Though called trees, the spiny plants that grow in abundance in Joshua Tree National Park are actually members of the agave family. The name Joshua Trees comes from a small group of Mormons who were passing through the area in the 1850s. They thought the plants looked like the prophet Joshua pointing them to the promised land. Whether you think they are trees or not, they are funky and fun and this national park is a delight to explore. Here are a few of our favorite ways to spend time exploring Joshua Tree National Park.
Split Rock and Skull Rock
After a tenth mile walk from the parking lot, you’ll arrive at Split Rock. To me, it’s not super interesting or unique but to my kids it is THE BEST feature of the entire park. The massive boulder seems to have split in half and tinnier humans can shimmy their way through the rock. This mere fact was so exciting for the boys. They had to make the journey multiple times before we were ready to move on. We were at Split Rock around 8am on our first day in the park and had the boulder all to ourselves.
We also had Skull Rock all to ourselves after we finished at Split Rock. The two rock features are about a mile from one another. If you’re up for a 2 miles hike, you can hike to Skull Rock from Split Rock. If you choose to drive, Skull Rock is easy to access and a very short walk from the roadside parking area. The boys again enjoyed the rock scrambling in the area. I love that we were there as the sun was first starting to rise over this unique rock formation.
Barker Dam
Our third stop on our first day in Joshua Tree National Park was to Barker Dam. The drive to Barker on the western half of the park offers some of the best Joshua tree viewing in this section of the Mojave desert. We arrived around 10:00am and parking was still plentiful when we visited during the peak month of April. The 1.1 mile loop trail is an easy hike and requires no rock scrambling.
When we arrived at the dam site we were a bit disappointed that there was no water in the dam. The dam was originally constructed in 1900 by area ranchers to serve as water source for their cattle. After a rainy day or season water collects in this area, making it a haven for wildlife and plants. On the way back to the parking lot, the trail takes a short jaunt to offer a glimpse of petroglyphs made over 2,000 years ago. The petroglyphs are not in their original condition however, as paint was used in the 1950s to enhance the color of the markings.
Hall of Horrors
After our Barker Dam hike we had a picnic lunch (there is no food service in the park) before spending the afternoon rock scrambling at the Hall of Horrors. The Hall of Horrors hike is not well marked. The trail is a loop around a massive outcropping of rocks. On the back side of the rocks you need to rock scramble up into the formation just behind the loop trail. Here you will find a narrow slot in the rocks called Hall of Horrors. Though it’s not marked with any signage. You’ll need to slither your way down into the slot. From here we took a few pictures, before clawing our way out. We opted to exit the same way to entered. We saw other hikers make the much tougher exit over a high and narrower slot.
Keys View
We spent the later afternoon at Jumbo Rocks. We were lucky to have a reservation at the Jumbo Rocks Campground (one night was all that was available). The boys used the late afternoon to explore the huge rock outcroppings. We ate an early dinner at the campsite before making our way to Keys View to watch the sunset. If you plan to do the same while visiting Joshua Tree, arrive early. We were at the lookout about 90 minutes before sunset and the parking lot as almost full.
The wait to watch the sun dip below the San Bernardino Mountains was worth it. The blaze yellow against the jagged rocks is one of my favorite memories of our time at Joshua Tree.
In addition to stellar sunsets, the park is equally as amazing after dark. Joshua Tree is known as a “dark sky” park. Here the lack of light pollution makes the moon and the thousands of stars appear to dance above the Joshua Trees dotting the horizon.
Cholla Cactus Garden
On our second day in the park, we arrived just after sun rise at the Cholla Cactus Garden. The early morning light makes the cuddly looking cacti look almost fuzzy. These cacti are my favorite and this garden is one of my favorite spots in the park. A one third mile loop trail meanders through the hundreds of chollas here. With the rising sun in the background, it is a magical scene.
49 Palms Oasis
After an early morning with the chollas, we drove to the northern part of the park to hike to 49 Palms Oasis. This was our longest hike in Joshua Tree. It was about 10:30am before we got to the trailhead and half way through the hike I was wishing we would have started sooner. The trail is a about 3 miles round trip but offers no shade. It was a hot and sweaty hike to the oasis. The boys passed the time rock scrambling and looking for views of the valley below.
When we arrived at the oasis, we took a few minutes to rest, gulp water and enjoy the shade of the palms before heading back to the trailhead. Joshua Tree National Park actually has two oases like the one at 49 Palms. The other is called Lost Oasis and is located at the southern entrance to the park. We chose to hike the trail to 49 Palms because the Lost Oasis hike is twice as long; 6 miles.
Arch Rock
After our hike, it was time for another picnic lunch. With full stomachs we went searching for a first-come, first-serve campsite at White Tank Campground. There are only 15 sites at White Tank and it cannot accommodate units over 25 feet. In early afternoon, there were still a few sites to chose from.
I think we got the campground’s best spot. The pictures below were taken from the campsite. It had the most perfect tree in all of Joshua, just behind the fire ring. The boys spent hours (no kidding) playing on the rocks that were feet from the camper van. They drug me to at least three forts they had discovered and convinced me to wedge myself through a handful of tunnels they found. It was little boy heaven.
Also, just steps from our campsite was the trail to Arch Rock. Hikers take turns climbing to the arch while other hikers volunteer to take their picture. Getting to the arch does require a small amount of rock scrambling. Hanging out at Arch Rock with the bright blue sky in the background was the perfect way to end our time at Joshua Tree.
We spent our final evening in the park just enjoying the campsite. Rock scrambling, sitting around the fire and munching popcorn made on the grill. It was a delightful way to end our time at Joshua Tree.
If you’re looking to explore a couple other parks near Joshua Tree, see our posts on time spent at Petrified Forest and Death Valley National Parks.
Happy Adventuring, Rochelle
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