Indian Loop Trail

First of all, the trail is actually only 6.9 miles from the parking lot for the entire Indian Canyon Loop, if you start at the Ranger's Station and head towards the Olsen Ruins. There are also complementary maps and information about other preserves in the area at the Ranger's Station, so be sure to pick up a couple. Right at the beginning of the trail, make sure you sign in at the Hiker's Sign-In box and fill out all available information for safety. Starting out, it is 1.7 miles to the Olsen Ruins. For this distance, there isn't very much shade, but it is fairly level. The trail is kind of hard to follow due to the fact that there is a wash running right through it, so make sure you look for the small wood posts in the ground that are topped with yellow paint. Olsen Ruins is a wonderful place to eat lunch, as there is two small paths to climb to the smokehouse roof there and you can dangle your legs over the side. Follow the trail leading from the Olsen Ruins and come across a little creek. The sounds here are amazing. My daughter often brings an MP3 player and records the sound of the birds and water. For about 1.1 miles further the trail is shady, but going recently it is pretty overgrown, so it's a good idea to wear some long pants. After that, for about another half mile is more empty land, so look for the markers, and watch for the buried tire a little ways in! At about three miles, you start to climb pretty steeply! Bring as much water as you can, because once you start to climb, you'll need it. The trail here will like to cross the wash a lot, so watch out for that. Once you really start to climb, it is not easy on your body! There will actually be some rocks in the ground that serve as steps, so you can use those. After you finish the part with the rocks that you'll probably not like very much, the terrian will still climb, but it won't be terribly bad. Once you get closer to the peak, the views of Pioneertown and Yucca Valley are spectacular! In this area, you will climb for a while, then go downhill for a while, over and over. Closer to the end of the trail, there'll be a gate. You can go around it, you just have to find the little path around. Overall, this is a really great trail. The nature is beautiful, and if you're lucky you may even see a fox, like we did! The hike is fairly strenuous, but it is definetly worth it. If you come here, we hope you enjoy it!