The Joshua tree is a gnarled, twisted, shaggy beast of a plant. It’s also pokey and spiky, so it comes honestly by its Spanish sobriquet: izote de desierto, or “desert dagger.” It probably goes without saying that one of the best places to see these remarkable plants is California’s Joshua Tree National Park — and to get up close and personal, you’ll want to strike out on one of the many Joshua Tree hiking trails.

A member of the yucca family, the Joshua tree is native to the southwestern US and northern Mexico. You can find them in a good swath of Arizona, New Mexico, and California — and they just march on for rows and rows here.

Sitting at the confluence of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts in southern California, Joshua Tree National Park is eerily beautiful. The landscape looks so ancient that you wonder if dinosaurs might still be roaming the dry wilderness. We explored it by taking two very different hikes: Hidden Valley and Black Rock Canyon to Panorama Loop.

Hidden Valley Nature Trail

The Hidden Valley Nature Trail is barely a hike; it’s a wide, fairly flat, one-mile walk through incredible rock formations.

It’s easy to lose track of the trail while you’re walking, because so many people have made extra paths to explore the boulders. We followed suit, scrambling up and around as high as we dared.

The vegetation here is mostly short and pokey ..

… and dead trees and shrubs stand out starkly against the rocky landscape and relentless blue sky.

Panorama Loop Trail

The Panorama Loop Trail is a real hike: at over 6.5 miles long and with 1,000 feet of elevation gain, it offers a nice early morning challenge (and seriously, you’ll want to head out on this one early, because it’s entirely exposed and very hot).

Plus, if you start out at daybreak, you get amazing views out across the desert.

As its name suggests, the Panorama Trail leads up to fantastic views …

… in all directions:

Before the Panorama Trail heads up into a pinyon pine forest, it’s chock-a-block full of Joshua trees on the Black Rock Canyon section of the trail.

This felt almost like a different park than what we’d found in Hidden Valley — gone were the boulders, and while the vegetation was still scrubby, there was a lot more of it.

We even found flowers (and insects)!

A Few Notes on These Joshua Tree Hiking Trails

You absolutely need sunscreen and water if you’re planning to head out on these trails. The National Park Service has put up foreboding cautionary signs to make sure you know what you’re in for:

It’s worth noting that Joshua Tree National Park is huge — at  795,156 acres, it is slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island. Over 30 trails stretch out over nearly 200 miles, so if you want to explore, there’s a lot to see. The Hidden Valley and Panorama trails are both within easy reach of the park’s northern entrances, but you could drive for hours to reach some of the less-traveled sections. I’m hoping to get to some of those the next time around!

Planning more California adventures? Don’t miss my post on the highlights of the Pacific Coast Highway.

Love the wildlife out west? Check out my post on the creatures of the Californian coast