Journey into Joshua Tree Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour

Explore Joshua Tree National Park on a self-guided driving tour through its two distinct desert ecosystems. GPS-triggered audio plays automatically as you drive, with stops at scenic overlooks, rock formations, historic sites, and optional hiking trails along the way.

Quail Springs is a trailhead and picnic area. It's a great place to get out and walk around, explore some boulders, and take some pictures. An optional hike can take you to a nearby homestead site with rock carvings.

The Hidden Valley Trail is a relatively easy one-mile loop that circles a secluded valley surrounded by towering rock formations. It’s a particularly scenic hike, especially given how short and level it is.

Take a short loop hike to a natural tank that was artificially fortified by ranchers in the early 1900’s to collect rain and runoff for livestock. On the way back, keep your eyes out for some petroglyphs and rock art.

Optional hike from the Barker Dam area to visit the Wall Street Mill, which processed ore that was extracted from nearby mines. Also along the way are the Wonderland Ranch homestead ruins.

Stop at this scenic overlook that provides a sweeping panorama of the Coachella Valley. On a clear day, you can see for miles, from the Salton Sea to the south, to Mount San Jacinto which towers above Palm Springs at an elevation of 10,830 feet.

Take a short hike (optional) to this old homestead site of a wealthy rancher turned mine operator.

Get out and explore a mini slot canyon tucked into the boulders!

Optional but challenging hike to the top of Ryan Mountain. Because of its central location within the park, the views from the top can be stunning.

Located right along the road, Skull Rock is a natural rock formation and popular photo spot.

Another optional loop hike that gets a little less traffic than some of the other sites in the park.

Relatively easy and popular hike that lets you visit 2 natural rock formations on one hike, Arch Rock and Heart Rock.

Get a taste of Joshua Tree's lower desert ecosystem, the Colorado Desert. You'll be surrounded by fuzzy-looking Teddy Bear Cholla, but you don't want to touch them!

Boy Scout Trail provides hiking access to Indian Cove as well as Willow Hole, which is an oasis tucked into the Wonderland of Rocks area. The rock formations and unique landscape can make this a mesmerizing place to hike, especially at the right time of day.