Fried Liver Wash

Fried Liver Wash is a broad desert wash in the southeastern portion of Joshua Tree National Park. It drains toward Pinto Wash and lies within the park's remote Pleasant Valley backcountry, where the Mojave and Colorado deserts transition into one another.

Despite its unusual name, Fried Liver Wash is a natural drainage rather than a canyon. Most of the year it is dry, but during heavy rains it can carry dangerous flash floods. The wash is lined with desert pavement, alluvial fans, creosote bush, cholla, ocotillo, and scattered Joshua trees at the higher elevations. Spring wildflower displays can be excellent after wet winters.

Some facts that may interest visitors:

Elevation ranges from about 1,700 to over 3,000 feet.

The wash is roughly 11.5 miles long before joining Pinto Wash.

It serves as an important wildlife travel corridor for desert bighorn sheep, coyotes, jackrabbits, reptiles, and numerous birds.

There are no maintained hiking trails in the area. However, the National Park Service designates the Fried Liver Wash Corridor as a backcountry route. The corridor can be accessed from the Pleasant Valley backcountry board or from Pinto Basin Road, and the first portion of the route is shared with the hike to the historic Hexahedron Mine.

If you drive Pinto Basin Road through the park, you actually cross Fried Liver Wash without realizing it. The road follows the sandy wash for about two miles between the Porcupine Wash area and the Cholla Cactus Garden.

As for the name "Fried Liver Wash," no official explanation has been documented by the National Park Service. Like many colorful desert place names, its origin appears to have come from local prospectors or early travelers, and the story behind it has been lost to history.