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Sample Trips

Here are some sample trips. This site is reader-supported. A lot of work goes into this site. Please help me keep it sustainable, interesting, and ad-free by becoming a subscriber. Thanks for your help!

13 posts

California Riding and Hiking Trail

California Riding and Hiking Trail

The California Riding and Hiking Trail was part of an ambitious 1940s California State Parks project to create a statewide trail network. Due to land ownership issues, it was never completed. However, the sections within Joshua Tree are complete and provide an excellent opportunity for experienced hikers to explore the

Covington Crest

Covington Crest

The Covington Crest trail offers a short but rewarding trek into little-visited Covington Flat. It is an easy 3-mile round trip hike that rambles through some of the park's largest Joshua trees. The trail culminates at a dramatic precipice overlooking the canyons of the Little San Bernardino Mountains,

Warren Peak

Warren Peak

Warren Peak is an unassuming peak in the quiet northwest corner of Joshua Tree National Park. At 5,103 feet, it is only the 10th highest peak in the park, but from its summit the extraordinary panoramic view takes in Mount San Gorgonio, the Coachella Valley, Mount San Jacinto, as

Keys Ranch

Keys Ranch

While not as well-known as many of the other visitor attractions in Joshua Tree National Park, Keys Ranch is one of the true gems of the park. To protect the ranch from theft and vandalism, the Park Service only allows access via a ranger-guided tour. The tour requires advance reservations

Fried Liver Wash

Fried Liver Wash

Fried Liver Wash is one of those hikes in Joshua Tree that really tests your appreciation for subtle desert landscapes. The canyon itself is pretty unremarkable - just a long stretch of typical desert scenery. And when I say long, I mean it. This is a 15.4-mile one-way trek,

Ryan Mountain

Ryan Mountain

Ryan Mountain, rising above the boulder-strewn plains of Lost Horse and Queen Valleys, is one of the best and most popular hikes in Joshua Tree National Park. It is a signature hike. The mountain offers fantastic panoramic views only available elsewhere in the park by long, cross-country hikes. The mountain

Fortynine Palms Oasis

Fortynine Palms Oasis

The Fortynine Palms Oasis is a popular and well-traveled hike to a shady palm oasis just outside the town of Twentynine Palms. The trail was once part of an old Indian trail. The Serrano and Chemehuevi Indians knew this oasis well, ate fruit from the palms, and used the fronds