Stone Ruins in Fried Liver Wash - Joshua Tree National Park

Day HikeAbandonedRuins
Written By Elliot Koeppel

Explor Date: November 30 of 2013

Ok, what I want to know is, who came up with the name "Fried Liver" wash and why? Was it some old prospector wandering down the wash, dreaming of his favorite meal? Maybe a rock formation reminded someone of a plate of fried liver? Could a hunter have killed a bighorn sheep in the wash and fried up its liver for a savory snack? These are the kind of things I think about while hiking out in the back country. We may never know the answer.

In any case, there I was, about three miles east of the Pleasant Valley Backcountry Board. I had seen a picture on Google Earth of an old stone ruin out in the area and decided to check it out. It's a pretty easy hike along upper Fried Liver Wash and the southern base of the Hexie Mountains.

The trail is comfortable to follow, most of it is actually the old Pleasant Valley Road; however, sometimes it disappears and you just follow the wash.

Some of the side walls along the wash are quite tall, evidence of the force with which the water sometimes travels down the Fried Liver.

Upon reaching the ruin, more questions arise. Who built it. What was it used for? Why was it built in the middle of a wash? As it is located near a road that heads north to the Hexahedron Mine, could it be the location of the rumored Hexahedron Mill? One source mentions old foundations at this location as an early mill site.

Information is scanty. Maybe it was a storage building, or a one-room cabin (the number of tin cans near by leads me to believe cabin or bunkhouse). Maybe someone's desert hideaway. It's likely we'll never know for sure, but that's ok. It's fun to wonder about the things you run across, when you set out to see what you can find.

If you find the ruins, please be respectful and leave them as you found them. They will eventually disappear on their own, we don’t need to hasten their vanishment.

A small array of Desert Gold glittered rustily amidst the grasses of the wash.

A portion of the Pleasant Valley Road, hiking back to my truck. I believe this road once continued all the way down the wash to connect with what is now Pinto Basin Road. I could be wrong, though. There are lots of interesting things to see out here. Lots of gold mines, lots of cactus and lots of memories.

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Did you know the same sculptor who made the Cabazon dinosaurs also worked at Knott's Berry Farm for many years and created most of the "Bench People" you see in Ghost Town. https://www.exploratography.com/blog-cal/the-bench-people-knotts-be
Santa Rex is back! Did you know the same sculptor who made the Cabazon dinosaurs also worked at Knott's Berry Farm for many years and created most of the "Bench People" you see in Ghost Town. https://www.exploratography.com/blog-cal/the-ben
Probably the two most famous "Bench People" at Knott's Berry Farm. They have a unique tie-in to those giant Dinosaurs out at Cabazon, along the 10 Freeway. Checkout this link to read about it: https://www.exploratography.com/blog-cal/cabazo
Tent or cabin site?
Elliot Koeppel
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