Joshua Tree National Park Travel Guide

 53 Reviews  There are six "established" hiking trails ranging in distances from 3 miles to 16 miles. They are as follows: Mastodon Peak - 3 miles Ryan Mountain - 3 miles 49 Palms Oasis - 3 miles Lost Horse Mine/Mountain - 4 miles Lost Palms Oasis - 7.5 miles Boy Scout Trail - 16 miles 

 21 Reviews  The indentation on this rock was formed by a combination of two geological processes; Undercutting and Cavernous Weathering. These are when moisture is trapped on the surface of the rock or in the soil long enough to erode away some of the minerals forming the rock. Then rain and wind wash away the... 

 12 Reviews  The Cholla cactus could be taken for a Teddy Bear- it looks quite cuddley. Far from it ! Its thousands of needles will cause quite a lot of damage if you put out your hand to touch it or brush against one. Like all the plant in the Park it is wonderfully adapted to the climatic and environmental... 

 9 Reviews  One of the interesting sites in Joshua Tree National Park is Skull Rock. You can park by the side of the road and Skull Rock is a very short easy walk south. If you feel more adventurous, you can drive on to the Jumbo Rocks Camping Area and take a longer interpretive trail to Skull Rock. The trail... 

 6 Reviews  This is a great hike with a surprise in the end. From Keys View Rd, turn east on the dirt road when you see the sign. Leave your car in the parking lot and it's a 2-mile hike (one way). Last time I did it was in summer 2000. There's no shade and I didn't carry water, so it felt like 20 miles... 

 12 Reviews  Another plant in the park, which is frequently mistaken as a cactus due to the thorns and its appearance, is the Ocotillo. The Ocotillo is actually a type of deciduous plant; but unlike most deciduous trees it does not grow leaves in the spring and lose them in the fall. It grows leaves after a... 

 3 Reviews  The Ryan Mountain trail is a 3 miles roundtrip leading to probably the best views in the park. The trail begins at Ryan Mountain parking area and climbs steadily. With a 1000-foot elevation gain over only 1.5 miles it will make you sweat a bit but it's over so quickly that you won't get tired. On... 

 1 Review  Barker Dam itself was a bit of a letdown and was not nearly as interesting as the trail leading to it. Barker Dam began as a catch basin to store water for the ranchers in the area. It was made into a dam by the Barker and Shay Cattle Company, and then expanded by Bill Keys the owner of the biggest... 

 1 Review  Probably the most interesting and beautiful place I saw in Joshua Tree National Park was Hidden Valley (although from what I understand Key's View is at least as good). Hidden Valley, and the Hidden Valley Trail, is definitely worth a stop. These first photos show the parking/picnic area. 

 3 Reviews  For the most part the park is all paved roads. There are however a few dirt roads that will take you to places. They are not really that difficult to traverse. All the same though, you still might want to leave your Ferrari at home. 

 2 Reviews  You will want to wear sunscreen at Joshua Tree National Park. Even in the winter, you'll get a lot of sun in the desert. The last thing you want is to end up with a burn. Bring along the bottle so you can re-apply as the day goes on! 

 9 Reviews  This picture was taken in the early evening, at sunset, and shows the silhouette of a Joshua tree with in the background two ranges of high mountains that might be the Santa Rosa mountains but I am not absolutely sure of their identification. 

 6 Reviews  They were awesome. They helped us not only with information about the park, but also information around the whole 29 Palms Area. Where does the water in the tap come from? What is the bird that sounds like...? Why are there all these fences around the houses? They could answer all of it and they... 

 3 Reviews  Surprisingly, the Joshua Tree was not what impressed me the most. We did the 1 mile hike at The Barker Dam where I found the most amazing site ever. It 's like one of those beauties that never get recognition, therefore it had no name. I loved it's framework of branches and twigs coming from...