Joshua Tree Hikes for Kids: 6 Easy Family Trails

Joshua Tree National Park may look like a rugged desert wilderness at first, but don’t let that fool you. Some of the best Joshua Tree hikes for kids are short, scenic, and surprisingly manageable for families.

In fact, hiking is one of the best things to do in Joshua Tree with kids. The trails here give kids plenty to keep them interested, from giant boulders and desert plants to wide open views and easy places to stop and explore. You don’t need to be a hardcore hiking family to enjoy this park.

That said, Joshua Tree is still a desert, and hiking here with kids does take a little planning. The sun can be strong, shade is limited, and water is not available at most trailheads. Choosing the right trails makes a big difference.

We spent four days exploring Joshua Tree National Park with our kids, and these are the Joshua Tree kid friendly hikes we enjoyed most.

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Best Joshua Tree Hikes for Kids

We spent nearly every minute of our four days in Joshua Tree with kids outside, mostly trying to find the best Joshua Tree hikes for kids. Here are our favorite kid-friendly Joshua Tree hiking trails:

1. Skull Rock Trail

Skull Rock is a pretty fun thing to do in Joshua Tree with kids. It’s an aptly named roadside attraction featuring, you guessed it, a rock that looks like a human skull!

Skull Rock in Joshua Tree is actually a pretty cool illusion if viewed from the right angle. 95% of visitors to the Skull Rock roadside attraction simply park their car, spend 2 minutes taking pictures, then hop back into their cars. That’s a shame, because one of the best hikes for kids in Joshua Tree begins right there!

The 1.7 mile (2.7 km) Skull Rock Trail hike literally begins right under the nose of Skull Rock and winds its way through a magical Joshua Tree National Park landscape.

The Skull Rock Trail is a very kid-friendly hike in Joshua Tree. Kids love landscapes like this. They can climb over boulders, run around, and let their imaginations go wild. Try playing a game where everyone tries to find boulders which look like things; our favorite was “butt rock” (see if you can find it!).

There are plenty of interpretive signs along the Skull Rock Trail with lots of interesting information about Joshua Tree National Park flora and fauna.

Skull Rock Trail is a short, relatively flat & easy Joshua Tree hike for kids, so almost anyone can do it. There is one tight squeeze through a few boulders with a step down. You may need help if you are mobility challenged.

If you stop to see Skull Rock, don’t miss this great, yet easy hike. It’s one of the best Joshua Tree hikes for kids in the park.

2. Split Rock Loop Trail

The kids enjoyed Skull Rock Trail so much that we decided to hike the nearby Split Rock Loop Trail too.

At 2.5 miles (4 km) long, the Split Rock Loop Trail is a bit longer than Skull Rock Trail, but it’s very flat and really not that hard. Split Rock Loop Trail is one of the best family hikes in Joshua Tree National Park.

There’s a massive rock near the Split Rock Loop trailhead which somehow has been split in two, thus the name Split Rock.

The southern half of the Joshua Tree Split Rock Loop Trail winds through a rocky wonderland, with plenty of places for kids to climb on trailside boulders and rock formations.

The northern half of the Split Rock hiking trail opens up a bit and is less rocky, allowing you to more fully appreciate the beauty of the Joshua Tree desert landscape.

If you are looking for some scenic, easy hiking in Joshua Tree, you will not go wrong with the Split Rock Loop Trail. It was one of our favorite kid-friendly Joshua Tree hikes!

3. Keys View

Want to see some incredible Southern California views without much effort? The Keys View Joshua Tree lookout is not far from the edge of the national park boundary. Its location and elevation provide amazing views looking southwest at the Coachella Valley.

On a clear day at the Keys View Joshua Tree lookout you can see Palm Springs, the San Andreas Fault, the Salton Sea and the towering mountains Mt. San Jacinto and Mt. San Gorgonio.

The paved 0.25 mile (0.4 km) Keys View Trail takes you to a few benches and an interpretive sign explaining what you are looking at.

We visited Keys View with our kids on a day with wall-to-wall blue sky. The lower Coachella Valley was still a bit hazy, but the snow-capped mountains surrounding Joshua Tree National Park were impressive.

The Keys View Lookout isn’t really Joshua Tree hiking, but this easy walk provides some of the best views in Joshua Tree National Park.

4. Cholla Cactus Garden Nature Trail

Of all the cactus species found within Joshua Tree National Park, the teddybear cholla is one of the most showy. It’s impossible not to notice the cholla cacti as you drive or hike through Joshua Tree National Park as the barbs on these cacti literally glow in the California sun.

It’s quite an amazing sight to see a plant glow in the sunlight; I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite like it in my travels.

If you like these cacti (as we did), the Cholla Cactus Garden is a fun thing to do in Joshua Tree with kids. The Cholla Cactus Garden is an area within Joshua Tree National Park where thousands of cholla cactus plants grow. On a sunny day, the effect is stunning.

There’s an easy 0.25 mile (0.4 km) Cholla Cactus Garden walking trail through the cacti patch. Don’t be fooled by the “teddybear cactus” nickname of the cholla cactus, as their barbs are known to be very painful to remove. Do not let kids touch them! Stay on the trail and wear closed-toe shoes.

The Joshua Tree National Park cactus garden is definitely worth a visit on a sunny day as it’s one of the best short hikes in Joshua Tree. It’s very unique!

5. Arch Rock Nature Trail

Did you know there’s a tiny bit of Arches National Park within Joshua Tree National Park? You’ll find a small but attractive natural rock arch on the Arch Rock Nature Trail, one of the most interesting easy Joshua Tree hikes for kids in the national park.

The Arch Rock Nature Trail is a short 1.2 mile (2 km), flat hike through desert scrub to an outcrop of rocks. There’s a loop trail through these rocks similar in nature to the Skull Rock and Split Rock hiking trails, but what makes this Joshua Tree family hike unique is the natural rock arch.

Watch for the trail sign which identifies where to leave the Arch Rock hiking trail to see the arch. It’s usually pretty easy to find as there are lots of people lingering around Arch Rock, waiting for their turn to get their picture.

The area around Arch Rock is like a rocky little maze. The opportunity to climb and explore the unique rock formations in this area make it a fun thing to do in Joshua Tree with kids.

6. Oasis of Mara Trail

On our way from our Joshua Tree house rental into the national park, we stopped at the Joshua Tree National Park Oasis Visitor Center to ask the rangers for tips to spot a roadrunner in the wild. They told us that one of the best places to spot a roadrunner in Joshua Tree National Park was actually right at the Oasis Visitor Center.

On the east end of the Oasis Visitor Center is a short, paved interpretive walk called the Oasis of Mara Trail.

I’ll be honest with you, the Oasis of Mara is one of the least attractive hikes in Joshua Tree. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you specifically want to see a roadrunner in the wild. We trudged through an otherwise unappealing hike, keeping our eyes peeled on the desert landscape looking for roadrunners.

We thought we saw a whole bunch of roadrunners on the Oasis of Mara Trail, darting from one shrub to another, but we later discovered that they were just Gambel’s quail birds. I shouldn’t sound disappointed, the Gambel’s quail are really nice-looking birds, but we were hoping for roadrunners.

That’s just the way it goes with wildlife – sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t. It’s always fun to try!

Where to Find Drinking Water in Joshua Tree National Park

We recommend you bring the water you need with you to the trail as many of the trailheads in Joshua Tree National Park have no water stations. As a backstop, you’ll find drinking water in Joshua Tree National Park at these locations:

• Oasis Visitor Center
• Black Rock Canyon Campground
• Cottonwood Campground
• West Entrance
• Indian Cove Ranger Station

The NPS recommends each person drink one gallon of water (4L) per day to replace fluid loss from sweat in the arid desert. A water bladder is an excellent way to bring a lot of water on these kid friendly hikes in Joshua Tree National Park.

What to Bring for Kid-Friendly Joshua Tree Hikes

We do a ton of hiking with our kids and know that bringing the right hiking gear for kids along is important. Equally important is not bringing too much unnecessary gear.

Specific to these easy Joshua Tree kid friendly hikes, we’d like to reiterate the importance of each adult having a full hydration pack, sun hats, and sunscreen.

Before you head out, read our best tips for hiking with kids and see what we actually pack in our guide to hiking gear for kids.

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