Covid measures in Joshua Tree National Park, California

57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity. We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, their guides, and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Joshua Tree National Park, California, please refer to California’s COVID-19 travel guidelines and Joshua Tree National Park’s COVID-19 alerts and conditions. Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!

What you get on this adventure: An experienced, local hiking guide with extensive knowledge of the area Gourmet picnic lunch for the All-Inclusive tour Round-trip transportation for the All-Inclusive tour What’s not included: Transportation to Joshua Tree National Park Accommodations Food and snacks for standard tours Gear rental (day packs, hydration, trekking poles) Park entry fees

How fit do I need to be?

The best thing about hiking in Joshua Tree National Park is that there are incredible options for all skill levels. For beginner hikes, if you can walk for four to six hours with little elevation gain, you are good to go! Intermediate hikes will see a little more change in elevation and hikes will start to increase in length, hiking anywhere between four to eight miles. Advanced hikes are full-day treks with steep descents and challenging switchbacks. Keep in mind, the weather in summer can be very hot and you’ll also be packing a daypack filled with water and other things you’ll need throughout the day.

What do I need to bring?

Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring: Day pack large enough to carry all the items listed (around a 25-40L bag) Hiking poles — optional Water bottle or hydration bladder (2L capacity) Lightweight hiking boots or shoes Spare clothes for layering Waterproof rain jacket Sunhat Toiletries (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug spray, toilet paper, etc.) Headlamp or flashlight Sunglasses Camera — optional (but recommended) Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.

Group sizes and age requirements

Group sizes and prices: The usual client-to-guide ratio for all of these tours is 4:1. The cost per person decreases as the group grows, so it’s the perfect opportunity to hike with friends and family! Hiking in Joshua Tree can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements. Min. age requirements: If you are older than 18, you’re good to go. Minors younger than 18 may be permitted to join the hike on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian. If your group has hikers under the age of 18 , contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.

Getting there and meeting location

To get to Joshua Tree National Park, CA, most people fly into Los Angeles International Airport 2 hours away. From there, you can take a local flight, rent a car or take a bus to Palm Springs. Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, whether that’s at the guide shop or a predetermined location. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.

Group of hikers walking in Joshua Tree NP

A desert with some Joshua trees in Joshua Tree National Park

Hiker looking at rock formations in Joshua Tree National Park

A family hiking in Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park | California

Day Hikes in Joshua Tree National Park

5.00 ()

Season

Year-round

Nearest city

Los Angeles, CA, is 2 hours away from Joshua Tree National Park

Duration

1 day

Skill level

Beginner to advanced

Guides

Seth Pettit, Mojave Guides, Good Trip Adventures

From $290 / 1 day

Got any questions?

Overview
Itinerary
Guides
Reviews
Things to know

Joshua Tree National Park is every hiker’s paradise. The terrain variety in this Californian park is astonishing—the hikes take you through deserts, oases, mountains, canyons, rocky mazes, old-timey mining stations, and, of course, a lot of Joshua Trees. There’s also no shortage of great views, as towering rock formations and sweeping vistas await around every bend. And if you keep a close eye on the desert wildlife, you may even spot a desert bighorn sheep, cottontail rabbit, roadrunner, or another friendly local! Walk the trails of the old settlers and enjoy some of the greatest hikes the West Coast has to offer. Find out more about hiking in Joshua Tree National Park from Liz Thomas, professional hiker and guidebook author.

Experience Joshua Tree’s otherworldly desert landscapes
Explore old mining outposts and learn about the park’s rich history
Joshua Tree’s kid-friendly hiking trails guarantee fun for the whole family

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Meet your guides

5.00

Seth Pettit

Seth is the owner of Mojave Guides and AMGA certified single pitch instructor and rock climbing instructor. He has been a Joshua Tree resident, enjoying the National Park and it's exceptional rock climbing, since 2013. In 2013, following an intensive training period and subsequent exam, he earned an AMGA Rock Instructor Certification. This certification covers all rock climbing terrain available in Joshua Tree National Park! He has now worked with thousands of clients, through ten different organizations, in seven states.

5.00

Mojave Guides

AMGA Certified Guides

Mojave Guides has been providing exceptional customized rock climbing experiences in Joshua Tree National Park since 2015. The company was founded by Joshua Tree resident and AMGA Certified Rock Instructor Seth Pettit as a means of providing his own clients with a higher quality experience than had been previously available.

5.00

Good Trip Adventures provide world-class experiences for all trippers – from first-timers to experienced travelers. They’re not just a local operator but a national company that ensures consistent experiences of the highest quality. Good Trip guides are professionally licensed. They are vetted thoroughly, trained often, and prepared for the unexpected. Most importantly, they love what they do!

5.00 (8 reviews)

george guyer about Mojave Guides on 57hours

Luis was knowledgeable and great at helping us customize our adventure. If you showed us pictures of future us doing this trip before we started I would have said NOPE. But Luis walked us through sometimes literally step by step making us feel safe and confident. It was an incredible day!

Carol Gradziel about Wandering Mojave on 57hours

Travis was the perfect guide for me! He trusted my abilities and led me on a challenging and interesting hike. He is a wealth of knowledge that he shares generously. I had a wonderful time and hope to return to this area and hike again in the future. I highly recommend Travis for all of your guiding needs! And he\’s also a very nice person!

Andy Marquis about Mojave Guides on 57hours

We had a FANTASTIC TIME! Our guide, Taylor, listened to the type of experience we wanted to have and then tailored our experience to more than meet our needs.

