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1. Cholla Cactus Garden
Welcome to Joshua Tree’s most dangerous hike! The Cholla (choy-uh) Cactus Garden is an area of the park with a seemingly infinite supply of these incredibly sharp and painful cactus needles. This fabulous nature trail winds between the cacti, giving you an up-close and personal look at some of the fascinating plants in the park.
What You Need to Know
The nature trail is only 0.25 miles roundtrip and is mostly flat. This is a good trail for families — just be sure to keep a close eye on your kids and NEVER leave the trail.
Pets are not permitted on this trail.
Getting Here
The Cholla Cactus Garden is located between the Oasis Visitor Center and the Cottonwood Visitor Center along the Pinto Basin Road. From the Oasis Visitor Center, travel 4 miles south to the North Entrance and then continue for 4.7 miles until you see the left turn that travels to the I-10 freeway and the Cottonwood Visitor Center. Turn here and drive for 9.8 miles. You’ll see the parking area on your right after descending a large hill.
2. Rock Climbing
Joshua Tree National Park is a world-class destination for rock climbing — in fact, that’s what the park is best known for. The rocks in Joshua Tree are wild and perfect for adventurin’ no matter your skill level.
What You Need to Know
Whether you like to climb or not, take some time to marvel at these crazy-looking boulders and the infinite possibilities they provide.
I highly recommend checking out Cliffhanger Guides for your rock climbing adventure. You can read my full review here.
Rock climbing is THE THING to do in Joshua Tree, so definitely plan on spending a few hours trying it out. I didn’t know that on my first trip to the park, and I wish someone would have told me!
3. Arch Rock
Hiding within a large boulder field, Arch Rock perfectly frames some of the most spectacular scenery in Joshua Tree. Visiting this 30-foot granite arch is a fun adventure — especially for kids who like to do a little rock scrambling!
What You Need to Know
The nature trail that leads to Arch Rock is an easy 0.5-mile loop. If traveling the loop counter-clockwise, the arch appears after only several hundred yards. You don’t need to hike the full loop if you are short on time or have people in your group who don’t want to hike very far.
From the trail, Arch Rock is hardly visible. If you want to get a better view of the arch, a small amount of easy scrambling is required beyond the sign pointing to the arch. You’ll want to plan on climbing up to the base of the arch — the views from there are phenomenal!
Pets are not permitted on this trail.
Getting Here
The trail to Arch Rock begins near the White Tank Campground. To get here from the Oasis Visitor Center, travel 4 miles south to the North Entrance and then continue for 4.7 miles until you see the left turn that travels to the I-10 freeway and the Cottonwood Visitor Center. Turn here and drive for 2.2 miles until you see the Arch Rock Parking Lot on your right (if you reach the White Tank Campground, you’ve gone too far). Park here to begin your hike.
4. Cottonwood Spring
In this desert environment, water is EVERYTHING. Because of its scarcity, seeing large green trees in the middle of a seemingly barren wasteland is a real treat. The Cottonwood Spring features many plants that thrive in Joshua Tree because they can rely on this important water source.
What You Need to Know
The trail to the Cottonwood Spring Oasis is a short and easy 0.1-mile roundtrip trail. This area is popular for wildlife viewing and bird watching, so pets are not permitted on this trail.
Getting Here
The Cottonwood Spring Nature Trail is located near the Cottonwood Visitor Center on the south end of the park. Just south of the Visitor Center, look for a road that points to the campground. Follow this road to the very end — don’t turn off at the campground — and look for the large parking area and trail sign to begin your hike.
Click NEXT for stops 5-8 (including some of the most iconic views of Joshua Tree National Park)!
Great suggestion to rock climb with the Cliffhanger Guides team. What a riot, fantastic experience! Also, know Cholla Cactus Garden is closed for the foreseeable future due to an NPS project. You can drive by but that’s all. Lastly you might want to add Wing-n-it in 29 Palms to your restaurant list. Cajun/Louisiana cuisine and on Sundays the chef digs deep. I appreciate you and John. Never go to a NP without visiting your site first.
I’m so glad you enjoyed climbing with Cliffhanger…such a cool experience right?! I saw the closure for the Cholla Garden, but thanks for the reminder. And I’m always looking for fantastic restaurants in that area, so I’ll definitely add that one to our list. Thank you so much! We appreciate you!
Hi Ash. thanks for providing all the details. I’m planning a 1 1/2 days at Joshua end of May. Is that reasonably good time to see the park. – Not sure if this is a hot season to visit. Please advise.
