7 miles (out + back)

The Willow Hole trail extends around 3.5 miles through the northern edge of Joshua Tree National Park, from Park Boulevard towards Highway 62. The trail begins at Key West Backcountry Board/Boy Scout South Trailhead, approx. 25 min by car from the West En-trance Station of the park. Follow Boy Scout Trail for 1.2 miles north, then veer right onto Willow Hole Trail. From there, the trail descends from a forest of Joshua trees into monzogranite boulder piles and a wide, winding wash. The clear expanse ahead gave my eyes a nice break from snake scanning while the sandy wash slowed my pace. The trail dead ends at grove of willow trees. Crickets were chirping and the air felt damp. On the return, I noticed a cholla variety I’d never seen with coloration like a bruise— jammy purple flesh, yellow needles. I later learned it’s a pencil cholla, Cylindropuntia ramosissima, going through a dry spell.