Hikes in Joshua Tree National Park

Amboy Crater is nestled halfway between Barstow and Needles, just off historic Route 66. It is located near, but not within, Mojave National Preserve. A visit to Amboy Crater will definitely take you back in time. Ten thousand years ago, this cinder cone volcano erupted, transforming the surrounding landscape. A 3-mile round trip trail leads up and into the crater, connecting to a path around the rim that provides startling views. ...Read more.

Golden Canyon - Gower Gulch Loop visits some of the most stunning landscapes in Death Valley National Park. The 4-mile hike begins with a one-mile trek up Golden Canyon. Numbered markers along the way make the canyon easy to follow. These markers correspond with an interpretive trail guide that tells the geological history of the land. The guide is available for purchase at the trailhead and visitor centers, but no guide is required to realize the beauty of Golden Canyon. ...Read more.

Badlands Loop offers a great immersion into the terrain beneath Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park. This 2.5-mile hike is all badlands. Anyone who hiked the Golden Canyon - Gower Gulch Loop and enjoyed the middle section of the trek will love the Badlands Loop. The trail starts down an obvious gully just north of the Zabriskie Point parking lot. ...Read more.

Zabriskie Point offers a stunning panorama of the badlands near Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park. The overlook stands at the upper east end of a badlands terrain full of impressive canyons and gulches. A short walk up a paved hill is all that is required to take advantage of this amazing vantage point. The hard drought-plagued sun-baked slopes around Zabriskie Point support almost no vegetation and possess a start beauty. ...Read more.

Just up the road from Zabriskie Point in Death Valley National Park is a canyon that can be experienced right from the driver's seat. This 2.8-mile one-way dirt road is well maintained and passable in any car or truck. The road leads into and across a picturesque Death Valley landscape of canyons and badlands. The scenery is impressive, plus the kids in the backseat can play a game of who-can-spot-the-most-borax-mine-shafts along the way. ...Read more.