14 Amazing Easy Hikes in Joshua Tree with Kids

We had the best time visiting Joshua Tree National Park (our 11th US National Park we have visited with our kids!) There are so many easy Joshua Tree hikes that you and your family will love. From our favorite, the High View Trail, to the stroller friendly Cholla Cactus Garden, to the best rock climbing trail for kids, the Discovery Trail. We’ve got all the info for you to have an epic Joshua Tree adventure below.

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1. High View Trail

Distance: 1.4 miles
Elevation: 334 feet
Stroller friendly? No

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The High View Trail was actually not even on our radar when we went to Joshua Tree. We ended up doing this hike because it was close to our campground (Black Rock). It ended up being one of our favorite hikes of our trip!

This hike does have a little more elevation than the rest on this list, but it has a little of everything. We got to walk through Joshua Trees and other desert plants up to the top of the viewpoint where we could look out to mountains as far as we could see. The top does have some steep drop offs, so keep your little ones close!

2. Hidden Valley

Distance: 1 mile
Elevation: 118 feet
Stroller friendly? No

Hidden Valley is one of the most hiked trails in Joshua Tree and is one of the closest hikes to the Joshua Tree park entrance. According to several sources, Hidden Valley was created when Bill Keys, a Joshua Tree legend, blasted an opening in the rock to make more room for his grazing cattle.

This is a short, family friendly Joshua Tree hike that has interpretive signs about the wildlife and plenty of little kid rock climbing opportunities.

PS: if you want to rent a campervan for the best Joshua Tree vacation EVER – Check out Native Campervans! And we’ve got you covered with more resources on taking a campervan trip with kids.

3. Discovery Trail

Distance: 0.7 miles
Elevation: 68 feet
Stroller friendly? No

The Discovery Trail has some of the best rock climbing for little kids in Joshua Tree. The Discovery Trail is a loop trail that starts just across the road from Skull Rock. This trail also has interpretive signs and even some binoculars at the top. It also connects to the Split Rock and Face Rock trail if you choose to extend your hike a short distance.

4. Hall of Horrors

Distance: 0.6 miles
Elevation: 26 feet
Stroller friendly? No

The Hall of Horrors was actually one of our favorite easy hikes in Joshua Tree. The actual “Hall of Horrors” was a little tough for us to find because the marked trail doesn’t actually lead to it. You’ll have to do a little exploring but it’s well worth it!

The Hall of Horrors has some awesome spots where you can climb through rocks and squeeze through some tight spaces. Some of the spots were a little sketchy with toddlers, so we skipped a few places! Plus, I have a fear of losing my toddler in a slot canyon!! But the great part is that you can skip whichever parts you don’t feel comfortable with.

5. Skull Rock

Distance: 1.7 miles
Elevation: 147 feet
Stroller friendly? No

The actual Skull Rock attraction is one of the most visited places in the park, mostly because it’s right off the road. If you want to visit without other people around, make sure to go early morning. We didn’t actually do this full hike, just stopped at Skull Rock, because we chose to do the Discovery Trail instead.

Looking for more Joshua Tree fun? Here is our guide to 22 Epic Things to do in Joshua Tree with Kids!

6. Barker Dam

Distance: 1.3 miles
Elevation: 59 feet
Stroller friendly? No

I actually did the Barker Dam hike by myself while Dane watched the kids in the van while they napped so it was very peaceful! It hadn’t rained recently so there wasn’t water in the Dam. This hike was nice, but I probably wouldn’t recommend prioritizing it if there isn’t water in the Dam. However, one cool feature that is unique on this hike is the petroglyphs.

The Barker Damn Petroglyphs are thought to be over 2000 years old, but were “enhanced” by Hollywood film crews painting over them in the 1940s/50s so they not in their original form. Regardless, please be respectful and don’t climb on these rocks.

7. Mastodon Peak

Distance: 2.4 miles
Elevation: 410 feet
Stroller friendly? No

Mastodon Peak is pretty out of the way if you’re not headed near the Cottonwood entrance to the park. We did camp two nights in Cottonwood, so this was an easy Joshua Tree hike to add to our itinerary. If you’re interested in seeing California Fan Palm trees, this trail has a bunch of them right at the beginning.

