Begin at the Pine City trailhead. Look for a signed trailhead in a large wash on the southern edge of the parking lot. Head south through the wash as it winds and descends through beautiful granite boulders.
Wash walking takes a lot of extra energy
The wash briefly tightens up at mile 0.4 to pass through a shallow canyon. Tall pinyon pines and junipers flourish here due to the abundance of seasonal water.
The canyon briefly tightening up
A juniper tree heavy with spring berries
At mile 1.0, you’ll reach a large confluence. Stay right to continue towards Lucky Boy Vista. The left branch crosses a man-made dam before quickly reaching Desert Queen Mine.
Leave the wash after another 0.2 miles and begin a steep ascent as the trail climbs almost 100 feet over the next 0.2 miles.
Look for a signed junction at mile 1.6 which marks the spur trail out to Lucky Boy Vista. At this point, you’ll be following an old road bed which was used to access Elton Mine. Look for tailing from the mine as you approach the viewpoint.
Signed junction with the easier approach to Lucky Boy Vista
Very little is left of the Elton Mine. Four mine shafts are poorly fenced and filled in with residual tailings. This is another example of a mining operation of which very little is known. We know the claim was originally filed on July 7th, 1922, and that only one shipment of low grade ore was ever shipped, which would not have been enough to recover operational costs.
Give mine entrances like this a wide berth
The final approach to Lucky Boy Vista is a splendid affair. The flat plateau suddenly drops out, revealing incredible views towards Split Rock, Skull Rock, and Jumbo Rocks. Look for a glimmer of car windshields to the SSE and you’ll see a perfect view of the Skull Rock formation.
Head back to the loop junction and continue past it on the old road bed to begin the loop hike back to the trailhead. Continue for 1.0 miles, dropping in elevation just before reaching a wash with a signed arrow.
A beautiful joshua tree casting shadows on the old road bed
Disregard the arrow and exit the trail into the wash to head north. Don’t worry if you miss this spot -- instead of looping back through the wash, you’ll quickly reach the road which you can take back to the trailhead.
Rejoin the main wash at mile 2.8. Turn left to follow the broad wash back to the trailhead.
