Joshua Tree Park "Hidden Valley" 10 - panoramio.jpg
David Balmer · CC BY 3.0

Banana Cracks - East Face–Mindless Mound, 5 cliffs is a 14.8-mile out-and-back near Panorama Heights, CA. The route passes Trashcan Rock - West Face and Banana Cracks - East Face before reaching Mindless Mound at the turnaround, 7.4 miles in. It climbs 808 ft. It scores 87/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.

Elevation

0 mi3,737 – 4,167 ft15.3 mi

Getting there

Trailhead: Creosote Trail 34.07294, -116.23752
Nearest town Panorama Heights, CA

Directions

AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com

Banana Cracks - East Face–Mindless Mound, 5 cliffs

14.8 mi · ▲ 808 ft · 5 hr 20 min

Elevation 3,737–4,166 ft

Out & Back

Trailhead: Creosote Trail · 34.07294, -116.23752

Weather Aug 3: Clear, high 99°F / low 79° · precip 0% · wind 15 mph · sunrise 5:58 AM · sunset 7:45 PM

Parking lot at the trailhead

  1. Start on Creosote Trail, heading SW.
  2. 0.6 miBear left onto Bigfoot Trail, heading SW.
  3. 1.4 miTurn left onto Quail Wash, heading NE.
  4. 1.8 miContinue straight onto Quails Springs Historic, heading SE.
  5. 1 miBear right, heading E.
  6. 50 ftPass Trashcan Rock - West Face.
  7. 50 ftBear right, heading SE.
  8. 50 ftTurn right, heading E.
  9. 0.4 miTurn left onto Old Lost Horse Road Trail, heading SW.
  10. 1.4 miTurn left, heading SE.
  11. 0.6 miBear left, heading N.
  12. 250 ftTurn right onto Quail Springs Historic Trail, heading N.
  13. 500 ftSharp left onto Mindless Mound Approach, heading N.
  14. 50 ftTurn right onto Approach to Banana Cracks East Face, heading N.
  15. 250 ftTurn left onto Approach to Red Bull, heading E.
  16. 50 ftPass Mindless Mound.
  17. 200 ftReach Banana Cracks - East Face, then turn around and head back the way you came.
  18. 250 ftTurn right onto Approach to Banana Cracks East Face, heading E.
  19. 250 ftTurn left onto Mindless Mound Approach, heading E.
  20. 50 ftSharp right onto Quail Springs Historic Trail, heading NE.
  21. 450 ftTurn left, heading N.
  22. 300 ftBear right, heading E.
  23. 0.6 miTurn right onto Old Lost Horse Road Trail, heading S.
  24. 1.4 miTurn right, heading NW.
  25. 0.4 miTurn left, heading NE.
  26. 50 ftBear left, heading NE.
  27. 150 ftBear left onto Quails Springs Historic, heading N.
  28. 1 miContinue straight onto Quail Wash, heading W.
  29. 1.8 miTurn right onto Bigfoot Trail, heading W.
  30. 1.4 miBear right onto Creosote Trail, heading N.
  31. 0.5 miArrive back at the trailhead.

Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.

Trail surface

23% gravel19% sand1% dirt57% unspecified

Weather

ClearTemperature 99°F79°
Feels like83°Precip0%Wind15 mphUV9Humidity16%
Hourly temperature
100°75°
Sunrise 5:58 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PMSunset 7:45 PM
Tue 99°76°
Wed 95°72°
Thu 98°75°
Fri 99°78°
Sat 99°78°
Sun 94°76°

Good to know

  • Parking lot at the trailhead

Other ways to reach this destination

More from Creosote Trail Trailhead