6 Easy Joshua Tree Hikes for Seniors

*Keys View Overlook, Joshua Tree National Park*

Embracing the beauty, serenity and mystique of Joshua Tree National Park is a snap no matter your age. So kick up your heels and take a look at these unforgettable park hikes and walks perfect for young-at-heart adventurers and astute senior explorers:

1. Cottonwood Spring Oasis

Stroll out to a lush, palm-lined oasis on this very easy walk to Cottonwood Spring. Trek in the footsteps of miners, see the ingenious ways Indigenous people harnessed the desert landscape, and keep an eye out for thirsty bighorn sheep enjoying a favorite watering hole. Primitive-looking California fan palms, the only native palm to Southern California, welcome visitors to this historic wayside stop. This unique spring-fed microhabitat supports a remarkable array of flora and fauna and is a very popular birding spot. Interpretive signs along the path highlight the oasis’s fascinating features, and a bench at the oasis offers a spot for relaxation and reflection. Sightseers interested in archaeology should check out the nearby mortar stones used to crush nuts and seeds into flour, which points to long-ago human history.

Less than .2 miles (.3 km) / very easy
California fan palm oasis
Bighorn sheep and bird habitats
Interpretive trail signs
Suitable for some wheelchairs

2. Desert Queen Mine Overlook

The lawless west and a wild world of lucky strikes, murderous outlaws, gunslingers, big spenders, and lots and lots of gold call from the grave on this easy .5-mile (.8 km) out-and-back hike to Desert Queen Mine overlook! Desert Queen Mine was one of the most profitable mines in the park… and one of the most sordid. Her nomination form to the National Register of Historic Places ominously states that she “…brought death rather than fortune to [her] discoverer…” And indeed, this hike packs more drama than a western serial, with plenty of nooks, ruins, and artifacts to behold on an unforgettable jaunt to an overlook of the historic mine site. Physically, the hike is easy, but is your spirit strong enough to visit the dark queen?

.5 miles (.8 km) / easy
Desert Queen Mine and ruins
Overlook of Desert Queen Mine
National Register of Historic Places site

3. Hall of Horrors Loop

Don’t let the name scare you, this hike is nice and mild! Settle in and feel like a true Joshua Tree insider on this easy .7-mile (1.1 km) walk around the Hall of Horrors, one of the park’s popular climbing and bouldering areas. Along the way, pass by the eponymous secret entryway into a set of narrow slots hidden between two massive rock faces that gives this hike its name. The rock stacks in this area are a great place to check out Joshua Tree National Park’s robust climbing community in action. Hall of Horrors is a fun option for casual hikers wanting to explore some of the park’s lesser-publicized nooks and crannies.

.7 miles (1.1 km) / easy
Inselberg rock formations

4. Keys View Overlook

A leisurely stroll along a mountain crest offers visitors stunning Southern California panoramas and an exceptional opportunity to experience the powerful forces of nature at work at long-standing park favorite, Keys View. A very easy .12-mile (.2 km) path gently loops around the beautiful vista point, making this much-lauded “Best View in the Park” a great place for travelers of all ages to stretch their legs while drinking in the sights. The picturesque overlook, with its glowing mountains at sundown, is also a spectacular place to savor the light and color of the desert. Informative signs along the loop spotlight Southern California’s incredible geography, modern enterprise, and environmental challenges.

.12 miles (.2 km) / very easy
Overlook of the Coachella Valley, the Salton Sea, the San Andreas Fault, and Mexico’s Signal Mountain
Interpretive exhibit
Great sunset spot
Bottom of the paved loop is suitable for all wheelchairs

5. Skull Rock Nature Trail

Ahoy, desert pirates! Prepare to come about and steal some great views on this moderately easy 1.7-mile (2.7 km) loop around Joshua Tree’s spookiest roadside attraction—Skull Rock! Skull Rock, the biggest “rock” icon in the park, guards a loop trail around a trove of natural wonders in the heart of Joshua Tree. Way signs along the nature trail reveal the park’s best surprises.

1.7 miles (2.7 km) / moderately easy
Famous Skull Rock
Nature trail with interpretive signs

6. Oasis of Mara Nature Walk

Discover the secrets of an ancient oasis on this short half-mile (.8 km) loop around a palm-lined spring bubbling with Joshua Tree history. An important part of the Joshua Tree National Park origin story, the Oasis of Mara has welcomed desert dwellers and visitors since before recorded history, and was at the center of a clash between worlds—one balanced in the refuge of an interconnected desert, and the other driven by dark and ambitious westward expansion. Placards along the trail spotlight the oasis’s human history and natural ecology, while benches along the scenic spot offer rest, relaxation, and opportunities for reflection on the area’s immersive past.