Matt and Greg are two 40-something dads who like camping, kayaking, hiking, cycling, and appreciating good gear.
Trip Report: The Boy Scout Trail, the Maze Zone, and Indian Cove at Joshua Tree National Park
Trip Report: The Boy Scout Trail, the Maze Zone, and Indian Cove at Joshua Tree National Park

Trip Report: The Boy Scout Trail, the Maze Zone, and Indian Cove at Joshua Tree National Park

In April 2023 I was recovering from knee surgery and getting stir crazy. The logical thing to do, I figured, was to fly across the country and take a walk through the desert carrying a lot of water.

It was a spontaneous getaway and I didn’t want to burn up too much vacation time. Finding a place that had proximity to an airport, no snow-related access issues, and permit availability were all considerations that led me to Joshua Tree National Park.

Scenes from site 4 on the Boy Scout Trail.

This was my first time visiting Joshua Tree and my first time backpacking outside of the northeast. So, I planned a route that would highlight a range of the park’s landscapes—I wanted to see plenty of cool rock formations as well as the park’s iconic trees—but that wouldn’t be too long, given that I was only a month out from surgery. I settled on a 13-mile out-and-back route from the Boy Scout Trail’s Indian Cove trailhead that covered about 1,400 feet of elevation gain up into the park’s Maze Zone.

A policy change in early 2023 ended at-large camping on the Boy Scout Trail, which is one of the park’s most popular hikes. There are designated backcountry sites along the trail now, and reservations are required. I was able to snag a permit for site 4 less than two weeks ahead of the trip. The site is only about a mile in from the trailhead, but it was perfect for my needs. I was concerned about the possibility of flight delays putting me at a trailhead in an unfamiliar area with limited daylight left. This ended up being exactly what happened: I’d planned to set out around 2 p.m. Instead, thanks to a canceled flight, I found myself strapping on my pack less than an hour before sunset.

After the quick hike in I pitched my tent in an alcove at the foot of a large rock formation. The west-facing site had decent wind protection and a gorgeous view of the towering rock buttresses across a short expanse of desert. I slept soundly, woken up just once by an owl calling nearby.

On day two I took my time lingering over a cup of coffee as I took in the view, then started the hike up through the canyon. I’d arranged for my permit to include a night in the Maze Zone, which includes the North View, Window Loop, and Maze Loop trails.

I wanted to explore the Maze Zone more extensively, but by the time I hit the North View Trail the sun and heat were in full force. And, I made a dumb mistake: in a brief moment of distraction, I wandered off the trail and into a wash. I realized my error when things just didn’t feel right; the “trail” I was following seemed to have a much more significant downhill stretch than the elevation profile I remembered from the maps I’d studied, and from the maps I had on hand.

I retraced my steps and tried not to be too hard on myself when I saw how obvious my error was.

I thought about doing the rest of the North View Trail and then beginning to loop back and look for a site along the Maze Loop Trail. But, I decided instead to get myself out of the sun. I found a lovely flat spot among a grove of Joshua trees the required 200 feet from the trail, pitched my tent, and had a good afternoon nap. I ate a golden hour dinner atop a nearby pile of rocks.

The landscape’s journey through the last light of day into twilight and the starry night was breathtaking. I stayed up stargazing in the silent desert as late as I could before falling into one of the most sound sleeps I’ve had in the backcountry.

Site on the North View Trail.

The hike back to the trailhead in the morning was fast—partially thanks to the terrain, and partially thanks to the promise of chorizo and eggs when I made it back to civilization. To that end, Cactus Trails Cafe over in Twentynine Palms1 is an excellent post-hike breakfast stop. Here I’ll also mention the sublime Nydia’s Mexican Kitchen, where I decimated a pile of tacos at some point during the day. That part’s a little hazy.

For the final night before my flight home, I’d scored a campsite at the park’s Indian Cove Campground. Site 43 was set back from the parking spaces, and I pitched my tent on a shelf above the picnic table and fire pit and used rocks to “stake” it out. Tucked in beside a towering formation climbers were scaling earlier in the day, it was a pretty gneiss spot.

And, for my final night in the desert, I accepted that I wasn’t in New England and could probably trust it wouldn’t rain. I slept with my tent’s fly off.

Scenes from the Indian Cove Campground.


1No, I did not realize the “29 Palms” Robert Plant sang about in 1993 was a reference to a town in California until this trip. That song and U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” were in heavy rotation driving to and from the park. I know, I know.