlife corridor between the New York Mountains to the north and the Castle Mountains and Piute Range to the southeast, providing a critical linkage for plants, animals, and water. Roaming amidst the terrain are desert bighorn sheep, mountain lions, coyotes, and bobcats. This is a particularly important corridor for the desert bighorn sheep. 

It is pretty common to see the black-tailed jackrabbit along this section of the trail. Known as the American desert hare, settlers in the western U.S. called it a “jackass rabbit” because its enormous ears look like those of a donkey. Eventually the name was shortened to jackrabbit. While they may look odd, those large ears are extraordinarily useful, helping hares to detect threats from far away and dissipating heat when the temperature rises. Black-tailed jackrabbits also have powerful hind legs; they can leap up to 10 feet and run up to 40 miles per hour, zigzagging to avoid predators. Baby black-tailed jackrabbits are born fully furred with their eyes wide open (unlike most other rabbits) and they are almost immediately mobile. Mothers do not protect or even stay with their young except during nursing, but the young are well-camouflaged among shrubbery and grasses. Litters will typically stick together for about a week after being weaned.

Along the trail, birdwatchers may spot Red-Tailed Hawk, Northern Flicker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Black-throated Sparrow, Crissal Thrasher, Verdins, Brewer’s Sparrows, American Kestrel, Raven, Loggerhead Shrike, Bewick’s Wren, Bushtits, Ash-throated Flycatchers and Cactus Wren.  Species of special concern found in the area include the Townsend's big-eared bat, California leaf-nosed bat, Swainson's hawk, golden eagle, desert tortoise, Bendire's thrasher, gray vireo and phainopeplas.

At the 0.8-mile mark you enter an area severely burned by the York Fire and the remainder of the trail is through that fire zone. This human caused fire occurred in July/August of 2023 and burned 93,078 acres, mostly in the Mojave National Preserve and the Castle Mountains National Monument, but also 9,127 acres within the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument. Unfortunately, areas impacted by the fire are expected to face challenges to natural recovery and may take many decades to regrow. Ideally, a burned area will recover naturally, but this is not always the case. Human-caused challenges like historic fire suppression and climate change have made natural recovery less likely in many burned areas, including the York Fire footprint. 

Joshua trees are threatened by climate change due to ongoing drought and changing weather patterns in the Mojave Desert. Experiencing a wildfire makes them more susceptible to mortality, especially the Eastern Joshua Tree found in the York Fire footprint. Eastern Joshua Trees branch closer to the ground and are less likely to sprout from their root systems. Research is showing that if individual Joshua trees have more than 30% of its above-ground material scorched, there is only a 30% chance it will survive. A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team worked with the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service to create a post-fire restoration treatment plan. 

At the 1-mile mark, you cross a small wash with lots of catclaw acacia, half burned and half surviving the fire. In fact, across this entire burned landscape, it is interesting to see pockets of habitat that were scorched by the fire and some not touched at all. 

At mile mark 1.2, you get your first view of a historic corral complex. One of the really important stories in the history of the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument is the influence of cattle grazing. In the first decade of the 1900s, southern Nevada was booming with people looking to find their fortune in gold or silver. Searchlight was a hotbed of activity with one of the largest populations in the state. Gold mining was prosperous, and with the influx of people to the area, supporting businesses also sprang up, willing to sell their goods to the miners. The Rock Springs Land & Cattle Company responded to the need for food and other resources in Searchlight and the surrounding region. The company’s headquarters was in Barnwell, California just across the California border in what is now the Mojave National Preserve. At the time, the northern terminus of the newly constructed Nevada Southern Railway was located there. While local consumption by miners in the area was important to the firm, so too was the capability to transport cattle to other markets via the railroad. Their operation quickly grew to one million acres of grazing land across Clark County, Nevada and southeastern California. 

The ranchers were able to develop innovative water allotment systems to widely distribute water resources from just a couple natural springs. The cows were allowed to roam free throughout the desert, and when it was time to send them off to markets, cowboys on horseback would track them down and gather them up at corrals. You will see remnants of some of the historic water pipelines along the side of the trail at various locations.

In the later 1920s, a multi-year severe drought greatly affected production and the Rock Springs Company sold off their interests. Several smaller ranches from Rock Springs were formed: the O.X., Kessler and Valley View Ranch. The southern portion became the Woolf Ranch. In 1931, John Woolf sold his ranch to movie stars Rex Bell and Clara Bow, who continued to use the property as a working cattle ranch, and as a retreat to escape from the pressure of Hollywood. The Bells sold the Walking Box Ranch to Karl Weikel in 1945 who also operated it as a working ranch. 

