The Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area is relatively small for a designated wilderness, at just 6,050 acres. But what it may lack in size, it more than makes up for in stunning natural history. The name Wee Thump, or “ancient ones” in the Paiute language, tells the story of these Joshua trees. Growing just half an inch per year on average, the stand is home to some of the oldest and largest Joshua trees on the planet. These ancient ones have grown tall in the silence of the desert, some rising to 30 feet over 900 years.

This impressive stand of Joshua trees makes for fascinating bird watching, and the gentle slope of the land allows for relaxed hiking. The area through which the loop trail traverses has also been designated by National Audubon and Bird Life International as an “Important Bird Area,” a national designation recognizing its importance for bird conservation. Birdwatchers may spot gilded flicker (known to occur in Nevada only in this location), northern flicker, ladder-backed woodpecker, black-throated sparrow, red-tailed hawk, crissal thrasher, golden eagle, loggerhead shrike, and cactus wren.

Other wildlife roaming the area include desert tortoise, desert bighorn sheep, coyote, desert cottontail, black-tailed jackrabbit, valley pocket gopher and desert wood rat.

TRAILS

There is only one designated trail in the Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness, and that trail is along the southern edge of the area on an old wagon trail known as the “Eldorado Trail” which can be accessed off Nevada Highway #164 about 2 miles west of the turnoff to the Walking Box Ranch road. The Eldorado Trail was built to serve the mining areas in the Eldorado Mountains near Nelson back in the day. The off-trail hiking isn’t hard but you may want a compass with you: it’s easy to become disoriented hiking through the Joshua tree forest and there are very few landmarks to steer by in this flat piece of Mohave Desert.

DIRECTIONS

The Wee Thump Loop Drive starts off Nevada Highway #164 (Nipton Road) about 9 miles west of Searchlight and 1.5 miles past the turnoff for the Walking Box Ranch Road. The dirt road follows the east boundary of the Wee Thump Wilderness boundary and then the north boundary. That road then connects to the transmission line maintenance road and follows along the west boundary of the wilderness area, connecting back to Highway 164 about 5 miles west from the starting point. The entire loop tour is around 15 miles, 10 miles on dirt roads and 5miles on a paved road. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended, but four-wheel drive is not necessary.