Desert Queen Mine Hike & Eagle Cliff Mine

1.8 miles - Easy Effort
Or: 4.2 to Eagle Cliff Mine
1-1:30 Hours (Total)
180 Total Feet of Climbing
Max Elevation of 4,460 feet
No Dogs Allowed

The Desert Queen Mine hike is a cool one; you can actually touch and explore the ruins of a mine that dates back to the 1890s and has a rich story involving cattle rustlers and gunfights of the Old West. And of course, you can enjoy all the natural beauty of Joshua Tree at the same time. If you're feeling adventurous, I highly recommend the optional extended hike to Eagle Cliff Mine, a remote mine and rock cabin perched above a beautiful overlook.

In this Guide:

Video and Turn by Turn Directions to Desert Queen Mine
Parking for the Desert Queen Mine Hike
Everything You Need to Know to Prepare for the Hike
Optional Hike Extension to Eagle Cliff Mine

Quick Links:
Parks Pass - Park Website - NOAA Weather Report - My Apr 2024 Gear

How to Get to the Desert Queen Mine Hike

The trailhead is in a smallish parking lot at the end of Desert Queen Mine Rd, a dirt road off of the main Park Blvd. The trailhead road is dirt but you can do it in a regular low-clearance car. There are also signs on Park Blvd for the Desert Queen Mine turnoff. Use this trailhead address:
Desert Queen Mine Rd, Twentynine Palms, CA, 92277, USA

Desert Queen Mine Hike 2 — The parking lot is shared with the Pine City Trail, and can fill up quickly.

Desert Queen Mine Hike 3 — There is a primitive toilet at the trailhead.

Gear for the Hike

If you have light hiking gear, that will serve you best at Desert Queen. Hiking boots with cuffs will help keep the debris out of your feet. That said, this is a short hike and you can get away with fitness or casual clothes in a pinch. Bring at least 1L of water and sun protection; you are hiking in the desert.

Gear That I Love Right Now

Nothing is sponsored or promoted, just the actual gear that I use.

Garmin InReach Mini 2If you are out of cellphone range the Mini 2 will reliably allow you to hit SOS via satellite. You can see my review here.

HOKA Speedgoat 5These are a great balance of comfort and performance. The high stack height leaves my feet feeling great after a hike.

Check out the complete list here.

Desert Queen Mine Trail Maps

I have three trails marked on this map:

The out and back hike to Desert Queen Mine
An optional extension on a more primitive trail to Eagle Cliff Mine
An alternate route back from Desert Queen Mine that takes you past more ruins

Use This Map:
View in CalTopo | PDF Map | GPX File

How Will You Navigate?

Using the Apple Watch for Hiking

Garmin Fenix 7 & Epix Review For Hikers

How To Read a Topographic Map

Garmin GPSMAP 67i Review

Desert Queen Mine Hike 3d Map — The hike to Desert Queen Mine (purple) is straightforward. The (red) hike to Eagle Cliff Mine is a bit more challenging but definitely doable as a moderate hike. And the (yellow) alternate route back from Desert Queen offers some more ruins to see.

Quick Hike History

Desert Queen Mine Clipping 2 — Local thug Jim McHaney murdered the original mine owner and covered the murder up by claiming that he found Pegleg Smith's fabled mine. In the 1890s there was no local police at the ready, no 911, no NCIS crime units; it was literally the wild west and this type of thing happened. The Desert Queen Mine has an interesting story that will make your visit more fun. This LA Times clipping from the is from July 11, 1895.

Gold was discovered at Desert Queen by a prospector named Frank James in 1894.
Local cattle-rustler Jim McHaney, who had scrapes with other local prospectors, sent his men over to muscle the claim from Frank James. In the process they ended up murdering him.
Rewind a few years to another Joshua Tree celebrity, Pegleg Smith, considered " the champion liar of the Rocky Mountains,” He claimed to have found an incredible gold mine in the area and sold "maps" to gullible prospective miners. The "lost mine" was a great cover story for the murder of Frank James and his claim, and Jim McHaney (re)claimed the land.
Jim McHaney owned the mine for two years, but he squandered the $30,000 he made from the gold, missed his bank payments, and had the mine foreclosed on by the bank.
In 1915 the mine was acquired by local rancher and homesteader, Bill Keys, who was also a member of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders. At the time he was the caretaker of the mine. When the owner died owing him back-pay, he made a claim and gained the mine. You can visit his ranch today at the park.
The mine ran until 1961, producing almost 4,000 ounces of gold. Today you can explore the shafts and old gear littered around the site.

Desert Queen Mine Hike Directions

Desert Queen Mine Hike 4 — There are two different hike trailheads from the parking lot. Start the hike to Desert Queen Mine at the trail to the right of the toilets.

Desert Queen Mine Hike 5 — The trail is actually an old road to the mine, and is easy to follow.

Desert Queen Mine Hike 6 — At the junction, make the right and hike slightly downhill.

Desert Queen Mine Hike 7 — The trail, also an old mining road, winds its way down the hill.

Desert Queen Mine Hike 8 — Soon you'll see some old artifacts from the miners. Please leave them be, they are protected as part of the historic site. I know, it just looks like rusty trash...

