Recently visited the park and hiked Hidden Valley Nature Loop. But to our surprise as we ate lunch, we were entertained to a tight rope walker going between the boulders. No slips or falls--he was tethered, none the less. We also got to see the San Andreas fault on another hike. what a truly wonderful and splendid day.
great day trip if you have friends coming to visit. very interesting trees and rock formations. nothing not to like.
Rangers helpful on trails to take and what to look for on hikes. We went middle of the week in the afternoon had the park to ourselves.
Amazing, a must visit if you are near Palm Springs. This is a one of a kind National Park. We hiked up Ryan's Mountain and had a 360 view it was stunning.
What an incredible experience. The pictures I've seen don't do it justice. I was in awe of the rock formations and the vast land of trees and scrub. I wish we had visited at sunrise or sunset. I'm sure that would be an incredible experience.
Seriously, when you drive through and see the rocks piled high, you begin to turn them into all sorts of images. As you continue to drive, the formations get bigger and more magnificent. There are a lot of easy walking trails for the whole family. Be sure to bring plenty of water and your lunch as you are going to want to spend as much time in the park without leaving. Having sunscreen is a must.Take time to see the sunset and find a special place to take those beautiful pictures. Also, be sure while you are there to go back at night. (park is open) turn off all the lights and just do a little star gazing. All in all a lot of fun and plenty to see!
Location:The park is approximately 1 hour from Palm Desert, and three hours from Los Angeles. Plan accordingly. When the sun sets, temperatures drop into the 40's or 50's in January when we went. Daytime temps will be in the 80's.Editorial:We strive to take advantage of all our wonderful country, The United States, has to offer, and one of the jewels at our disposal is the National Park System. And the Joshua Tree National Monument one of those hidden gems. You would not believe to get as much out of your visits as we did. I would recommend taking I10 to Cottonwood Springs Rd. and then into the park. This route will take you from the moon like Mojave Desert atmosphere to a progressively more robust vegetation base. As you progress through the high desert and past things like the Cholla Garden and into the Joshua Tree area, and to Carver Damn at Hidden Valley and the Keys Viewpoint. We did this with little walking. Carver Damn is 1.1 mile loop.If you follow the route detailed here you will progress from nothing and a moonscape to a heavily vegetative growth area with beautiful desert flora.Details:As all national parks there is a fee. Make sure to stop and pay your day fee at the ranger station, and obtain the maps and information on the park. This will be critical even if you have done extensive research before your visit.This is the high desert; if you elect to go bring several bottles of water, some apples or oranges, and a sandwich. All came in handy on our trip. You will be there about five to seven hours total even you take in some limited sights, and make the trip to the Keys Vista and the Carver Damn. This is a large park and driving through will take time as the road is 35 MPH and curvy. Also take some clothing layers. I would recommend shorts and a light shirt. Bring a long sleeve covering and a cap or hat. The sun is strong at elevation, even when not out for long. Sunscreen is ALWAYS a requirement.There will be bathroom facilities later in the trip, but no concessions.This is a wonderfully enlightening National Park. In our travels we have taken in nearly 15 of our national treasures. I urge you to visit our national park system, as the return on the dollar is wonderful. This is a great couples or family day trip. Camping sites are available. Check ahead of time for details on cost and availability.
We motorcycles through this Parc. Great roads, very respectful drivers. Many attractions for all ages from hiking, to wildlife watching or camping. Very clean and well maintained.
We made the drive from Claremont, CA to visit Joshua Tree National Park, on the recommendation of a family member who had been there recently. We are so glad we did. The scenery was stunning; almost other-wordly. The kids (9, 12 and 15) really enjoyed exploring and climbing the smaller rocks. We did see some real climbers scaling much more challenging rocks. I wished we had brought a picnic and some more appropriate clothing for hiking, but as it was we were able to comfortably hike some of the shorter trails, and loved seeing the San Andrea's fault line. Our few hours at Joshua Tree National Park a sure to remain a treasured memory of travels with the kids.
Just a very boring place. A few cool things but overall is very boring.In the winter there is no animals to see. We did not even see a bird in over 2 hours. There is not one thing that is cool about the mountains.