At first glance, Joshua Tree National Park seems like an open book with its iconic Joshua trees and famous giant boulders. However, if you’re willing to look further, this park is full of super cool hidden secrets. One of them is the Chasm of Doom. Another one is Samuelson’s Rocks. The little known Samuelson’s Rocks are flat-sided rocks where John Samuelson chiseled his unique declaration on life into their surfaces, back in the early 1900s. Because the Rocks are not an “official” site, there is no sign or marked trail to point the way. Therefore, most visitors to Joshua Tree National Park have never seen them, let alone even know they exist. To read about the history of this place, click here.
Usually, we always provide coordinates to help you find your way. However, to protect these rocks from vandalism and damages (unfortunately), we won’t be giving out coordinates for this place. We’ll provide a few clues to help you with your research though. If you ended up finding this place, please be respectful and practice LEAVE NO TRACE!
STATS:
Where:
Trailhead:
The trailhead for this is located on Park Blvd, closer to the Joshua Tree entrance, not Twentynine Palms or Cottonwood.
Parking:
There is no parking. You can pull out on the side of the road. Please make sure to pull your vehicles all the way off the road.
Fee:
There is a fee to enter Joshua Tree National Park. The entrance fee is $30 per vehicle for 7-day. You can also either purchase a park-specific annual pass for $55 or get an America the Beautiful National Parks Pass for $80. For up to date fee info, click here.
Restroom:
No restroom here
Distance:
About 4 miles R.T.
Level:
Easy. However, you need to be able to find your way around the desert landscape.
Estimated Completion Time:
1 – 3 hours
Ideal Weather:
Go on cooler months. There are absolutely no shades on this trail.
Ideal Time:
Mornings will have the best lighting and give you enough daylight to find your way around.
Accessibily:
Kid-friendly but not strollers or wheel-chairs.
Dog-friendly:
Dogs are not allowed
Weather:
Video:
THE ADVENTURE:
Getting There
Since there wasn’t a lot of information on this place, it took me a while to finally located the exact location of the rocks. Before we get there, we made sure to load the GPS coordinates on our Garmin inReach. We recommend bringing a good GPS device with you. There isn’t any cell reception inside the park.
As we mentioned above, the “trail” starts at a small turnout on the west side of Park Blvd. Below is a photo of the space view of Samuelson’s Rocks to help you find it.
The Hike to Samuelson’s Rocks
As we parked Butternut, The Adventure Jeep, at the turnout, we still weren’t sure if we were at the right place. The “trailhead” looked unassuming since there is no signage to be found. We drove past this area multiple times in the past without ever realizing that the Samuelson’s Rocks are there.
The “trail” is pretty much a sandy wash, dotted with Joshua trees and dry brush. Occasionally, there are cholla cactus to watch out for. The sandy wash leads straight into the tall mountains on the horizon. With our GPS running, we headed toward our destination.
The landscape gets more beautiful the farther you get away from the road. I got a little giddy as we walk away from the busy road. I felt like I was on an exciting treasure hunt. As we made our way further into the vast open planes, the Joshua trees got denser. There are also the occasional boulders popping up to our left and right.
The wash splits up into multiple routes at times, but we followed the footprints in the sand. They seemed to guide us in the right direction. Eventually, about 90% of the way, we came to a fork. Make sure you stay left here. If you stay left, immediately, you’ll walk past a small black sign (photo below) that has directions for other trails. Keep on going left. We followed our GPS and kept going past the broken fences. Once you get past the broken fences, you will see the big hill, which is home to the Samuelson’s Rocks. If you strain your eyes, you can see the carvings on one of them at the bottom of the hill.
Samuelson’s Rocks
Once you get to the hill, it’s kind of a fun scavenger hunt to find all these rocks. I believe there are 7 boulders, with 8 carvings total. 2 of the carvings are on the same boulder. They are easy to miss if you don’t pay attention. We found 7 carvings. Totally missed one.
The easiest one to find is a big flat vertical rock at the bottom of the hill.
“THE ROCK.
OF FAIHT.
AND TRUHT.
NATURE. IS. GOD.
THE. KEY. TO. LIFE.
IS. CONTACT.
EVOLUTION. IS. THE MOTHER
AND FATHER OF MANKIND.
WITHOUT THEM. WE. BE. NOTHING.
JOHN SAMUELSON.
1927.”
A few others are up on the hill. There is one triangle looking rock that has carvings on two of its flat sides.
“WAKE UP YOU TAX
AND BOND SLAVES.
A POLITICIAN IS A BIRD THAT GETS
IN ON THE TAX PAYORS POKET BOOK
FOR A FAT RAKE OF AND HIS FREE KEEP’S.
HE LEAD’S YOU BY THE NOOSE WITH
ONE HAND WITH THE OTHER
HE DIGS IN YOUR POCKET.
A FREIND OF THE BANKER AND BIG
BUSINESS WHY.?. ”
— John Samuelson
“ARE YOU THE FELLOW
MR. MELLON
THAT GRABED ALL OUR
DOUGH.
AIN’T YOU BETTER UP AND
TELL US.
