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Mission24

Joshua Tree Boulders and Stars

Joshua Tree National Park. Climb Hidden Valley's boulders, find Skull Rock, then stay for stars.

Walk the Hidden Valley loop through giant boulder piles and spiky Joshua trees, then stop at Skull Rock and get your photo copying its face. Each find the weirdest Joshua tree you can and give it a name. Stay through sunset and wait for full dark. On a moonless night, the Milky Way is incredible.

  • Date or adventure
  • Half day
  • Easy
  • $20-60
  • Outdoors
  • Fall, winter, and spring
  • Best in the evening

Good with just you, friends, family, and kids

Check before you go: weather and trail conditions

Hidden Valley Picnic Area, Joshua Tree National Park, Park Boulevard, Joshua Tree National Park
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Kids' version

Desert hunt! Find each thing.

  1. A funny-shaped Joshua tree
  2. The skull rock
  3. A giant boulder
  4. A lizard
  5. A selfie under the stars!

Checked October 2026

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About this place

Joshua trees aren't really trees; they're giant yuccas. Mormon settlers are said to have named them in the 1850s because the branches looked like the biblical Joshua raising his arms. The park sits where two deserts meet, the higher Mojave and the lower Colorado.

Joshua Tree is an International Dark Sky Park. There's no food or gas inside, so bring plenty of water, snacks and warm layers. Skip summer afternoons, when the heat is dangerous.

Also in: Kid-Friendly Adventures

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