7 Best Hikes in Joshua Tree National Park - The National Parks Experience

Iconic Joshua trees stand tall in a desert landscape dominated by huge jumbles of rock. Arid hills form a remarkable backdrop. Blue skies offer a stark contrast to the yellows, browns and greens of this unique scenery.

Roadrunners scurry across the sandy desert floors while ravens circle overhead. Rattlesnakes hunt spiny lizards and kangaroo rats, hummingbirds feed on blossoming bushes, and bighorn sheep hop about boulders.

Joshua Tree National Park, one of my all-time favorite national parks in America, is an amazing outdoor playground, catering to a variety of outdoor enthusiasts.

This is one of the best places for rock climbing and bouldering in California, if not in the entire United States. Thousands of rough-surfaced boulders and rock piles are absolutely ideal for climbing.

Hikers and campers, too, will find endless joy in this park. I spent three days in Joshua Tree National Park, essentially dedicating all my time to exploring as much of the park as I possibly could in that time frame.

Based on my own experience in the park, this post features my favorite day hikes in Joshua Tree National Park, from easy strolls to strenuous desert adventures.

Joshua trees in Joshua Tree National Park, California — *Image credit: Bram Reusen*

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Two Deserts, One Park

Joshua Tree National Park is exceptional in the sense that it’s the meeting place of two huge deserts in Southern California.

It is at the very intersection of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts, the latter of which is actually part of the much larger Sonoran Desert that stretches south into Mexico. This results in a wide variety of landscapes, as well as fauna and flora.

Mojave Desert

The Mojave Desert, in the northwestern part of the park, lies at an elevation of 3,000 feet (900 meters) or more.

This is makes it a relatively cool place. In this part of Joshua Tree National Park, you’ll find those epic boulder landscapes and the vast majority of the Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia). It’s this part that characterizes the entire park, really.

Jumbo Rocks, Joshua Tree National Park, California — *Image credit: Bram Reusen*

Colorado Desert

The park’s southeastern part, on the other hand, is in the Colorado Desert, situated lower than 3,000 feet (900 meters) above sea level, making it much hotter than its neighbor. Here, the scenery is much different.

Rocky, rolling hills dominate the landscape, punctuated occasionally by striking ocotillo plants, palo verde and deceptively prickly cholla cacti.

In spring, wildflowers carpet the desert floor, turning the otherwise monotone desert into a colorful spectacle.

It’s not only the wildflowers that make Joshua Tree one of the best national parks to visit in spring; the absolute glorious desert weather doesn’t hurt either.

Colorado Desert wildflowers in Joshua Tree National Park, California — *Image credit: Bram Reusen*

7 Best Hikes in Joshua Tree National Park, California

This sheer range of landscape types is another reason why the Joshua Tree hikes below are so rewarding.

You’ll have the chance to explore various landscapes and experience how different deserts can be. The occasional wildlife sighting and spring wildflowers only add to the beauty of these hikes.

Short & Easy Hikes in Joshua Tree National Park

These short hikes in Joshua Tree National Park are suitable for pretty much everyone, all ages and all fitness levels. None of these hikes take more than an hour or are longer than about a mile. Elevation gain is minimal.

Most of them, however, do run through desert landscapes and sometimes rocky terrain, so hiking footwear is definitely recommended.

Also, even though these Joshua Tree trails may not be that long, you’ll still be walking in a virtually shade-less California desert. Make sure to wear a hat, put on sunscreen and bring a full water bottle.

Hidden Valley Trail

Distance: 1 mile, loop
Duration: 1 hour

Hidden Valley landscape, Joshua Tree National Park — *Image credits: Bram Reusen*

Joshua trees and boulders on the Hidden Valley Trail in Joshua Tree National Park — *Image credits: Bram Reusen*

The perfect introduction to what this iconic park is all about, hiking the Hidden Valley trail is the first thing you should do after pitching your tent.

A place said to have been used by cattle rustlers to regroup and hide, Hidden Valley lies surrounded by rocky hills and large boulders.

This one of the park’s best places for bouldering and rock climbing, and you’ll probably see some people up on the rocks and cliffs.

The starting point of this fun and easy Joshua Tree National Park hike lies near the Hidden Valley picnic area, the trail itself is about a mile (1.6 kilometers) long.

Taking you through boulder fields and past numerous Joshua trees while also offering you the chance to spot some desert wildlife and rock climbers, this is Joshua Tree National Park in a nutshell.

My favorite aspect about this particular hike in Joshua Tree National Park is that you’re not required to stay on the trail. As the park’s most popular rock climbing spot, Hidden Valley begs to be explored.

Put on some sturdy boots, fill up your water bottle and conquer some rocks. Make sure, though, to watch where you place your hands while climbing boulders. Rattlesnakes love this kind of environment.

Cholla Cactus Garden

Distance: 0.25 miles, loop
Duration: 15-20 minutes

Cholla cactus, Joshua Tree National Park, California — *Image credits: Bram Reusen*

Situated just off Pinto Basin Road, the road running from the higher and cooler Mojave Desert into the lower and hotter Colorado Desert, Cholla Cactus Garden is one of the easiest Joshua Tree National Park hikes. It’s one of the park’s main attractions.

This 0.25-mile (400-meter) loop trail takes you through a patch filled with thousands of cholla cacti. Make sure to wear sturdy shoes and stay on the trail. These cacti may look soft and cuddly, but they really aren’t.

