The 5 Best Trails In Joshua Tree National Park, According To Hikers

The Joshua Tree National Park is a real wonder of Southern California. Sat at the place where two deserts — the Mojave and the Colorado — collide into each other, it's a symphony of star-filled skies, wind-whittled canyons and hoodoos, and ultra-strange yucca plants. It's long been a great escape for folks looking for a taste of the untamed Cali wilds, and there's epic hiking aplenty.

But which trails should be at the top of your list? What are the best hiking paths of all in this land of palm oases and ochre-hued desert basins? This guide has the answer. It uses the official AllTrails ranking of the top hikes in the Joshua Tree National Park to outline a handful of truly unmissable treks.

There's a good array, from the challenging trail up Ryan Mountain to sunset and sunrise lookout spots to the family-friendly loop around the so-called Hidden Valley, where ranchers once hid their cattle. Remember: Always come prepared for what Joshua Tree can throw at you. Bring plenty of water, expect high temperatures and lots of sun exposure, and be ready for a variety of hiking terrain.

With an overall ranking of 4.8 out of 5 with over 10,000 separate reviews, it's easy to see how the Ryan Mountain Trail soars to the top of this — and AllTrails' own — list of the finest routes in the Joshua Tree National Park. Despite a relatively short distance of 3 miles in total, it's a deceptively tricky trail. Josh from California Through My Lens, a photo-travel blog dedicated to the wonders of the Golden State, notes how the path is up, up, and up some more, whisking you right to the tip of the second-highest peak in the reserve.

Of course, that means views, which extend out in all directions to encompass the beige-hued expanse of the Mojave Desert below, little pockets of Joshua Trees, and the sculpted rock formations that the area is known for. You'll start to enjoy visions of the lunar-like mountains to the east and west as you climb the dusty, sometimes-stepped trail, but they unfold spectacularly when you reach the summit.

Past hikers reviewing the Ryan Mountain Trail recommend getting in early for this one, largely because the upper parts of the path are highly exposed to the baking Californian sun. You could even attempt a sunrise trek, which one Redditor and former hiker says is "so worth it," adding "the colors of the sky before sunrise were incredible so be sure to get to the summit by dawn or even earlier if you want to see allllll the colors." Ryan Mountain doesn't get quite as busy as routes nearer to LA, but it still draws a steady stream of trekkers. Look for the trailhead just off Park Boulevard, about 30 minutes' drive from the town of Twentynine Palms.

An easy-going loop that draws a circle through the middle of the western half of the national park, Hidden Valley comes in as the second-highest ranked hike in Joshua Tree according to AllTrails. It gets there thanks to 8,800-plus reviews and an overall ranking of 4.8 out of 5, which is backed up further by a ranking of 4.8 on Google, and mentions on multiple listicles about the best hikes in the area.

The route stands out because it offers a taste of real Joshua Tree wilderness without too much of a challenge. The trailhead sits just a whisker away from the intersection of Park Boulevard and Barker Dam Road. From there, a wide, well-marked, well-maintained path navigates a few packs of boulders before entering a secret valley (hence the name), where they say cowboys once hid their herds.

Don't expect to be alone here — it turns out Hidden Valley isn't all that "hidden." For one, its mix of little rock scrambles and easy walking makes it arguably the best family hike in the park. Secondly, it's under a minute from the Hidden Valley Campground, a 44-pitch, year-round site that's particularly popular with rock climbers.

Sliding into third place on this list of the best trails in Joshua Tree National Park is the Barker Dam route, a short but sweet one-miler that traverses one of the lushest, most flora-rich corners of the reserve. It's certainly beloved of hikers, who rate the path 4.7 out of 5 on AllTrails, but the appeal is broader than just hardcore walkers. Indeed, according to the official NPS site, this easy loop is a doozy for everyone, from fans of native wildlife to historians, families to photo buffs.

The trail begins at the Barker Dam Parking Lot right beside where the Barker Dam Road joins the Queen Valley Road. That puts it roughly half an hour's drive out of Twentynine Palms, the main gateway to the national park as a whole. It's a popular hiking choice, largely because the route is easy but seriously pretty; it has a fantastic effort-to-reward ratio.

You'll begin on a single track between huge groups of boulders, before branching out onto the loop portion of the trail either clockwise or anti-clockwise. Notice the abundance of twisted Joshua trees, yucca plants, and junipers, which are interspersed with intriguing petroglyphs said to be 2,000 years old. You'll also see the eponymous Barker Dam, which was raised by ranchers in the early 1900s — it can sometimes gather a reservoir behind, for a rare glimpse of standing water in the midst of the desert.

It's all about the rocks on the Arch Rock Trail. Yep, if you're heading out on a geological pilgrimage to wonder at the unique stone formations that abound in this corner of the Californian Mojave, then this short, 1.4-mile loop has you covered. It's also one of the top hikes in the region, coming in fourth place on AllTrails' list of the best routes in Joshua Tree National Park as a whole.

It's short, flat, and generally very easy, cutting straight west from the Twin Tanks Parking Lot and the Pinto Basin Road. It hits a zenith as hikers scramble up the side of a smooth boulder to see the namesake Arch Rock, a colossal boulder with a long dogleg that bends up and then down again. It's the photo op everyone came for, so expect queues for the money shot there at peak times.

You could also branch off to find Heart Rock, another boulder that's shaped just like, you guessed it, a heart. It's now linked to the main trail by a side path, with signs leading the way. To linger longer, opt to pitch up at the nearby White Tank Campground. Like the Jumbo Rocks Campground surrounded by giant climbable rocks, it's hemmed in by big boulders and offers exceptional stargazing once the sun disappears.

Occupying fifth place on the AllTrails lowdown of the top hikes in Joshua Tree, the Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail offers up something a bit more hardcore on the far northern fringes of the national park. While the trail is a bit of a thigh-buster, getting to the parking lot isn't hard at all — simply take Canyon Road off Highway 62 and you'll be at the trailhead in around 6 minutes.

Ranked 4.8 out of 5 with in excess of 6,400 reviews, it's celebrated by hikers for its showcasing of unique flora, fauna, and topography, which is largely down to the location — this one sits close to the point where the Mojave Desert meets the Colorado Desert. On top of that, you'll hike through strange fan palm stands that pop up like a blush of greenery between the brown-paper peaks and canyons. They're a rare habitat for bighorn sheep and wild cats, so keep your eyes peeled as you go.

The route first picks its way through pockets of desert scrub and cacti, then clambers up ridges to offer sweeping views across the open plains, including all the way out to the high desert Indie film hub of Yucca Valley in the distance. You'll do nigh on 300 feet of elevation and then drop into a deep gorge where you meet the palm oasis, the finale of the hike.

The global hiking app AllTrails makes it easy to see what lovers of the great outdoors are ranking as the best routes in particular destinations. They have a page dedicated to the top hikes in all major U.S. national parks, which lists the best routes from one through 10, offering thousands of user-generated reviews for each hiking path.

We took their page on the best hikes in Joshua Tree National Park, and then cross-referenced the picks there with popular blog posts to ensure all hikes mentioned were popular outside of the app itself. We also discounted any hikes that included duplicate routes or sections of routes already mentioned.