Every Trail Tells a Story
Mastodon Peak and Mastodon Mine
Explore a gold mine site with ruins and relics.
Summit views that rival bigger climbs.
A short loop blending desert nature and history.
Mastodon Peak Trail offers a lot of sightseeing: a cottonwood-shaded oasis, a gold mine and grand desert views. Mastodon Peak, named for its behemoth-like profile, was the site of the Mastodon Mine, a gold mine worked from 1919 to 1932.
Like many desert mines, Mastodon produced more stories than gold. Prospectors were convinced the next strike would be the big one, but fortune proved fickle. What remains today are shafts, ruins, and the weathered outlines of the Winona Mill site, shaded by eucalyptus trees that miners planted for a touch of greenery – and perhaps to make their desert outpost feel a little less lonely.
Climbing to the peak itself adds drama to the outing. From the summit, you can scan the Colorado Desert stretching endlessly south, the Pinto Mountains rising to the north, and the San Jacintos towering far to the west. It’s a view that combines the park’s stark geology with its surprisingly rich human history.
Mastodon Peak also reminds us how quickly desert dreams can turn to dust. Mining camps like this once dotted Joshua Tree, bustling with optimism and ore wagons. Today, only hikers and the occasional lizard pick through the ruins. Still, the trail offers a vivid glimpse into that era when people sought treasure in the desert and left behind stories written in stone, steel, and sweat.
From Cottonwood Spring walk back up the road 0.1 to join the nature trail.
Hike the nature trail to a junction at 0.5 mile and take the right fork to the Winona mill site, shaded by eucalyptus planted by miners. Hike another mile to the shafts and ruins of Mastodon Mine and a junction; a short trail ascends Mastodon Peak. Two miles out, junction Lost Palms Trail and turn right to return to the trailhead.