In 1990, the desert tortoise was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service developed a recovery plan that essentially halted livestock grazing in what is now the Monument area and the rest of Clark County. With their livelihood ending, the Weikels sold the ranch. Eventually, the Viceroy Gold Corporation purchase the ranch in1989 to use as a corporate retreat and headquarters for their gold mine in the nearby Castle Mountains. The property was later sold to The Nature Conservancy and in turn in 2004, to the Bureau of Land Management. The ranch was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Coming out of the corral area, there is a steeper part of the trail as it climbs a hill where the old water tank still stands. Here you get a much closer look at the jagged Castle Peaks straight ahead (west) and a panoramic view looking south towards the Castle Mountains. Again, in this section, you see portions of the landscape that were burned and portions that were not.

At mile 1.76, you cross into California and enter Mojave National Preserve. 

At mile 2.3 you enter a large wash (arroyo) and the trail follows the wash until the end of the trail at mile 2.7 at a second historic corral area. Desert washes are essentially dry riverbeds or channels that are typically dry but can fill with water after rainfall, creating a temporary or seasonal water source. These desert washes are important for the survival of plants and animals in this hot desert environment, as they provide a source of water and habitat. This wash has both native desert willows and honey mesquite trees. Both species are considered phreatophytes, which are plants with a very deep root system, and are tolerant of heat and drought. There are also scrubs such as catclaw acacia, cheesebush, and four-wing saltbush.

Mesquite trees have been used as a food source by indigenous groups for centuries. They are part of the legume family and are sometimes called the "southwest superfood". Mesquite pods can be eaten whole, ground into flour, or mashed into a powder. They have a sweet and nutty flavor and are rich in protein and micronutrients like magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc, and calcium. The tree’s sap, can be eaten as a lightly sweet treat or used as a medicine to heal and disinfect small cuts and scrapes. The sap can also be used as an adhesive and paint. 

The desert-willow is called a willow because of its willow-like leaves, but it is not a true willow – being instead a member of the catalpa family. The desert willow trees have long, brown, cigar-like pods that grows 4 to 8 inches long. The fruit matures in autumn, splits in two, and remains on the tree until spring. The pods contain numerous flat, tan seeds and various species of birds eat these seeds. The willows are notable for its fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom in shades of pink, lavender, and white. The flowers attract pollinators, including hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies that feed on the nectar. The sucrose in desert willow nectar is a good energy source.

Look on the branches of the shrubby catclaw acacia and some of the mesquite trees for clumps of desert mistletoe, a parasitic plant with red berries. Phainopeplas, a type of silky flycatcher, and mistletoe have a symbiotic relationship that has evolved over time. In the fall through spring, phainopeplas eat the berries of the mistletoe and time their migration to match the mistletoe's life cycle. Mistletoe berries may be one of the ultimate superfood for our feathered friends. All 10 essential amino acids have been found in mistletoe berries as well as lots of carbohydrates.  As noted, the berries are red, like the birds' eyes, and the birds often whistle while feeding in the thorny trees. The seeds often pass through the birds' digestive systems unharmed, and if the birds' droppings land on a suitable branch, the seeds may germinate into new mistletoe clumps. This helps disperse the mistletoe plant. 

Mile 2.7 is the end of the trail and there is another historic corral area. The original fenced corral is gone but other remnants remain such as a broken windmill, water trough and water tank. This corral complex is tucked into a hillside just off the wash. Although the trail route officially ends here, hikers may want to venture up the wash that heads straight north as it enters a very scenic area and part of the Mojave Wilderness Area. Most of the wash area was not burned and remains a rich wash environment. Walking up this wash also leads you to the base of the Castle Peaks. 

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:

Be sure to take plenty of drinking water. Staying hydrated on your hike is of utmost importance. There is no water available along the trail. In the hot summer months, temperatures can reach over100 degrees, even though the hike is at an elevation over 4,000 feet. On a hot day, you should be drinking 1 quart of water per hour of hiking. When half of your water is gone when hiking, turn around and head back. Drinking water before hiking can help reduce the risk of dehydration, as well as drinking during the hike (don't wait until you feel thirsty). Bring electrolyte replacements such as sports drinks or salty snacks. Bodies not only suffer from lack of water, but lack of sodium electrolytes as well. 

Remember this is a remote area and cellular service is spotty. There are no services so make sure to fill up with gas before heading out and make sure your vehicle is in good operational condition with a full-size spare tire and a jack. 

DIRECTIONS AND PARKING:

• From Las Vegas, drive south on U.S. Highway 95 to Searchlight.

• In downtown Searchlight, turn right onto Nevada Highway 164 (Joshua Tree Highway) and drive west for 7 miles to the turnoff for the Walking Box Ranch Road.

• The turnoff for the Walking Box Ranch Road is marked by a large kiosk styled Bureau of Land Management sign. The dirt road is wide and well maintained and can be done with a sedan. There is usually a dust retardant applied to the road which reduces the dust. A high clearance or 4-wheel drive vehicle is not necessary.

• Drive 8 miles to where you will see an old cattle corral on the right-hand side of the road. Park here and the trail (narrow backcountry road) is on your right. The coordinates for the trailhead are 11S 673788m E and 3918888m N.