The Scariest Road In Joshua Tree and Old Dale

If you have ever driven on Gold Crown Road between Highway 62 in Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree National Park, you probably noticed the long, steep, narrow, winding road that goes up over 1,000 feet on the mountain between the Supply Mine and the OK Mine. At the top of the mountain, should you dare to drive up, you would find the Jupiter Mine and the Goldstone Mine.

This road is trail JT1979 and we have avoided it for years. Not only is it a long, steep, narrow shelf-road that rises over 1,000 feet above the basin, but where the road is located, and because from the start it curves around the mountain and you cannot see it, it is impossible to know just how narrow or rocky it is – and it there is no way to know if the road is passable. You can tell from a distance that it is a shelf road that is narrow with no place to turn around – so if you drive up and hit a spot that is washed-out, you have to back down.

We finally found someone with enough guts to drive up JT1979 so we can all see whats up there! Watch the video below to see the drive up.

The scariest road in Joshua Tree and the Old Dale Mining District

8 thoughts on “The Scariest Road In Joshua Tree and Old Dale

  1. Anonymous says:

    That is technically part of the Brooklyn Mine Road. Before you start up it you can take a detour to the Carlyle Mine.

    Reply
    1. Kenneth says:

      no idea what maps you’re looking at, but TJ1979 (scary road) is miles, and two mountain ranges away from Brooklyn Mine Road, and Carlyle Mine is on the complete other side of the mountain. Maybe you are thinking about Doberman Mountain Road.. Or, maybe you just dont know what youre talking about.

      Reply
    2. JON PARK says:

      this is doberman mountain road, it leads to the goldstone,gladstone,desert gold , amd rainbow mines,and dead ends at the gladstone, all these experts thein they know it all, i named this road and it belongs to me, so i think i know the history

      Reply
  2. Todd says:

    As always, great video. Thank you for sharing. I’m keeping a list of all the trails you mention and trying to knock them off one by one. Happy Holidays

    Reply
  3. JOHN D MORAN says:

    Enjoyed the video and narrative and that shelf road is not for me! LOL. We have a much longer one out here that I drove a couple of months ago, several miles in it just kept getting worse and finally I could a place I could turn around (difficultly). Sometimes it’s best to know when to quite and go back!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *