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Alternative route to see skull rock by KingLeonidas Discovery Tail Skull Rock Loop is a short nature trail that provides access to Skull Rock. The immediate parking area around Skull Rock is often crowded or full and this short nature trail goes past the feature while allowing you to start in a less popular area. The route can be started at the Jumbo Rocks Campground area or the main road just outside. We weren't camping there and ended up parking along the road. The trail goes across the road, winds through some interesting terrain, crosses over the road again at Skull Rock and then heads back down to the campground starting area.
Navigation Navigation is fairly straightforward; the trail is clear for the most part. A few trail junctions on the north side of the road portion lead to other named features. These are probably worth exploring if you have the time (we didn't get to them but were able to see some features in the distance). Each junction has signage. There was only one spot where the trail was unclear: a wash with some larger rocks obstructing the path. Aside from that one spot navigation is pretty easy.
The trail is well maintained and consists mainly of either packed dirt to large flat rock/steps. There were a few sections where you had to scramble over or around some boulders but there was nothing too technical. Fees This is in the Joshua Tree National Park so National Park Service fees normally apply. Weather We went in late February, and it was perfect hiking weather. The trail is mostly exposed so hiking in the summer would not be optimal. General Comments and Musings We did this trail towards the end of the day while we were road-tripping through the park and stopping at all the roadside attractions. We specifically hiked this trail to access Skull Rock which had no parking available nearby. It worked for that purpose but we could not appreciate Skull Rock as it was mobbed with people. That said, we did see some interesting formations on spur trails off the portion of the loop north of the road. These weren't on our map so we didn't know whether we had the time to explore them before the sun went down. This area was also much less crowded than Skull Rock and was much more enjoyable as a result. If we are ever in the area again I will probably look into exploring this less traveled area. Check out the Official Route and Triplogs. Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
