When you’re short on time but still need to spend some time outdoors, you pick out and easy, short hike. After a little discussion, we decided to check out the Wall Street Mill Trail as we hadn’t hiked this trail.
The Wall Stree Mill Trail is located near the Barker Dam Loop in Joshua Tree National Park. You can park in the same parking lot and begin your hike there, or you can drive down the dirt road and park in the smaller parking lot at the alternative trailhead. Both parking lots have a restroom available. This trail is less popular than the Barker Dam Loop hike, so fewer people are on the trail. Unfortunately, it can be hard to find parking during the busy season due to the popularity of the Barker Dam Loop.
It’s an easy and fairly quick hike if you don’t get side-tracked like we did. There were so many side trails to explore along the main trail. The old homestead was a fun little side trip as was the windmill.
Once we arrived at the Wall Street Stamp Mill, we explored the area around the mill before heading to check out the trails and rocks near the mill. The Wall Street Stamp Mill processed the gold in the area. It was interesting how they processed the raw materials. It was quite the setup – especially in the middle of the desert.
Of course, D is a car guy, so we had to check out all of the old vehicles along the trail. It’s amazing how well they have held up over the years. You can definitely see the difference between being in the desert vs being along the coast or in a rainy area. There was surface rust, but the vehicles weren’t rusted out.
Our short hike quickly turned into a longer hike than planned due to the exploration, but it was good as we needed a break from the work we were doing around the house. Sometimes you just need to embrace the exploration and enjoy the fresh air and beauty around the area. It was definitely one of those times for us.
The Wall Street Mill Trail was our twelfth hike in the 2017 52 Hike Challenge. We’d love to have you follow us on our year-long hiking adventure.
