15 Best Sights in Joshua Tree National Park, California

Learn all about what plants do to survive in the Colorado Desert on this ¼-mile loop. Easy.

The one-way 8-mile trail, suitable for backpackers and experienced hikers, extends from Indian Cove to Park Boulevard and takes roughly six hours to complete. It goes deep into the Wonderland of Rocks area (where you're likely to see climbers on the outcroppings), passing through a forest of Joshua trees, past granite towers, and around willow-lined pools. Vehicle shuttle is strongly recommended. Difficult.

You'll need a backcountry camping pass, two or three days, and tons of stamina to traverse this 36.6-mile route through a variety of Mojave Desert landscapes between Black Rock Canyon and the park's north entrance. You can access the trail for a short or long hike at several points. The visitor centers have trail maps. Also popular with equestrians. Difficult.

This ½-mile, wheelchair-accessible loop—named after a boulder that sits atop a huge rock formation like a cap—winds through other fascinating rock formations and has signs that explain the geology of the Mojave Desert. Easy.

Allow three hours for this moderately strenuous, 3-mile trek. There's no shade, and the trail climbs 300 steep feet in both directions, eventually dropping down into a canyon where you'll find an oasis lined with fan palms, which can only be viewed from boulders above. Look closely to see evidence of Native Americans in this area, from traces of cooking fires to rocks carved with petroglyphs. Moderate.

Crawl through the rocks surrounding Hidden Valley to see where cattle rustlers supposedly hid out on a 1-mile loop. Easy.

Nestled in between campsites 20 and 21 in the Black Rock Canyon Campground, this 1.4-mile loop climbs up a steep ridge to score views of nearby Mt. San Gorgonio (snowcapped in winter). You can pick up a pamphlet describing the vegetation you'll see along the way at any visitor center. It is 2.1 miles if you start at the Black Rock Nature Center. Moderate.

Look for lizards and roadrunners along this ½-mile loop that follows a desert wash. A walk along this well-signed trail reveals signs of Native American habitation, animals, and flora such as desert willow and yucca. Easy.

This somewhat strenuous 4-mile round-trip hike follows a former mining road to a well-preserved mill site used in the 1890s to crush gold-encrusted rock mined from the nearby mountain. The operation was one of the area's most successful. The cyanide settling tanks and stone buildings are the area's best-preserved structures. From the mill area, a short but steep 10-minute side trip takes you to the top of a 5,278-foot peak with great views of the valley. This route can be combined with the Lost Horse Loop to create a more challenging walkabout. Moderate.

Allow five to six hours to complete this challenging 7.5-mile round-trip trail, which runs past sandy washes and rolling terrain to the most impressive oasis in the park. It's uphill on the way out of the canyon. You'll find more than 100 fan palms and an abundance of wildflowers here. Difficult.

Boulder scrambling is optional on this 3-mile hike that loops past a gold mine and up to the 3,371-foot Mastodon Peak where you can get a glimpse of the Salton Sea in the distance. The peak draws its name from a large rock formation that early miners believed looked like the head of a prehistoric beast. Moderate.

A stroll along this ½-mile wheelchair-accessible trail in Twentynine Palms reveals how early area residents took advantage of this verdant oasis, which was first settled by the Serrano tribe. (Mara means "place of little springs and much grass" in their language.) The Serrano, who farmed the oasis until the mid-1850s, planted one palm tree for each male baby born during the first year of the settlement. Easy.

The payoff for hiking to the top of Ryan Mountain is one of Joshua Tree's best panoramas. From here, you can see Mt. San Jacinto, Mt. San Gorgonio, Lost Horse Valley, and the Pinto Basin. You'll need two to three hours to complete the 3-mile out-and-back trail with 1,062 feet of elevation gain. Difficult.

The 1.7-mile loop takes you through boulder piles, desert washes, and a rocky alley. It's named for the park's most famous rock formation, which resembles a human skull. Access the path from within Jumbo Rocks Campground or from a small parking area just east of the campground. Easy.

Experience rocky jumbles, Joshua trees, cacti, and geological wonders along this relatively flat 2½-mile loop trail that includes a short spur to Face Rock. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife as this is a hot spot for birds and reptiles. Moderate.