Old Dale Road

Total Miles
25.8

Technical Rating

4

Moderate

Best Time

Spring, Fall

Trail Type

Full-Width Road

Accessible By

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Old Dale Road
10

Trail Overview

Old Dale Road is an iconic trail in the mountains of Joshua Tree National Park. Start from either the north or the south trailhead and enjoy a trek through the history and beauty of the desert. Visit abandoned mines throughout the trail or set up camp away from the crowds. This trail is appropriate for any high-clearance 4x4.

Photos of Old Dale Road

Old Dale Road
Old Dale Road

Difficulty

70% Of the trail is in deep sand that requires 4WD and the 30% is small to moderate-sized rocks that can pose damage to low clearance vehicles.

Technical Rating

4

Status Reports

Nate M
Apr 05, 2025
1994 Mitsubishi Montero
Open
Heath Stai
Mar 29, 2025
2021 Toyota 4Runner
Open
Great trail will be back to explore further. Very sandy and washboard on the N/S side of pinnacle. Great views of the Virgin desert Joshua Tree Nat.
Miles Fenwick
Mar 15, 2025
2022 Jeep Wrangler
Open
Good Ole Old Dale. never failes to disappoint. Usually washboard, usual rock. Fun trip!
Steve Meier
Feb 20, 2025
2023 Toyota Tacoma
Open
Washboard
Rough/Deteriorated
Dusty
We started in the north end, heading south. As already described, sandy easy sections at start and end. sand wasn't bad at all. The rougher section was not too bad, in my stock height/tire combo on my 23 Tacoma offroad, I never scraped the bottom. We did very little exploration of side trails, because we wanted to get to camp up Black Eagle Mine Rd. Fun trail.

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