Ryan Ranch

Last week was "spring break" for my granddaughter, so we spent the week in the desert. My cousin Scott and his wife and daughter were visiting from Chicago, so we had an opportunity to do a few hikes together (a subject for future posts). One hike we went on was to Ryan Ranch in Joshua Tree National Park.

Photo credit: NobodyHikesinLA.com

The shot above is the information panel at the trailhead off Park Blvd. I forgot to take a photo of the trailhead, so I found this one on Google Images (please see photo credit). The Ryan Ranch hike is short and flat, so great for beginners (or grandkids!). It's somewhere in the 1 to 1.5 mile range (round trip). However, be forewarned, there are lots of things to see and areas to explore beyond the ranch ruins, so you could easily double the mileage and find yourself on some steeper trails.

The primary draw of this hike is a multi-room homestead. Most of the original adobe walls are still standing, but the roof is gone and some of the walls have crumbled away. Be sure to bring your camera, as the old adobe walls are very photogenic! The information panel describes the history of the Ryan Ranch area:

"Jepp and Tom Ryan homesteaded this site to secure the natural spring once located here. The water was essential to the Lost Horse Mine, which they owned with their brother Matt and local prospector Johnny Lang. The ranch supported the mining operation: pumping water 3.5 miles to the mine, processing ore, and serving as a mining office and home. The cattle raised here helped feed the family and workers; some 60 people lived at the ranch and mine during the gold boom. By 1908 full-time operation of the mine had ceased and the Ryans turned their attention to cattle ranching, until the establishment of Joshua Tree National Monument halted grazing.

I like the above photo because it gives you a nice visual of the area. The main building ruins are up on the hill in the middle of the photo. The adobe walls (lower left) are likely what's left of the bunkhouse.

My little explorer-in-training standing in front of the main adobe ruins on a windy day!

My cousin and his wife posing at the Ryan Ranch ruins

The walls of Ryan Ranch have a nice orange or peach color. The adobe brick are made from sand, clay and water and one additional interesting ingredient: The rocky rubble that's a byproduct of mining (known as tailings). According to the information panel:

"Jepp Ryan, in the 1930's, discovered that the old mine tailings contained gold, which meant so did the brick-leading to dubbing the Ryan house, "the gold brick house."

For best viewing (and photographs) try to time your hike so you will see the Ryan house at sunset, when they say it turns golden! My photos here really don't do it justice, as we were hiking around mid-afternoon and the light was pretty flat. This is also an amazing spot to come for long exposure night photography.

The old adobe walls even look dramatic in b&w!

From inside the adobe, looking out

Continuing our hike past the adobe ruins, I spot what looks like a little homestead cabin. Lets go take a closer look.

Not a cabin at all. Turns out this is an old pumphouse. Actually one of two pump houses according to records. Maybe this location was used to pump water 3.5 miles to the Lost Horse Mine?

Just down the hill from this pumphouse is an interesting old water tank. It's one of the largest I've seen, and it makes me think that Ryan Ranch must have been an impressive operation back in the day!

I hope you've enjoyed this tour of the Ryan Ranch area in Joshua Tree National Park. There are still a number of things we didn't see, including a fallen windmill, watering trough, gravestones, and Native American rock art. Next time you are in the Joshua Tree area, consider taking an exploratory hike to the Ryan Ranch area if you have a few free hours!!

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