Desert Queen Mine Hike 9 — Soon you'll see the mine area in the distance. The small rocks you see on the hill are tailings, rocks that came out of the mine while looking for gold.

Desert Queen Mine Hike 10 — As you hike here you can see that some of the old mining road is intact. Experts speculate that these roads were paved or had gravel covering. Wagons heavy with gold would have to travel here, so it makes sense.

Desert Queen Mine Hike 11 — When you get to the junction at the plateau, hike down the hill to the left.

Desert Queen Mine View — From here you'll get nice views down into the mine area. The wash in the middle is called Gold Dust Gulch, and you can see tailings and a mine shaft. It's easy to imagine the area bustling with activity when in its prime.

Desert Queen Mine Hike 12 — When you get to the wash, cross over and hike up the hill to the left.

Desert Queen Mine Hike 13 — You start hiking uphill.

Desert Queen Mine Hike 14 — And soon the trail widens and you see the first mine shaft.

There are several mine shafts at Desert Queen Mine. They are sealed up and (obviously) dangerous to enter. There is also an active bat community in the mine shafts. Just a heads up if you poke your head in by the grate to have a look.

Desert Queen Mine Hike 15 — Soon after that you'll come to some old mining gear built in Chicago years ago and still surviving.

Desert Queen Mine Hike 16 — And after that you'll find another mine shaft. It looks like you can go in, but it's blocked a few feet in.

Desert Queen Mine Hike 17 — When you get to the top of the hill, you can explore on either side of the stone pile. Both have mine shafts.

Mine Shafts At Desert Queen Mine — Explore around the shafts at the top of the mine.

From here you can either continue on to Eagle Cliff Mine (more below) or return the way you came. If you want to return and explore more ruins, follow the yellow path on the map above for the alternate way back.

Ruins By Desert Queen Mine — If you go back on the alternate route, it helps to have a GPS with this GPX track loaded on it. You'll see some stone ruins belonging to the mine operations.

Extension to Eagle Cliff Mine

If you want to continue on to the remote Eagle Cliff Mine and boulder house, follow the directions below. The trail isn't as defined as the first part of the hike, so having a GPS with the GPX track loaded is helpful.

Eagle Cliff Mine Hike 1 — From the top of the mine shafts, look for a small path heading east / south east.

Eagle Cliff Hike Start — Here's where to find the extension after you're up by the big square mine shafts (which you can see here).

Eagle Cliff Mine Hike 2 — After you leave the mine area you'll be able to see the trail. It's not as big as the mining road that you hiked in on, but it's definitely a trail.

Eagle Cliff Mine Hike 3 — Soon you'll see the trail leading ahead and up the ridge.

Eagle Cliff Mine Hike 4 — Keep following the trail through some flat sections.

Eagle Cliff Mine Hike 5 — And then you enter a little wash area.

Eagle Cliff Mine Hike 6 — At the end of the wash head up through these boulders.

Eagle Cliff Mine Hike 7 — And then bear left to continue to another little valley.

Eagle Cliff Mine Hike 8 — When you get to the valley, the trail goes up the middle, climbs the rocks, and then goes off to the left on top.

Eagle Cliff Mine Hike 9 — The trail climbs up through the boulders.

Eagle Cliff Mine Hike 10 — At the top, bear left past the mine shaft to continue to Eagle Cliff.

Eagle Cliff Mine Hike 11 — You'll start descending toward Eagle Cliff Mine.

Eagle Cliff Mine Hike 12 — When you get to the big open area, you've reached Eagle Cliff.

Eagle Cliff Mine Hike 13 — You'll pass a shaded mine shaft on your right.

Eagle Cliff Mine Hike 14 — Go to the end and enjoy the views to the east.

There is a very special place here at Eagle Cliff Mine, an old miner's cabin built into the boulders called the Boulder House. I hesitated to include this hike on the website because I've seen items stolen from the cabin over the years, and it's sad. But if you don't find the directions here, you'll find them somewhere else, so I have the directions with a small request. As a HikingGuy reader, I'm guessing you probably know this already, but if you're new to the site (and/or hiking), please don't touch, move, or take anything from the cabin. You'll have to poke around to find the Boulder House, and this is what it looks like.

Eagle Cliff Mine Hike 15 — Joshua Tree NP put up a sign asking visitors to respect the artifacts here. Please follow the rules and leave things as you found them.

Once you're done here, you just hike out the way you hiked in.

Need More Info?

Have a question about the guide or want to see what other people are saying/asking? View the Youtube comments for this video. Leave a comment and I will do my best to respond.
When planning, always check the park website and social media to make sure the trails are open. Similarly, check the weather and road conditions.

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This Guide Was Written by Cris Hazzard

Cris Hazzard 4 Mile Trail Yosemite
Hi, I'm Cris Hazzard, aka Hiking Guy, a professional outdoors guide, hiking expert, and author based in Southern California. I created this website to share all the great hikes I do with everyone else out there. This site is different because it gives detailed directions that even the beginning hiker can follow. I also share what hiking gear works and doesn't so you don't waste money. I don't do sponsored or promoted content; I share only the gear recommendations, hikes, and tips that I would with my family and friends. If you like the website and YouTube channel, please support these free guides (I couldn't do it without folks like you!). You can stay up to date with my new guides by following me on YouTube, Instagram, or by subscribing to my monthly newsletter.