WHERE IN HELL
DID IT GO. ”
— John Samuelson
It’s kind of fun looking for these rocks. The next two are further up the hill, next to a rusted iron bed frame. The flat sides of these two rocks are facing each other. Don’t forget to enjoy the view from up here!
“GOD
MADE MAN
BUT HENRY FORD
PUT WHEELS UNDER EM
THO. A. MASTER
OF THE GOLD’N RULE
HE. MUST DIE
TO. BE. APRRICIATED. ”
— John Samuelson
“JUDGE BEN LINDSEY
A. MAN THAT
UNDERSTANDS HUMANETY
AND BIG ANOUGH
TO. LIVE. IT.
STUDY NATURE OBEY THE LAWS
OF IT YOU CAN’T GO WRONG
IT PAYES COMPUND ENTEREST
FOR LIFE AND NOT ONE PENNY
ENVESTED? ”
— John Samuelson
This next one is a bit tricky. It’s on the hillside, where the old corral is.
“THE MILK OF
HUMAN KINDNESS
AIN’T GOT THICK
CREAM ON IT FOR
ALL OF US
ASK HOOVER? ”
— John Samuelson
This rock is a little higher off the desert floor, on the northwest side of the rock pile. You’ll need to scramble up to it.
“RELIGION IS A CODE OF
MORALLS FOR US TO LIVE BY
NO MORE. HELL IS HERE ON THIS
EARTH NO OTHER PLASE.
MOST OF IT WE MAKE. OUR SELFE.
AS TO HAVEN FIND IT IN
A LIFETIME NOTHING
PROVEN AFTER DEATH BY PREAST
OR SCIENTIST? ”
— John Samuelson
We didn’t see the 8th Samuelson’s Rocks when we were there. If you find it, let us know. Besides these interesting rocks, there are some cool abandoned artifacts around the area. Samuelson’s homestead is not that far from there. We believe it’s on the opposite side of the corral. However, we didn’t have time to find it this time around. We’ll keep you updated if we have a chance to go back. To get back to the car, just backtrack the way you came from. Using a tracking app on your phone or a handheld GPS will make your life a little bit easier though.
Another hidden secret of Joshua Tree National Park is the Chasm of Doom. However, it is NOT for the faint of heart. Don’t forget to do the loop around Hidden Valley. It is a short but beautiful hike. Also, Arch Rock trail is a short trail that will take you to a super cool natural rock arch and other neat rock formations. Cholla Cactus Garden is another stop we recommended. You don’t need to spend a lot of time, but it is pretty cool to see these unique Cholla Cactus. This place is especially beautiful early morning or at sunset.
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RECOMMEND GEAR:
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
The majority of these links are through our affiliate links so if you buy something, it is at no extra cost for you but it helps us support the site. That being said, don’t buy something just to support us, buy something if you think it will enhance your travels and adventures.
• Good hiking shoes
You can get away with sneakers, however, good hiking shoes are recommended. Vy’s shoes are Merrell Women’s Moab 2 Mid Waterproof Hiking Boot. Dustin’s shoes are TARGHEE III WATERPROOF.
• Snacks
Always bring snacks with you, just in case.
• Sunscreen
Bring sunscreen! We use eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen, All Good Organic Sunscreen Butter – Zinc Oxide – Coral Reef Safe, and All Good Sport Sunscreen Lotion – Coral Reef Safe (3 oz)(2-Pack) or Stream2Sea SPF 30 Reef Safe Sport Tinted Sunscreen.
• GPS device
You’ll need a good GPS device to find your way here since there are no signages. There is no phone reception. We use Garmin inReach Explorer+,
• Water
Doesn’t matter when you go, always make sure to bring plenty of water. Especially if you go in the afternoon. Vy uses the Camelback L.U.X.E. Dustin uses the Clik Small pack (sadly Clik is no longer around). Patagonia Women’s Nine Trails Pack 18L is also a great backpack for a shorter hike like this.
CAMERA GEAR:
• Camera:
Sony a7 III
Gopro Hero 7 Black
• Lenses:
Sony 24 -70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar T Zoom Lens
• Accessories:
GoPro The Handler Floating Hand Grip – Official GoPro Mount
Aluminum GoPro protection frame
SandMarc Extended GoPro Pole
Hybrid Pro Filters – DSLR / Mirrorless
Cinema CPL Filter – HERO 9
3 Comments
Cunningham
It’s easy to find by hiking in on the Quail Springs Road. But it’s a longer walk. The reason that it’s “a secret” is that it is still on private property, and the park cannot direct people to private property (Samuelson’s relatives refuse to sell back to the park). Samuelson, who was born in Sweden, killed a man in a bar in Compton, got put into a mental hospital in Northern CA, escaped and went to WA to work as a logger and was killed in a logging accident. And yes that is his bed!
Daniel Norton
My cousin is a park ranger at Joshua Tree and took me on this hike the last time I was there. It’s amazing what you can find if you know where to look.
Vy
For real!! There are so many things to see and do there at Joshua Tree! Glad you got to see the rocks.