Hike Balance Rock

A simple, quiet drive down a dirt road (Grapevine Spring) leads you through desolate landscape until a parking lot sprouts up to your right.  From here you can see that a stretch of land sandwiched in a little valley where the trail heads directly east. 

The trail is easy to follow, just keep yourself between the mountains on each side and enjoy the views in your peripheral.  The landscape is repetitive but still quite interesting, and despite the signage all throughout the park regarding Javelina, this was the only place we actually were offered the opportunity to watch them.  

Our excursion took place in early-November.  We saw three people walking back in on our way out and the weather was perfect.  Parking was obviously then a nonissue, but the lot seemed to be of decent size regardless.  

The mostly flat portion of the trail that sends you out dead ends into the hill.  Now, you start making your way up and it is by far the most interesting and entertaining portion of the path.  It's perfectly suitable for beginners and not treacherous in the least, yet its a fun area to spend some time and explore around. 

Your reward, the view of the Balance Rock and beyond.  The sprawled collection of boulders beyond is nearly equally impressive of a vista in my opinion.

As for a selfie-stick, I hate them, however my hiking partner had his legs decimated by the South Rim the day prior and did not make the climb up.  Hence, I have no photographic evidence of me underneath, which is the iconic shot