4 Best Sights in Joshua Tree National Park, California

Lore claims that this 1-mile trail loops through a big-boulder valley often used by cattle rustlers as a hideout. Kids love to scramble on and around the rocks before sitting down for sammies at shaded picnic tables.

The view from here is of rock formations that draw thousands of climbers to the park each year. This isolated area is reached via Twentynine Palms Highway and Indian Cove Road. You'll find a campground, picnic area, and an easy nature trail in the area.

Reachable by a challenging 7½-mile, round-trip hike, this oasis has more than 100 fan palms, the largest grouping of the exotic plants found in the park, and a spring that bubbles from between the rocks only to disappear into the sandy, boulder-strewn canyon. Visits are not recommended during the summer months. Parking is down the road from Cottonwood Visitor Center at Cottonwood Spring.

Make this quick roadside stop to see a thriving grove of ocotillo, which has long spindly branches tipped by red flowers. These succulents are particularly colorful after a rain shower.