Joshua Tree National Park, california
Attractions Guide

The following attractions are listed in order along a recommended route through gorgeous Joshua Tree National Park. This massive desert landscape is full of majestic mountains, mesmerizing giant rocks, and of course the park's signature Joshua trees.

Begin your scenic drive through Joshua Tree National Park while enjoying the majestic scenery. Along the drive through the park are many scenic pull-offs you should consider stopping at in addition to the listed attractions.

Hidden Valley Nature Trail

First you'll come across the 1 mile (1.6 km) round-trip Hidden Valley Nature Trail, which loops around a stunning area of complex rock formations and Joshua trees.

Barker Dam Nature Trail

Nearby Hidden Valley is the 1.2 mile (1.9 km) round-trip Barker Dam Nature Trail, which ventures along a similar landscape that includes a seasonal lake as well as petroglyphs. These two easy trails are the park's most popular hikes and are highly recommended.

Cap Rock

Continue along the road to the Cap Rock area, which consists of several massive rock piles that you can explore and climb on. The very short Cap Rock Nature Trail circles around some of these rocks.

Keys View

From Cap Rock you can take a detour heading south up to Keys View, a breathtaking viewpoint that overlooks Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley from high above. Keys View provides amazing views in the day, and especially at night when the cities of the Coachella Valley brilliantly light up.

Hall of Horrors

Next you can visit the Hall of Horrors, another scenic rocky area that's popular for rock climbing (with and without gear) which you might explore a bit.

Nearby the Hall of Horrors is the trailhead for the Ryan Mountain Trail, another very popular hike that's about 2.8 mile (4.5 km) round-trip. From the top of Ryan Mountain you can enjoy excellent views over Joshua Tree. This hike is more challenging than the easy flat ones, with a steep elevation gain of nearly 1,100 feet (330 m).

Skull Rock & Face Rock

Continue along to the park's most iconic sight, the striking Skull Rock, which is literally shaped like a giant human skull and located just off the road. Just across the street from Skull Rock is the stunning Face Rock, which looks like the side profile of a face. This strange rock is a very short walk away from Skull Rock.

Another interesting rock formation nearby Skull Rock is Split Rock, which you can see via a 1.9 mile (3.1 km) round-trip trail.

Arch Rock

Next you can see another impressive rock formation via the 0.5 mile (0.8 km) round-trip Arch Rock Nature Trail, which offers a short but scenic journey to a natural arch. This trail begins at the end of the road within the White Tank Campground.

Cholla Cactus Gardens

Continue to the Cholla Cactus Gardens where you can take a short walk amongst a vast field of strange but beautiful cacti.

Lost Palm Oasis Trail

If you like you can continue your scenic drive through the more remote eastern section of the park, which hosts more hiking trails, including the popular 7.2 mile (11.6 km) Lost Palms Oasis Trail which journeys through a stunning wild desert landscape. This trailhead is located near the national park's other visitor center, the Cottonwood Visitor Center, which is also near where the park's main road intersects Highway 10.

Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail

Another short hike you might consider is the 2.8 mile (4.5 km) round-trip Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail, which ventures through the dry desert before leading to a surprising small water oasis surrounded by many palm trees. This trail is located north of the park off of Highway 62, near the Oasis Visitor Center in the the town of Twentynine Palms.

Just outside of Joshua Tree National Park is the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum, which contains very eccentric and unique art installations made out of old objects. This open-air museum's exhibits are very impressive and intriguing.