Hiked August 17, 2026. I came out this weekend mainly for a night at Sky's the Limit, but booked two nights instead of my usual one, because I was off on Monday, as well. So the plan was to do astronomy on Saturday night, hike Sunday morning, head back out Sunday night for either landscape photography or more telescope viewing, then head home Monday morning. However, after my Sunday morning hike, I lacked motivation to head back out on Sunday night.
However, having paid for two nights, if I didn't do at least one more thing late Sunday, I could have just driven back home after the hike and saved the $65 or what ever the second night cost me. So, after that lazy Sunday afternoon and night, I *had* to do something on Monday morning. But not too long, since I'd have to drive back. Also, figured I'd want to take a shower before that, so I needed to get back relatively early, to have time to eat and shower and still be able to check out by 11am.
I settled on the West Side Loop, because it, like the Panorama Loop from the previous day, was the closest, quickest JOTR National Park access point from the Super 8 in Yucca Valley. Drove on up Joshua Lane, parked in the same spot in front of the nature center as the night before, and walked off to the West Side Loop trailhead, that I had passed on the way in, the day before.
Hiked the loop in a counterclockwise direction, so that meant heading mostly west, then south, then east, then south, again. The photos are in reverse order, by the way, so the top shot is nearing the return to the trailhead, the last good vista before you're making the dip back to the trailhead.
I guess the second shot was to illustrate that there's not a lot blooming around here in mid-August, not like my spring visit to Warren Peak, which I have not yet managed to blog.
This hike's scenery was obviously very similar to what I saw the previous day. It was adjacent, just a little north and south of what I saw on the Panorama Loop. And that hike had some similarity to the Warren Peak loop, which I haven't blogged, yet. BTW, some of the trail markers in this area will simply have a two letter marking: WP for Warren Peak, PL for Panorama Loop. I can't remember if it was WS for the West Side Loop or not, but there, you have it.
The trail is well marked, except near the campground, where it's crisscrossed by use trails, and could be a little confusing, without spotting the signs. Also, there's a short segment, just about halfway through, that was severely eroded by the remnants of Tropical Storm Hillary, a few years back.
That's what the big red signs were about, one on either end of the washout. That probably took out any steps or switchbacks, and makes the short segment have some very steep and unprotected climbs. I mean, it's not like you're exposed to a drop, but if you don't have grippy shoes, and, especially, if you're heading down, I think the chance of a slip and slide is pretty good.
So, if given a choice, I would take the trail in a counterclockwise direction. Mind you, I didn't know this when I started; just a fortuitous turn of events.
I got an earlier start on Monday then I got on Sunday, maybe an hour earlier. Also, I think the temperatures were a little cooler. You can definitely see the difference in color, with the lower, softer, orangish or yellowish light in the first few shots I took (the last few shots in the post.
Still, between the two hikes (and the late night of astronomy on Saturday), I apparently built up a hydration debt. I was tired and thirsty for several days after I got back home from this weekend.
All told, from car door to car door, 4.85 miles, and 830 feet of gain. Not particularly long, but about what I wanted for a "hike before checkout" thing. Quite a bit easier than the day before.
General info: No drones, no dogs on the trail. Not a lot of shade, so keep that in mind. Pleasant walk, though. I had gotten so few hikes in, recently, that I partially made the second night's reservation to make me take a couple of hikes, that weekend.
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