He was a terrific guide that took us to places in Joshua Tree that locals don\’t even know about.

We highly recommend Mojave Guides – and, specifically, Taylor!

Kelley Johnson about Mojave Guides on 57hours

Fabulous 3-hour off-trail hike in Joshua Tree – with challenging climbs through crevices and up massive boulders. Highly recommend.

Mojave Guides, in particular Heather, was the best guide ever! She took us on a \”scrambling\” adventure through the canyons and up the rocks to a high point like no other. Thank you Heather for challenging us and for having faith in us!

Wondering Mojave hiking services and Travis are exceptional!

LibrarianLounge about Wandering Mojave Hiking Services on TripAdvisor

One of my best hiking days ever! Travis was an excellent guide and we had such a good time together with much interesting conversation. I really appreciated his love for the desert and the time he took to teach me about the different plants and animals rock formations and everything that we were seeing. I’m really looking forward to my next hike with him and would highly recommend his services!

Perfect Private Hike!

Shannon L about Wandering Mojave Hiking Services on TripAdvisor

We had an absolute blast with Travis! He completely tailored our private hike to our requests (wanted to see all kinds of trees, flowers, and plants, and landscapes, and didn’t want to see other people around). Highlight for me was when he decided to take us up a rocky/boulder portion of a mountain. We loved it and it was so fun navigating the rock climbing. We would have absolutely never known we could have accessed the route by going up that part of the mountain. Travis was also incredibly knowledgeable about all the plants, cacti, flowers, and even sand patterns in the dessert. We learned sooo much. Made sure we saw beautiful, different parts of the park (it’s huge and we’ve been multiple times!). Highly recommend Travis!!

Maarten V. about Good Trip Adventures on Tripadvisor

We loved our experience and our guides Megan and Alex were great! The hikes were beautiful and we managed to see a lot of wildlife. Our guides were very knowledgeable, sociable and flexible – we would definitely travel with them again. Thanks for a great adventure! 🙂

Michael W. about Good Trip Adventures on Tripadvisor

The management and guides of GoodTripAdventures are much, much too humble. Their name should be GREATtripadventures. Whether you want to experience a national or state park for the first time or revisit somewhere you have been before—and want a fuller and better trip, GoodTripAdventures is for you. The knowledge and experience of the staff, along with the cheerful and welcoming personalities enhance every day. They know exactly where to go to see not just the main tourist sites, but the off-the-beaten-track areas that create unique memories to cherish for a lifetime. I wish that I could do this every year (or even twice a year!). Remember that, even during these days of COVID, “it is safer to be outside than inside”, so why not make the best of your time in the outdoors? Thanks, Goodtrippers!

Things to know

57hours is committed to providing safe outdoor adventure experiences. We require all guides using our platform to have a COVID-19 safety plan and to make the details of that plan accessible to travelers. In most cases, group sizes will be reduced, guides will avoid overcrowded locations, and other safety measures will be met depending on the location and activity.

We also expect clients to respect local regulations and take measures to protect themselves, their guides, and the communities they’re traveling to. For more information on COVID-19 measures in Joshua Tree National Park, California, please refer to California’s COVID-19 travel guidelines and Joshua Tree National Park’s COVID-19 alerts and conditions.

Please contact us if you have any questions or require further information. We are happy to provide you with the most up-to-date information!
What you get on this adventure:
- An experienced, local hiking guide with extensive knowledge of the area
- Gourmet picnic lunch for the All-Inclusive tour
- Round-trip transportation for the All-Inclusive tour
What’s not included:
- Transportation to Joshua Tree National Park
- Accommodations
- Food and snacks for standard tours
- Gear rental (day packs, hydration, trekking poles)
- Park entry fees
The best thing about hiking in Joshua Tree National Park is that there are incredible options for all skill levels. For beginner hikes, if you can walk for four to six hours with little elevation gain, you are good to go! Intermediate hikes will see a little more change in elevation and hikes will start to increase in length, hiking anywhere between four to eight miles. Advanced hikes are full-day treks with steep descents and challenging switchbacks. Keep in mind, the weather in summer can be very hot and you’ll also be packing a daypack filled with water and other things you’ll need throughout the day.
Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:
- - Day pack large enough to carry all the items listed (around a 25-40L bag)
  - Hiking poles — optional
  - Water bottle or hydration bladder (2L capacity)
  - Lightweight hiking boots or shoes
  - Spare clothes for layering
  - Waterproof rain jacket
  - Sunhat
  - Toiletries (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, bug spray, toilet paper, etc.)
  - Headlamp or flashlight
  - Sunglasses
  - Camera — optional (but recommended)
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.
Group sizes and prices:
- - The usual client-to-guide ratio for all of these tours is 4:1.
  - The cost per person decreases as the group grows, so it’s the perfect opportunity to hike with friends and family!
Hiking in Joshua Tree can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.

Min. age requirements:
- - If you are older than 18, you’re good to go.
  - Minors younger than 18 may be permitted to join the hike on a case-by-case basis, but must be in the presence of a parent or legal guardian.
If your group has hikers under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
To get to Joshua Tree National Park, CA, most people fly into Los Angeles International Airport 2 hours away. From there, you can take a local flight, rent a car or take a bus to Palm Springs.

Once you and your guide agree on the details of your itinerary, your guide will suggest the best place to meet, whether that’s at the guide shop or a predetermined location. The guide will choose the appropriate terrain dependent on conditions and the ability of the group.