After passing the Fan Palm grove, you’ll walk along a sandy trail passing cacti and other awesome desert plants (and watch for lizards and beetles!) This section of the park doesn’t have Joshua Trees, but it does have a beautiful desert landscape. Eventually, you’ll reach a set of stairs which will take you up to some rocks where you can have an awesome viewpoint.

We turned around here because we had some tired kids, but looking back, we should have just continued on since we made it about halfway! The Mastodon Peak hike is a great sunset hike.

8. Cholla Cactus Garden

Distance: 0.2 miles
Elevation: flat
Stroller friendly? Yes

The Cholla Cactus Garden is a really unique and stroller friendly boardwalk trail through a sea of Cholla Cacti. It shines the most at sunset and sunrise, but it’s beautiful any time of day. We didn’t actually get to walk the boardwalk because the trail was closed for maintenance when we visited. But we did get to experience the Chollas.

Don’t let your kids get close to them, they might look fluffy, but they are extremely sharp!

9. Cap Rock

Distance: 0.5 miles
Elevation: 19 feet
Stroller friendly? Yes

Cap Rock is an iconic and easy Joshua Tree hike. The trail is one of the few stroller friendly trails in Joshua Tree and it’s really short. It has less rock climbing opportunities for little kids (but still some), but here you’ll find cool views of Cap Rock and some fun Joshua Trees to photograph.

10. Indian Cove Nature Trail

Distance: 0.6 miles
Elevation: 52 feet
Stroller friendly? No

Indian Cove Nature Trail is a bit out of the way because this entrance to the park isn’t connected to the rest of the roads. However, if you’re looking for a bit of solitude, you might find it here. You’ll drive through the Indian Cove Campground (which looks awesome by the way!) and eventually to the parking lot of the hike.

Don’t get mixed up, you’ll want to go on the more “offiical” looking trail with the interpretive signs, not the trail going in the other direction. The interpretive signs on this hike have some interesting information about medicinal plants and how the Native American populations used plants. I also saw some really awesome birds on this hike, so keep quiet and keep a lookout!

This was also the only hike that we saw wildflowers. We did visit in very early March, so I can imagine this hike has some pretty flowers a little later in the Spring!

11. Bajada Nature Trail

Distance: 0.3 miles
Elevation: 13 feet
Stroller friendly? Yes (but it can get sandy in areas so you might need a hefty stroller!)

This trail is good if you’re already in this area of the park, but I certainly wouldn’t drive down to the Cottonwood area for this hike (see the Mastodon Peak instead). It’s a very short little nature loop with interpretive signs but definitely less impressive than the other hikes in the park.

12. Arch Rock

Distance: 1.2 miles
Elevation: 88 feet
Stroller friendly? No

Arch Rock trail was the trail that Dane got to do while the kids napped in the campervan with me! This short hike, turned into a long hike for him because he didn’t do his research ahead of time (I’m the trip planner here!) So he actually ended up doing the Heart and Arch Rocks Loop Trail which is about 2.9 miles and 219 feet of elevation gain.

This trail is notoriously confusing to navigate, so if you can download the trail on AllTrails ahead of time you won’t have any issues getting lost. Also, the actual trailhead is about a quarter mile (or a little less) away from the parking lot so you could potentially park on the road near the trailhead if there is space.

13. Oasis of Mara

Distance: 0.5 miles
Elevation: 13 feet
Stroller friendly? Yes

The Oasis of Mara is a short stroller friendly trail near the 29 Palms park entrance. It’s a great easy trail if you’re looking to see some California Fan Palm trees. However, the trail is near town and buildings, so it’s not a hike where you’re full immersed in nature. This is one I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to visit, but if you need a quick stop to stretch your legs it’ll do the trick!

14. Keys View

Distance: 0.1 miles
Elevation: 13 feet
Stroller Friendly? Yes!

Keys View isn’t technically a hike, it’s a short paved trail up to an awesome view! I wanted to include this sunset spot because it’s stroller friendly. We didn’t visit here at sunset, and it was a cloudy day, but it was still a beautiful spot and a really quick easy Joshua Tree trail.

And so you are prepared to visit Joshua Tree with kids, check out our guide to 14 Things you NEED to Know Before Visiting Joshua Tree with Kids and best Kids Books About Joshua Tree!