Keys Ranch Tour in Joshua Tree National Park

Keys Ranch Tour: Joshua Tree National Park

“You are the lucky ones today. Of the more than 3 million people who visit Joshua Tree National Park each year, only a few thousand ever see Keys Ranch.” Said the Park Ranger Tour Guide towards the end of our visit.

I booked the Key’s Ranch Tour well in advance while planning a trip to Joshua Tree for my wife and me. It was one of the very first things I did, as it books up fast. The tour generally runs from October through May and is not held during the hot summer months. It was a beautiful late spring morning when we arrived at the remote rocky canyon gated off to prevent people from visiting without a tour reservation. It was 9 am, and the tour did not start for a half hour, but we were not the first people waiting.

Key’s Ranch was a family home from 1917 to 1969

Key’s Ranch, also known as the Desert Queen Ranch, was the Keys family home from 1917 to 1969. Bill and his wife, Frances Keys, worked there and raised their family. Life was hard, but Bill Keys was built for adversity. He arrived in the area in 1911. A school dropout bent on making a living mining in the harsh desert. In 1917, when the Desert Queen Mine went belly up, he was paid back wages in land. Soon, it would grow to over 800 acres.

Keys continued the backbreaking work of mining for gold and gypsum, but he knew more than one way to make money in the remote spot. He was industrious. He built a stamp mill to crush ore from other miners. He had a small shop that sold extra goods from his garden, automobile parts for sale, a few rooms for rent, and even a schoolhouse for his and the neighboring kids. The tour would cover all of this.

Keys Ranch Tour Begins

At exactly 9:30, the park ranger unlocked the gate and let a caravan of cars through, locking it directly behind us. The supposed 90-minute tour would ultimately last more than 2 hours, which was fine by us.

We parked by the old schoolhouse and got out. The group of fewer than 15 people gathered to listen to the rules—pretty standard. “Cameras are fine, but no tripods. No smoking or eating. Avoid touching anything. And most importantly, stay together as a group.” Leslie, the ranger guide, politely explained.

We headed up the trail or road to the ranch. Leslie told us how Native Americans survived in the harsh desert and some basically desert ecology, pointing out washes and a few lizards.

Exploring the ranch

When we got to the main area of the ranch, I understood why this area was only available to tour groups. It was remarkably well preserved and littered with relics of the past. The ranger made many stops to explain what everything was. “This is the stamp mill, that Bill Keys used and charged others to use in hopes of finding gold.” She said at one of the first stops.

We methodically made our way around the slowly rusting away remnants of the ranch. “This is a 1902 Mack Truck” she said. I was pretty excited about that, as my father’s first job after college was for Mack Truck, and I wanted to send him some pictures. We weaved through other old cars and mining equipment, slowly making our way towards the home.

“That there is the outhouse, indoor plumbing, or power up here,” Leslie explained. “Over there, you see that shed with the half a car next to it. That’s the chicken coup.” She said. “It was the kids’ responsibility every night to take the chickens from the shed and put them inside the car with the windows up. Does anyone want to guess why?” “So they don’t get eaten!” yelled an excited young girl. “That is 100 percent right. Coyotes, mountain lions, and other predators would love to have a poultry snack”

Not permitted in the home

We made our way towards the ranch home, which you are not permitted in. We passed by some corrals, a makeshift outdoor refrigerator, and what was left of an orchard in what was once a large garden. The ranger explained the importance of a dam in the distance and the two wells on the property.

With that, the tour was over. As we hiked back towards the trailhead, I felt excited about the exclusivity and how awesome this tour was. Thinking quietly, “More than 3 million visitors to Joshua Tree each year … but not that many get to do what you just did.”