Sure, Joshua Tree National Park hiking guides are cool. But you know what's really cool? Joshua Tree National Park photo guides! Check out our favorite photo locations in the park. Snappity, snap, snap, snap.
LessA giant boulder accessible via an unmarked trail from the White Tank Campground has a natural formation in the shape of a heart. It's about 10 feet tall, rising out of a landscape strewn with boulders. Getting there might be tricky since there is no official path. The easiest way would be to first find Arch Rock and then find a path that will lead you northeast to Heart Rock. In a straight line Heart Rock is about 1,500 feet (1/4 mile) away from Arch Rock.
This natural formation is about 30 feet across. The hike to get to the arch is pretty easy - about five minutes from the nearby campgrounds. Watch out for the plants on the path - many of them are thorny! If you can plan your visit for a moonless night, you'll be treated to a star-studded sky stretching across the vast landscape.
This gold ore crushing mill was built in 1933. To get there start your hike at the Barker Dam trailhead. The 2-mile roundtrip hike will end at Wall Street Mill. The trail is pretty flat so it is suitable for all skill levels. You can keep to the trail or you can wander through the brush to take a shortcut to the mill. Either way the mill is a great piece of history with a lot to see within the ruins.
Located on the Wonderland Wash Trail between Barker Dam and Wall Street Mill these ruins are a small piece of the pioneering history in Joshua Tree. While the pink ruins are not much to look at the trail itself will take you through the Joshua Tree landscape with its amazing rock formations and sparse desert plant growth. The hike is 3 miles round trip, moderately paced. The trailhead is at Park Boulevard.
This popular trail is located at the top of the Little San Bernardino Mountains giving hikers a bird's-eye view of the Coachella Valley. Other natural attractions that can be seen from this vantage point include the San Andreas fault, the San Jacinto peak, and the Salton Sea. People of all activity levels can enjoy this destination - the viewing platform is wheelchair accessible.
As if the dry, harsh desert landscape of Joshua Tree isn’t enough to make you think of death, there’s a natural rock formation in the shape of a skull there that’ll do the trick, real quick. Water erosion carved out the eye-sockets and nose cavity, and your morbid imagination will fill in the rest.
Also known as the Big Horn Dam this water-storage facility was constructed in 1900 by cattle ranchers. A hiking trail of around 1.5 miles is easy enough for most people to travel on. You might see a lot of desert wildlife while you're here, attracted by the water. To get to the trailhead go to Queen Valley Road.
Because it is such a cute cactus the cholla has been nicknamed the "teddy bear" cactus. Naturally, that doesn't mean you want to touch, much less hug it. Unlike a soft teddy bear this one is prickly! This trail is pretty flat so it's more like a leisurely stroll rather than a strenuous hike. Keep a fair distance from the cacti so they don't stick you!
These historic ruins were established by JD Ryan in 1890, but were destroyed in 1978 by a fire. The six-room structure is adobe with some wood additions. There's also a small cemetery nearby. It's highly recommended that you buy a map at the park entrance or the visitor's center as there is little cell phone service near the house. If you'd like to see JD Ryan's Lost Horse Mine, it's about two miles away, making it a four-mile round trip.
Another one of those unique Joshua Tree attractions that you won't find on any of the park maps. Samuelson Rocks are a series of boulders with words of wisdom carved into them by early homesteader John Samuelson in the 1920s.