Lost Horse Mine Trail is a 4 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Twentynine Palms, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, running, and nature trips and is accessible year-round.
Joshua Tree National Park charges a fee to enter. Fees are $30 per vehicle or $25 per motorcycle. If you are entering on foot or bike the fee is $15 per person. You can also purchase a park specific annual pass for $55.
Nice hike, but was a bit boring. The landscape and scenery didn’t change much throughout the hike. The mine was cool to explore. We opted for there and back rather than the whole 6 mile loop because the extra two miles in the loop would have likely been the same as the path we took there. Limited parking - you have to drive down a dirt road to get to the trailhead. We parked on the main road in one of the offshoots and it added 1.3miles each way.
I arrived at 3pm and most people were returning to the parking lot. It's a steady grade going up but if you are out of shape just slow your pace and you can do it. Watch your step as you head back down from the actual mine area. The rocks are loose and you may slip if you are not careful. The weather was lovely, but the temperature dropped at evening and was chilly so bring a jacket should you decide to hang out after sunset.
Do not try this in the summer. Any other time of the year should be ok. Not a strenuous hike, but monotonous until you actually make it to the mine. The last mile you have the mine in sight, but seems to never get any closer. The mine is in good shape and tells a great story. I was interested in the pop-up residences along the way where the miners lived. There are still tools and other items laying around.
The trail was okay. I really enjoyed getting to the mine and exploring the area around it.
Didn’t find any gold but the hike was pretty neat. Recommend hiking to the top of the hill above the goldmine.
Great trail. Hiked it in the peak of summer, july 31. Started at 6:30 and done by 8:30. Some parts of shade but you'll definitely want to finish by 9am at the latest in the hotter months.
Did this hike in July 2020 and found it to be fairly easy with a little bit of an uphill start. Started just before sunrise and took it slow and easy with plenty of time to complete before it got too hot. I don't recommend starting much later than sunrise for any hike in Joshua Tree during summer months. The heat can be brutal and once the sun is up the temperature rises fast.
This was a super fun trail I did May 21, 2020. Started at around 0730, finished the entirety of the loop at 1130 with lots of stopping and breaks. Weather was about 72 degrees towards 10-11 and you could feel the warmth, start early please! Not a lot of shade. It's about 2 miles to the Lost Horse Mine, which is super cool but it is fenced off. The story behind this area is really interesting. After the mine, the rest of the loop was worth continuing. You go downhill for about 10-15minutes but you see a great view of the vistas. So many lizards, birds, bugs, chipmunks. Different flowers and desert plants. We saw two rosy boa snakes. Stopped at the 4 mile mark and had a little snack under the shade. Last two miles are easy and flat. Would totally do this hike again!