Wanderlust and Adventure in Joshua Tree National Park
by Aventura on October 04, 2022
Photo: Gary C. Tognoni | Joshua Tree National Park, California
The Joshua Tree National Park is a vast expanse of desert and boulders, with some of the most beautiful landscapes in all of California. The park is home to some fascinating rock formations, including the iconic Joshua Tree. There are so many things to do here that you can easily spend a day or two exploring the area.
Joshua Tree National Park is an outdoor lover's paradise. It's also a great place to test your limits, as well as a place where you can relax and enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature at its finest.
This guide will help you plan an adventure trip in Joshua Tree National Park that's perfect for your needs.
Adventurous Things to Do in Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree National Park is a place of wonder, offering visitors an experience that can be hard to describe. It's a place where the beautiful desert landscape is punctuated with Joshua trees and mountain ranges, offering an abundance of hiking trails and other activities for visitors looking for an adventure.
If you're planning a trip to Joshua Tree National Park and want to know what there is to do in this amazing park, here are some adventurous things to do in Joshua Tree:
Explore Hidden Valley
The Hidden Valley area offers numerous hiking trails through desert scrub and boulder fields, as well as rock climbing opportunities on the nearby boulders. If you're looking for an easy hike with great scenery, try Lost Horse Mine Trail which winds around several dry washes before reaching its destination at Lost Horse Mine ruins. For a more challenging hike with panoramic views, try Cottonwood Spring Trail which climbs past large granite boulders and through boulder fields before descending back down into Hidden Valley campground.
Photo: | Hidden Valley Campground, Joshua Tree, California
Go bouldering at Hidden Valley Campground
The Hidden Valley Campground is one of the best places to boulder in Joshua Tree National Park. You'll have plenty of room to maneuver as you climb up the rocks and enjoy the views from above. You can also set up a camp here, but the place gets crowded easily so, remember to come early to book the best spot.
Cholla Cactus Garden
The Cholla Cactus Garden is one of the most popular spots in Joshua Tree National Park. It's a place where you can get up close and personal with some of the park's most beautiful plants.
The Cholla Cactus Garden is just off the main road into the park, making it easily accessible from anywhere in town. The garden itself is quite large and features a wide variety of cacti and succulents, including barrel cacti, cholla, and prickly pears. The plants are perfect for exploring, so bring your kids along!
Photo: Light and Vision | Cholla Cactus Garden, Joshua Tree, California
Rock Climbing
Rock climbing is one of the most popular activities in Joshua Tree National Park. There are over 2,500 climbing routes here, and many of them are easy enough for beginners to try. The rock walls are made up of quartz monzonite and granite, with varying degrees of hardness. Some of the best areas to camp to access good climbing spots include Hidden Valley, Barker Dam, and Ryan Mountain. Not an experienced climber? Set yourself up with an instructor guide!
Lost Horse Mine Trail
This hike takes you up an old mining road through the desert landscape until you reach an abandoned mine site where you can explore the ruins or continue until you reach a small mountain peak for a panoramic view of the surrounding area. The trail isn’t too hard but does have some steep inclines along the way so it’s best suited to be prepared ahead.
Get photographed at Skull Rock
One of the most popular spots in Joshua Tree National Park is Skull Rock. This natural rock formation looks like a skull when viewed from a certain angle, making it one of the most photographed spots in all of Southern California! There are several different angles that makeup Skull Rock, so be sure to explore them all before taking your picture!
Photo: | Skull Rock, Joshua Tree, California
From Palm Springs, Take a Hummer Tour of Joshua Tree
Explore Joshua Tree National Park in a Hummer as you rumble across the arid plains, historic canyons, and the welcoming Thousand Palms Oasis. Take a ride beneath the open sky in a tough vehicle and see previously inaccessible backroads and breathtaking scenery. Take a long cruise down Berdoo Canyon with a guide to spot larger animals and golden eagles while learning about the history of the local Cahuilla Indians.
Photo: sbedaux | Thousand Palms Oasis, California
Enjoy a Boulder Cave Sound Bath and Meditation After a Hike Through the Desert
Before Western artists and visionaries began flocking to Joshua Tree National Park, it was already held sacred by local Indigenous communities. You can book a private tour where you'll be brought to a sheltered spot in the woods for some quiet time in nature, complete with a sound bath and guided meditation in the bosom of Mother Earth. By attuning yourself to the energy of this enchanted setting, you might find peace and renewal for your spirit and, perhaps, a more profound sense of self.
Walk to Keys View
This short and easy walk is one of the most popular in Joshua Tree National Park. The trail begins at the north end of Hidden Valley Campground and climbs into a boulder field where you'll have sweeping views of the desert valley below you before descending back down into the campground.
Stargazing in Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree National Park is known as one of the best places in the world for stargazing due to its lack of light pollution and abundance of clear skies during the winter months when there aren't any crowds around! You can go out into any part of the park at night and see thousands upon thousands of stars spread across the sky like glittering diamonds on black velvet fabric.
Photo: Robert Loe | Milky Way Arch above Joshua Tree, California
Takeaway
Joshua Tree National Park is one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring places to visit in Southern California. The desert landscape is unlike anything else you have ever seen. The Joshua Trees are a unique species found nowhere else on earth, which makes this park even more special.
If you are looking for an adventurous trip that will get your heart pumping and challenge your mind and body, then Joshua Tree is the place for you!