It will be nice and toasty in May ?
Hi Ash,
Thinking of planning a trip to Joshua Tree in 2023 or 2024 over one of my kids’ school breaks (Thanksgiving, Christmas or Spring). I see that there are quite a few campsites in this park. Do you have a favorite campsite? I believe I stayed at Jumbo Rocks the last time I was there, but that was a long time ago. My boys are 10- and 12-year-old and I plan on taking them rock climbing, if that makes a difference.
Thanks
Really any of the campgrounds along that main park road will do! If you’ll be doing a bunch of climbing, it would be more convenient to be at Hidden Valley or Ryan because those ones are closest to the best climbing spots :) But Jumbo Rocks, Belle, and White Tank are within striking distance as well. Climbing in Joshua Tree is so much fun — lucky kids!
How long would it take to see all these must-see places?
2 days!
Ash, you write here that the hike to Cottonwood Spring Oasis is 1 mile roundtrip but the park’s site (https://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/hiking.htm) says it’s a short walk, .1 mile. Is that talking about the same hike? Is the 1 mile you wrote above supposed to say .1 mile?
Yes, thank you for catching that. It’s a typo, and it is only 0.1 miles!
Hi Ashe! We are planning a trip to Joshua Tree sometime in October. Not sure what to pack clothing wise for hiking? What do you suggest?
It’s typically still pretty warm, but I would pack layers so that you can adjust as needed!
HI – we plan to drive from Las Vegas to LA in January 2023. If we some in through the west entrance, what sites & lookouts are easy to access and worth stopping at? Also, will we need snow chains at that time of year? Thanks
Hey Michelle! You won’t need chains in that park unless a random storm rolls through. But typically it’s a nice time to be there.
I would enter the park through Twentynine Palms and exit the park at the town of Joshua Tree. You’ll pass by stops like Skull Rock, Keys Ranch, Ryan Mountain, and Hidden Valley as you drive that road. Have fun!
We plan on visiting in winter (December). Any suggestions on what to visit and do during the winter months? Many thanks and I love your website!
The winter months are peak season in Joshua Tree, so you should be able to complete everything on this list with no problem!
Looking for a beautiful spot to propose. Any suggestions?
The top of Ryan Mountain would be awesome :)
Hi there! Thanks for this awesome info, I’m looking into coming out to backpack overnight. I’d like to come out Friday afternoon and car camp then wake up Saturday morning and backpack into a different camping spot… maybe a 6-10 mile hike in… Do you have any recommendations for this type of weekend trip?
I would take a look at the NPS site here: https://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/backpacking.htm I’m not familiar with a lot of those longer trails, so I’m not exactly sure what would fit the bill for your upcoming trip. Have fun!
Hi Dirt in my shoes .. I am thinking on a trip to Joshua Tree in December? What should I expect weather wise etc .. we have an rv and were planning on camping ???
I really enjoy winter in Joshua Tree. I was there over New Year’s Eve/Day a few years ago and the weather was awesome…sunny skies, mild temps, beautiful trees. I think you’ll love it! RV camping should be very enjoyable. Have fun!
Hi Ash,
I’m so glad you included the Keys Ranch in your list. It was fascinating to learn how those folks scraped a living from the desert with their ranching and campground endeavors. Although it’s not a natural geological or botanical feature of the Park, I’m glad the NPS has continued to keep this bit of Park history accessible. We enjoyed learning about the history behind the formation of the Park and the role of the homesteaders. The artifacts on the ranch curated by the NPS are amazing. The tall tales, told by our guide, of the life of the Keys family, were even better.
I agree, Janice. The history of the parks is important to acknowledge, and I love the way they present this tour. It would have been a hard life out there, and the artifacts are fascinating. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience. Happy trails!
Hi Ash, I am planning a trip to twentynine palms to see my son at the base at the end of March. And I deffently want to go into the park. I am hoping the flowers will be blooming in the park at that time of year. Do you think they will be?
This year hasn’t been a great year for water in Joshua Tree, so it’s hard to say how well the flowers will be blooming this year. I’d check the Joshua Tree facebook page….they often post up-to-date conditions within the park. It’s beautiful regardless — you’ll really enjoy it!!
Used a lot of your Joshua Tree suggestions on my last trip. Thank you so much. Included a link to this page in my blog post!! :) Enjoy http://www.thebubblymermaid.com/keys-view/
Thanks Jacq! Great photos of a beautiful place…glad you had a great trip!!