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 Reporter |
Summary: This is a so-called "secret" hike. Although from the number of footprints and people signing the register, one might wonder just how such a "secret" got to be so publicized. Patty Furbush mentions the castle in her book, but she does not mention the route to get there. I found it by looking at the topo maps - it is clearly marked. Then I used my GPS and plotted some waypoints. I then looked online and confirmed my suspicions. No one posts clear directions or GPS coordinates, but they do give directions to the parking area and a general idea of the route. I will not divulge specifics either, but leave it to you to find this "secret" for yourself. Please leave it the way you found it. This magnificent piece of history has existed in the desert for 60+ years, and as someone on a blog put it, "This isn't the kind of place you want all of Southern California to go to!" If you go and can not find it, I would be happy to help out, but I will not give out specifics. Trailhead: Do not attempt this trip if you do not have good route finding skills, good map and compass skills and/or a GPS. Although, I wouldn't have needed any of these to get there, it was easy to follow, just take precautions. It could be easy to get turned around in canyons. Drive 4 miles east of Chiriaco Summit and exit Hayfield Road. Make a left and head toward the mountains. At 1.1 miles, turn slightly left onto a bumpy dirt road marked by a sign that says "Private." Follow for 1.7 miles, turn left at the fork and at .1 miles there is a parking area on your right. Follow the wash along the mountainside. Follow it past the first canyon and turn right into the second larger canyon at 1.2 miles. There were ample footprints to follow on my trip. Most of the difficult decisions were ducked. I thought about knocking them down, but I didn't. Take the easy way and follow the footprints. To the north is a road and a mine. I looked but did not find Carey's Cave. (Lat:33.69935 Lon:-115.67862) Trail Guides for Joshua Tree NP - Careys Castle: On Foot in Joshua Tree National Park by Patty A. Furbush (M.I. Adventure Publications) Best Seasons: Winter, User Groups: Hikers, Ranger Contact: Joshua Tree National Park (760)367-5500 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Allen Riedel, who has posted 123 other hikes on this site. To visit this reporters web site, click here. Trail Reviews Page 1 of 3 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by JR on 3/29/2008 Awesome hike, this was the first hike of this distance that we have done with the kids. I was a little apprehensive about taking our daughter who is ten, but she did great. Both of the kids packed their own two liter camel's & fanny packs with snacks, as the previous poster stated there were sixteen of us (I think the secret is out...lol). But what a great group it was, the kids are already asking when the next hike is. We will definitely be going back to do some more scouting around the castle, we saw a lot of Coyote sign, some Big horn sign up by the castle, two lizards and one king snake. If I can give any advice take plenty of water and don't over do the size of your packs, there is a decent amount of boulder hopping to be done.
Reviewed by First Timer on 3/25/2008 This was my first time going on a hike of this distance. At first I thought I wouldn't be able to do it, but with a group of 16 of us, I didn't really have a choice to turn back. My only gripe is the sand, which made it hard at times to want to continue forward. We found it on our first attempt. It was a little disappointing that some of the artifacts were missing that we'd seen in photos from hikers who had gone before. Plus we saw no sign of the resident rat, I was hoping he'd make an appearance. Well worth the time and effort, and the view from the mine is awesome.
Reviewed by Ian on 1/25/2008 This was a very good hike. I was a little disappointed that it wasn't as secret as I thought. This was my first map hike and really, I did not have to use the map. But for the adventure of finding the castle it was great. Short hike about 2 hour in 2 back, But it was thrilling finding the site and, majestic thinking of why and who Carey really was. Take the third canyon is my best advise. Not so sure if you can get lost. 
Reviewed by Hoosier on 3/17/2007 I first became intrigued by this hike when I read about it on this site. I was able to get 6 others excited about this adventure and set off to find Carey's Castle. I did my research, and found the answer to the location right in front of me. Nonetheless, we had great time seeking the Castle. Very impressed with what we found. I'd love to understand why Carey chose this place to dig. It's in the middle of nowhere. As far as the hike is concernedm I did not like the soft terrain. It made the hike more difficult than what it should have been. All in all, I dug this hike though, but I'm not sure if I would do it again due to the gravel/sand, but I would recommend it to others to do.
Reviewed by Chester on 2/21/2007 Great hike. Missed a turn off and ended up going cross country for the second half of the way there, but eventually found it. Came across a cool ten foot round "hollowed out boulder" with an old rock/mortar and lumber front, that looked like it had been used as a cache of some sort, so I guess our mistake paid off! Looked for the "corral" but couldn't find it.
Reviewed by MJJ on 1/14/2007 Hiked 1-13-07. Superb adventure. The weather was quite cold and windy, but wearing many layers turned out to be benficial to not getting hurt by the sharp plants or rocks you will inherently climb/fall upon. We got on a the trail at 11am and just made it out at sunset at 5pm. The "castle" is very impressivly built with clever gutters, windows, and chimney. The mineshaft was beautiful, but I wouldn't want to accidently drop my keys or GPS while looking down.
Reviewed by Brad on 1/2/2007 Hiked on 12/30/06. Not much of a secret. There were so many footprints that the only way you could get lost is if you were blind or you wanted to. The canyon is awesome! The castle is cool. Felt like we were hiking on the beach all day. When we got there, while we were having a bite to eat the resident rat jumped in my friends backpack to grab a little something. My friend was screaming and the rat went running, so we gave him a little food. He doesnt mind the attention. Overall a good hike. Kind of felt like we were on a treasure hunt looking for the castle. Pretty cool.
Reviewed by JG on 12/1/2006 Completed hike on 24NOV06. Great weather. Myself and one other made with no problems. I had map, compass and GPS. My navigation skills are strong and I found the castle as soon as we reached the area. The recommended map was accurate. There were a great deal of tracks but following them would have definitely taken us down the wrong wash so beware. The rock arrows were accurate and helped. I would not describe the hike as strenuous but moderate instead. My partner was on her first hike and enjoyed it greatly. Spent about six hours total walking time. This is great hike so don't disturb the castle! Keep an eye out for the resident rat. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: California Hiking, California Trails, California Hikes, Riverside County Hiking, Riverside County Trails, Riverside County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
