Campground and Hi-View Nature Trail
(2D images first. 3D Galleries further down the page will require red–cyan glasses to see the full 3D effect. Click Photos to Enlarge.)
Hi-View Nature Trail, looking north, community of Yucca Valley in middle-distance
Trek date: 2016 Mar 25. Wayfarers Murbachi & E!
On this Page
- Black Rock Campground
- Hi-View Nature Loop
- Spectacular Joshua Superbloom Tree
See Also
Links to Elliot Koeppel’s 2016 Mar 25
Campground blossoms
Hi-View Star Attraction
MARCH 25 AND THE JOSHUA TREES WERE PUTTING ON QUITE A SHOW. My fellow explorer Elliot Koeppel (aka E!) drove us to Joshua Tree National Park in his bright red pickup, where our first destinations were Black Rock campground and the Black Rock Hi-View Nature Loop trail. (Now there’s a mouthful.) We had been to Joshua Tree NP the previous month and were aware that the Joshuas were experiencing a superbloom cycle this year. Sure enough, they gave us quite a display. One performer in particular took center stage!
The Hi-View trail provides outstanding views of snow-capped Mount San Gorgonio and the high-desert community of Yucca Valley, with the Mojave Desert stretching out to infinity beyond. At the highest point of the trail, there is a notebook in a register box where you can sign your name. There is a great view down the canyon we had just hiked up. Elevation, about 4,300 feet. It is here that we met Cal Fire servicemen Tanner and Jason climbing up the trail from below and asked them to pose in front of the San Bernardino Mountains for us…
After our morning stroll up Black Rock’s nature trail, we crossed over the wide valley to Lower and Upper Covington Flats. I feature these in the second Gallery, linked to above. Reading Patty Furbush’s “On Foot in Joshua Tree National Park” hiking guide, we realized ahead of time that this area of the park, Black Rock in particular, has much lusher vegetation than elsewhere in the higher Mojave Desert elevations.
Spotlight on a Star Performer
Campground Area with Views from The Loop Trail
The Black Rock Ranger Station offers a special room set aside for interpretative displays and hiking trail maps, a retail store, and very helpful staff. The campground is set among a thick grove of Joshua Trees and other high-desert foliage including junipers and oaks.
↓ Campground
A Touch of E!
Hi-View Nature Trail
Click images to enlarge. 1080p resolution. Or Windows users, right-click and choose SAVE LINK AS.
- Use glasses to view 3D Anaglyphs
- Click to Enlarge Photos
3D Anaglyph Gallery 1 ♦ Campground
Be my guest and download as many of the 3D Anaglyph or 3D Half Side-by-Side photographs as you wish. Note: 3D H-SBS images should only be saved if you have access to a 3D TV.
3D Anaglyph Gallery 2 ♦ Star Performer
3D Anaglyph Gallery 3 ♦ Hi-View Trail
A Touch of 3D E!
(Warning: Viewing too much E! 3D may cause vertigo)
3D Half Side-by-Side Gallery
Suitable for 3D TV viewing. Half Side-by-Sides avoid the minor Anaglyph anomalies that can occur. Click images to enlarge. 1080p resolution. Or Windows users, right-click and choose SAVE LINK AS.
Thank you for visiting Black Rock, the ideal picnic or camping spot with trails galore to explore in every direction. Be sure to wear comfortable hiking boots.
John Murbach
Temple City, California
Posted 2016 Apr 3
