Joshua Tree National Park – Panorama Loop Trail

100 Lizards, 2 Blood-Squirting Showoffs, and a Fire Scar

In early May, our Community Science team laced up for a lizard survey along the Panorama Loop Trail at Black Rock Canyon, in the quiet northwest corner of Joshua Tree National Park. The mission: count lizards. The final tally on this nearly 7-mile (≈11 km) loop with about 1,200 ft (365 m) of climbing? A very satisfying, perfectly round 100.

A Mile In, the Landscape Turns Dystopian

We weren’t far up the trail, barely the first mile (1.6 km), when we walked straight into a burn scar. This was the Black Rock Fire, which tore through this corner of the park last October, burning roughly 72 acres (29 hectares) over about eight days before crews contained it.

The cause is the strange part. According to news reports, the fire was started by a hiker who set their used toilet paper on fire. The official cause is still under investigation. It broke out during the government shutdown, when the rangers who would normally be out educating visitors about fire safety were furloughed, which makes the whole thing feel painfully avoidable.

This stretch of the park is one of its climate refugia, which is why this fire is worth understanding. It’s one of the densest Joshua tree woodlands in the park, and because it sits at a higher, cooler elevation, it’s one of the few places where the trees may be able to hang on as the desert keeps warming. Losing it isn’t just losing trees, it’s losing some of their best odds at a future. Firefighters estimate more than a thousand Joshua trees burned here. Parts of it looked genuinely eerie, like a scene out of a dystopian novel: blackened earth, scorched trunks, and leaves bleached a sickly yellow.

There’s a sliver of hope, since an estimated 15 to 30% of the damaged trees may resprout from their roots. But it was a sobering way to start the hike, and a stark reminder of how fragile this landscape really is.

Cactus in Full Show-Off Mode

Meet the Lizard That Shoots Blood From Its Eyes

My favorite moments, though, belonged to the reptiles, specifically not one but two Blainville’s horned lizards. Horned lizards (along with chuckwallas) are my all-time favorite desert dwellers. They’re masters of camouflage, blending so perfectly into the gravel that spotting one feels like winning a tiny prize.

And they have the best party trick in the desert. When a predator like a coyote or fox gets too close, a horned lizard can squirt a stream of blood right out of the corners of its eyes. The blood is laced with a chemical that tastes absolutely foul to dogs and their wild relatives. It’s completely harmless to humans, but deeply unappealing to anything considering them for lunch. Ew, and also: incredible.

The Views Are Worth the Climb

Beyond the wildlife, the Panorama Loop is simply a gorgeous hike, winding through Joshua tree woodland and wildflowers, with a few genuinely steep stretches before you finally top out on the ridge. And then comes the payoff: enormous, open views across the Yucca Valley basin and out to snow-dusted San Gorgonio Mountain in the distance. It absolutely earns the “Panorama” in its name. If you want to understand this slice of the high desert, this is the trail to do it on.

The Quick Trail Guide – Panorama Loop Trail

Trail: Panorama Loop, ~7 miles (11 km) round trip from the Black Rock Nature Center

Elevation gain: ~1,200 ft (365 m); high point around 5,170 ft (1,575 m)

Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous. Manageable with some hiking experience and decent fitness, but not the one to pick for your very first hike.

Time: 3–4 hours

Where: Black Rock Canyon, northwest corner of Joshua Tree NP, accessed from Yucca Valley.

Entrance fee: None! The Black Rock section doesn’t require park entry payment.

Parking: Plenty around the Nature Center and campground (just don’t grab a reserved campsite spot).

Facilities: Black Rock Campground has flush toilets, potable water, and a nature center.

Heads up: Limited shade, spotty-to-no cell service (download your map first), and rattlesnakes are in the area, so stay aware. Bring more water than you think you need: about a gallon (~4 liters) per person in summer.

Best time for blooms: Cactus typically flower in spring; for wildflowers, aim for March through early May. Joshua tree blooms are famously unpredictable from year to year, so treat them as a happy bonus rather than a guarantee.