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The Nancy Karl loop sits at the top of the Friendly Hills in Joshua Tree – a quiet neighborhood that backs up the northern border of the National Park. The trailhead is tucked near the end of Sunny Vista Road. There are homes and fences right on the trailhead, but it only takes a few minutes of walking on the soft granite path to feel like you are in the national park, with lichen covered boulders appearing as you gently gain about 300ft in elevation on the 2.3 mile loop.
The loop much like the neighborhoods that surround it – looks down on the basin with views of yucca valley and joshua tree. On the eastside of the trail you can see up quail springs road which leads in and out of the park – and if you are hiking the loop on a saturday night as the sun sets, you can see a slow moving trail of headlights snaking its way down the hill toward downtown.
The trail is never super packed, even on weekends – and if you are motivated you can make it through the loop in less than an hour. The trail shows evidence of the neighborhoods that surround it – lots of dog paw prints speckle the trail and on the weekend evening I was there – neighbors were out walking their dogs as the early fall sun dropped below the mountains around 3:30 – making me wish I had brought a long sleeved shirt.
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However, sunset is also when animals can be more active, and the trail cuts between boulders and washes that acts as a wildlife corridor. Don’t be surprised if you see standard desert critters like coyotes, quail, jackrabbits and cottontail bunnies – especially at sunrise and sunset. The land is also habitat for bighorn sheep, the mojave desert tortoise, and the great-horned owls that can be spotted hunting in the neighborhood.
The land is owned by the Mojave Desert Land Trust, with the loop itself named after previous director Nancy Karl – who was instrumental in preserving over 47 thousand acres of desert habitat.
The trailhead sits at the top of Sunny Vista – this hike is a great way to experience the feeling of the north side of the park without setting foot inside of it.
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