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Joshua Tree
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Desert · Moderate

Joshua Tree

Where two deserts meet, the boulders climb themselves, and Gram Parsons is the local saint.

Joshua Tree National Park sits at the meeting of the Mojave (high) and Colorado (low) deserts — and the difference is visible to the eye. The park is full of monzogranite boulders, twisted Joshua trees, and a counterculture history that runs from Gram Parsons to U2 to Hipgnosis. This hunt mixes accessible park stops with the music history just outside the gates.

The Map

Your route

Offline directionsOpen in Maps

Pinch to zoom. Tap a marker to see the stop name. The dashed line traces the suggested walking order.

The Hunt

Turn-by-turn stops

Each stop shows the walking distance and direction from the previous one, plus a tap-through to your phone's maps for step-by-step directions.

  1. 01

    Hidden Valley Trailhead

    "Begin in the high desert. The mile loop circles a basin of monzogranite. Find the boulder shaped like a skull."

    34.0114, -116.1689Start walking here
  2. 580 m~8 min walkhead SSW from stop 1
    02

    Cap Rock

    "A boulder with a flat cap, beside the road. Stand under the overhang. This is also the Gram Parsons memorial site."

    34.0067, -116.1717Walk from stop 1
  3. 4.7 mi~101 min walkhead E from stop 2
    03

    Skull Rock

    "Beside the main park road, a boulder eroded into a skull. Walk the half-mile loop behind it."

    33.9986, -116.0900Walk from stop 2
  4. 7.4 mi~158 min walkhead SW from stop 3
    04

    Keys View

    "Drive to the top of the road. The view stretches a hundred miles. Find the relief map at the overlook."

    33.9264, -116.1850Walk from stop 3
  5. 7.2 mi~154 min walkhead NNE from stop 4
    05

    Barker Dam

    "1.3-mile loop. Walk to the dam. If there's been rain, find the petroglyphs on the rock face."

    34.0244, -116.1428Walk from stop 4
  6. 14 mi~302 min walkhead ESE from stop 5
    06

    Cholla Cactus Garden

    "Drive south into the low Colorado Desert. Walk the boardwalk through 10 acres of teddy-bear cholla. DO NOT TOUCH."

    33.9244, -115.9292Walk from stop 5
  7. 2.1 mi~44 min walkhead NW from stop 6
    07

    Ocotillo Patch

    "Just up the road. Find the spindly plants with red tips after rain."

    33.9450, -115.9550Walk from stop 6
  8. 16 mi~347 min walkhead SSE from stop 7
    08

    Cottonwood Spring Oasis

    "Drive south to the park's south entrance. Find the oasis with the date palms."

    33.7392, -115.8208Walk from stop 7
  9. 48 mi~1025 min walkhead NW from stop 8
    09

    Pioneertown

    "Drive 30 min west out of the park. Walk Mane Street. Find the false-front saloon."

    34.1581, -116.4839Walk from stop 8
  10. 10 mi~215 min walkhead E from stop 9
    10

    Joshua Tree Inn (Room 8)

    "Drive into the town of Joshua Tree. Walk the public courtyard. Find the small altar at Room 8."

    34.1306, -116.3119Walk from stop 9
  11. 6.2 mi~133 min walkhead N from stop 10
    11

    Noah Purifoy Outdoor Sculpture Museum

    "10 acres of assemblage sculpture in the high desert. Find the throne made of TV sets."

    34.2200, -116.3008Walk from stop 10
  12. 16 mi~348 min walkhead SSE from stop 11
    12

    Sunset at Hidden Valley Picnic Area

    "End back where you began. Find a flat boulder. Watch the granite turn pink."

    34.0114, -116.1717Walk from stop 11