Barker Dam Nature Trail

Distance: 1.1 miles, loop
Duration: 1 hour

Desert plants at Barker Dam Trail in Joshua Tree National Park — *Image credits: Bram Reusen*

Pictographs near Barker Dam, Joshua Tree National Park — *Image credits: Bram Reusen*

Only 1.1 miles (1.8 kilometers) long and with hardly any elevation gain, this excellent hike loops through a rocky landscape and passes by a small historic water reservoir built by cattle ranchers.

The Barker Dam trail is one of the best Joshua Tree National Park trails to spot bighorn sheep. However, as this is a pretty busy path, you won’t see them unless you do this very early in the morning or in the low season.

Another notable highlight on this pleasant hike is a rock with Native American rock art.

These rock carvings are found all over the Southwest, including other national parks such as Arches, Capitol Reef, Petrified Forest and Mesa Verde.

Keys View

Distance: 0.2 miles, loop
Duration: 15 minutes for just the walk, much longer if you’re staying to enjoy the sunset (which you should definitely do)

Sunset at Keys View, Joshua Tree National Park, California — *Image credits: Bram Reusen*

This honestly hardly qualifies as a hike at all, but because it does involve some strolling and is one of the park’s greatest highlights, I decided to include it here anyway.

Keys View lies a twenty-minute drive south of Park Boulevard, the main road through the park’s northern section.

You can reach this wheelchair-accessible overlook via a paved 0.2-mile-long (300-meter) path. It’s a pretty steep but extremely short walk to the overlook.

From the top, you can see the entire Coachella Valley below you, including the Salton Sea in the far distance and a section of the San Andreas Fault. It really is quite the view and, facing west, it’s especially amazing at sunset.

Moderate to Strenuous Day Hikes in Joshua Tree National Park

There are several more challenging Joshua Tree National Park hikes, too. The following are my personal favorites.

All of them take two hours or more and are four miles or longer. If it’s a hot day and/or you’re not used to strenuous hikes, you might want to think twice about doing these.

There is no water anywhere along these remote Joshua Tree trails and shade is quite hard to come by as well. Don’t start multi-hour hikes in the desert without plenty of salty snacks and more than enough water.

Put on sunscreen regularly and wear some kind of hat. Take water breaks on a regular basis and take it easy. Bring a hiking first-aid kit.

This is a beautiful place and desert hiking is a phenomenal experience, but you really want to make sure to have your bases covered.

Lost Horse Mine Trail

Distance: 4 miles, out and back
Duration: 2 to 2.5 hours

On the way to Keys View (see above), I suggest that you take a detour to Lost Horse Mine.

You can get to the trailhead via a short dirt road off the Keys View Road. This 4-mile (6.4-kilometer) round-trip hike leads through beautiful desert landscapes, passing a few—not that many, though—Joshua trees on the way.

It ends at the 19^th-century Lost Horse Mine, one of only a couple of successful gold mines in the national park. The remains of the mine are fenced in, so you can’t actually get there, but it’s still a worthy Joshua Tree hike because of the historic significance of the place.

Also, the stunning views on the way in and out are totally worth it.

Lost Horse Mine Loop

Distance: 6.5 miles, loop
Duration: 3 to 4 hours

Lost Horse Mine, Joshua Tree National Park — *Image credits: Bram Reusen*

Hiking trail in Joshua Tree National Park — *Image credits: Bram Reusen*

The Lost Horse Mine Loop is an extension of the trail above. Instead of retracing your steps after reaching Lost Horse Mine, you can continue to make it a loop hike.

To do this, you simply follow the trail and continue past the spur trail leading up to the mine. While the hike above was 4 miles out and back, this loop is a bit longer. The whole circuit is about 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometers) long.

The big bonus of this loop is that you won’t see the same landscapes twice, which, in my opinion, is something that’s always worth considering. The more you can see, the better, right?

Lost Palms Oasis Trail

Distance: 7.5 miles, out and back
Duration: 4 to 5 hours

Lost Palms Oasis, Joshua Tree National Park — *Image credits: Bram Reusen*

Colorado desert landscape on the Lost Palms Oasis Trail in Joshua Tree National Park, California — *Image credits: Bram Reusen*

Of all these amazing hikes in Joshua Tree National Park, this is definitely my personal favorite.

Although you won’t see a lot of Joshua trees on this strenuous desert hike, it’s the spectacular landscapes, desert hiking experience, and beautiful destination that make this one of the best Joshua Tree hikes.

With a round-trip distance of 7.5 miles (12 kilometers), this is also one of the longest hikes in Joshua Tree National Park. Remote and hot, it runs through the sand-bottomed washes and rock-strewn hills of the Colorado Desert.

There’s no shade whatsoever anywhere on the trail until you get to your destination—the Lost Palms Oasis. In the bottom of a steep canyon, this is the largest group of California fan palms in Joshua Tree, the perfect spot for a break.

The trail starts at Cottonwood Spring, which is near the Cottonwood Campground in the far south of the park.

On the way, if you feel up for it, you can choose to make the hike a bit longer by taking a 1.5-mile (2.4-kilometer) detour to the summit of Mastodon Mountain.

7 Amazing Day Hikes in Joshua Tree National Park