Joshua Tree

With its vast view of Coachella Valley, the Salton Sea, and Mount San Jacinto, Keys View is the principal overlook in Joshua Tree National Park. The excellent vantage more than justifies the 7-mile drive from Park Boulevard, but why stop there? Keys View is also the starting point for a short trek to Inspiration Peak. Leave the crowds behind and visit this 5,550-foot summit, which is just 0. ...Read more.

This short desert hike visits a gold mine that operated profitably for decades on land now protected by Joshua Tree National Park. An overlook across from the mine is reachable via an easy 0.7-mile round trip trail, and the excursion can be extended to 1.6 miles by crossing a canyon to the mine itself. Begin hiking on the nearly level Desert Queen Mine Trail (just to the right of the bathrooms at the trailhead for Desert Queen Mine and Pine City). ...Read more.

Barker Dam Loop visits a small foreign-looking reservoir within the Wonderland of Rocks in Joshua Tree National Park. Hikers of all abilities will enjoy this level 1.5-mile hike. The water can all but disappear during the dry season, so make a point to visit this trail in the winter and spring. The well-marked loop is easy to follow and easy to hike. ...Read more.

Mastodon Peak offers panoramic views of southeastern Joshua Tree National Park. The low summit is located in the Colorado Desert, so you will not see any Joshua trees around here. What you will see is some beautify desert that becomes populated with wildflowers come spring. Mastodon Peak can be reached via a 2.6-mile loop with 440 feet of elevation gain. ...Read more.

Spring is the perfect time to visit Joshua Tree National Park. The temperatures are accommodating and the desert comes to life with wildflowers. The desert in bloom is something any outdoor enthusiast in California should see. Most of the wildflowers below were photographed near Eagle Mountain and Lost Palms Oasis in April of 2008. Photos from other areas of the park taken in April of 2010 and later. ...Read more.

The hike to Lost Palms Oasis departs from Cottonwood Spring on the east side of Joshua Tree. A smaller oasis, Cottonwood Springs Oasis, is actually right at the trailhead. From there, the trail heads east on a 7.2-mile round trip track to Lost Palms Oasis. The trail leaving Cottonwood Springs Oasis The short trek to Mastodon Peak can be visited in combination with this hike as they share the same trail for half a mile. ...Read more.

Cholla Cactus Garden is one of Joshua Tree National Park's one-of-a-kind features. Located at the merger of the upper Mojave Desert and the lower Colorado Desert, this level quarter-mile loop provides access to an intense concentration of cholla cacti. The trail through Cholla Cactus Garden Perhaps the cutest cactus on the planet, the cholla has been nicknamed the teddy bear cactus, but this is one teddy bear you do not want to hug! ...Read more.

The ten-stamp mill and foundation of Lost Horse Mine stand at the end of a gradual 4-mile round trip trail. Lost Horse Mine has one of the best-preserved mills under National Park protection. Unlike less fortunate nearby efforts, Lost Horse Mine was one of the few mineral speculations in Joshua Tree National Park to be productive. According to the NPS, The mine yielded approximately 10,000 ounces of gold and 16,000 ounces of silver. ...Read more.

Ryan Mountain offers a fairly straight forward out and back hike to a round summit at the center of Joshua Tree National Park. The 3-mile round trip trail climbs 1,050 feet up a dirt trail with numerous stone steps. The sun-exposed trail crowns a 5,457-foot mountain with impressive panoramic views of the jumbled rock formations and Joshua tree forests that surround the peak. ...Read more.

For an introduction to plant and wildlife in Joshua Tree National Park, visit Hidden Valley. This one-mile loop circles a small valley that is surrounded by tall boulders. Hidden Valley Trail shows off Joshua Tree's rocky landscapes and is a great place to climb around. Hidden Valley Nature Trail Take the path from the parking lot between rock walls into Hidden Valley. ...Read more.