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    Fortynine Palms Oasis

    4.9 (33 reviews)

    Fortynine Palms Oasis Photos

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    Raquel O.

    So proud of my husband, mother in law, and me. Especially my husband since he was carrying our son. We came to Joshua Tree since we are starting to explore national parks. Found this hike as being one of the favorite hikes. Glad it was only a 7min drive from our hotel. When we got there we saw it was 3 mile hike round trip. We saw photos of the oasis and how we were only going to see it if we finished. With a one year old is hard to finish hikes but we pushed and managed to finish. Was so happy we did. The hike has some really nice views. We went in the AM so we would beat the high sun. It was still pretty warm. There's no shade what's so ever so dress appropriately. Remember sun screen and plenty of water because you will need it.

    Cherish F.

    This is my favorite hike in Joshua Tree! Went on a Thursday at 8:30am and there was plenty of parking and left at 10:30am and the parking lot was full. There's a single bathroom and a map at the entrance. The hike isn't very strenuous but the heat and lack of shade make it feel taxing. The palm tree oasis has shade and is absolutely stunning.

    Dino sighting 2022
    Franklin M.

    There's plenty of free parking at the trailhead. We arrived a couple of hours before sunset which was a mistake in our part. We rush hiked all the way to the palm trees and couldn't spend too much time enjoying the views and the wondering atmosphere. My girls were a bit rushed worrying that it would be difficult to see the trail heading back. The hike isn't bad at all and you can make it early or midday even in hot weather.

    Took this shot on a self timer
    Diana H.

    OMG!!! I absolutely lovedddd this trail!!! It's a total of almost 4 miles with about a 400 feet incline which is pretty awesome because it can get pretty interesting while you're hiking up and down with the amazing scenery. My husband and I took both our professional camera and gopro and we couldn't help but stop so many times to take some pictures. We went early in the morning but I have to admit it got hot real quick but what was nice about it is that there's a nice breeze because of the elevation. The oasis looked amazing! I really enjoyed this hike and can't wait to do it again when I'm back in JT!

    About a mile from parking lot looking north
    Jason R.

    Located a little south of Hwy 62 and you can do this hike without paying to enter Joshua Tree National Park. There was plenty of parking when we were there in February. There is also a bathroom at the trail head. It is pretty steep for the first .75 miles of the hike and then you go down and reach the oasis about 1.5 miles from the parking lot and since this is an out and back trail RT is about 3 miles with about 600 ft of elevation gain. We did it later in the day and it was pretty busy. Takes about 1-2 hrs to complete. Some good views and the oasis area with the palms is pretty cool.

    Lisa H.

    What a lovely trail! Round trip is approx. 4 miles. Plenty of parking in lot with restroom. No need to pay the park entrance fee here. The scenery on this trail is gorgeous. We stopped often to take pictures because the viewpoints are so different from inside the park. We finished this hike in less than 2 hours with 2 young children with us. Spent 30 minutes at the oasis enjoying the views. We got there around 9:30am in mid February so the weather was perfect. I probably wouldn't do this hike in the summer time because there's no shade and one can easily faint from heat stroke.

    Hasti M.

    This was my favorite hike at Joshua tree! It's a MUST! The oasis is just breath-taking and magical! It's challenging, yet on the shorter side and completely doable! It was the highlight of my trip

    Looking down on Twentynine Palms, CA
    Joseph L.

    If you are looking for a quick but challenging hike or trail run this is the place. It's only a 3 mile round trip, but it's up and down the whole way. Bring water because it gets hot. If you are in fantastic shape maybe you can skip the water and just run the whole trail in 30 to 40 min.

    A H.

    Our first day in Joshua Tree. The beginning of COVID closures in California. So the Visitor center, parking lots and bathrooms closed but trails still open for bikers and hikers. We biked in to the trailhead early. No bikes allowed on the trail. Pretty chilly at first but warmed up by the time we finished the hike. Started a little before 8, hiked to the palm trees had a picnic and leisurely hiked back down by 11:30am. Stopped to admire the beauty. Rocks, flowers, cactus, butterflies, birds and of course 49 palm trees. Maybe more than 49. Fairly easy but not too easy hike but I could see if it were warm out you could get pretty hot with no shade on the trails. Trail is nicely cut out. Great view too! When we finished, the rangers were in the parking lot turning people away to not park but allowing visitors to hike and reminding them to keep social distance. Would definitely do it again.

    Sarah W.

    This is a beautiful hike! It's funny because as you're hiking, it has that true oasis feel, as if you aren't going to make it to those beautiful palm trees in the distance. You just keep walking & keep walking and it feels like it doesn't get closer. Of course, you finally do make it and it truly is worth it! You are suddenly covered from the sun with these gorgeous palm trees. You can hear the water trickling to the ponds and the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind. It's utterly serene!

    Heat meter
    Kate G.

    Super cool hike. Perfect distance, considering the desert is usually hot. It was around 90 degrees when we went. Total roundtrip is 3 miles. We did it in about an hour and a half total, including a stop at the oasis. It is pretty steep in both directions, so be prepared for that. We saw lots of wild flowers but the view is mostly rock until you get to the oasis. Bring plenty of water... I'm 5'4" and went through a 70 oz camelback. Pets aren't allowed on the trail. There is a pretty large parking lot.

    Halo!

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    Ask the Community - Fortynine Palms Oasis

    Review Highlights - Fortynine Palms Oasis

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    Joshua Tree National Park - Joshua tree

    Joshua Tree National Park

    4.7(1.2k reviews)
    4.3 mi

    We've been to this National Park before, but it was our first chance to try some of the hikes, and…read morethey were really beautiful. If you just do the drive, you might not really see everything this park has to offer, so it's worth doing the hikes, even if only the easier ones. We did the Hidden Valley hike, which is only around a 1 mile loop. It can get pretty crowded though and the parking gets filled fast, so it's better to go early. We also went on the Barker Dam hike, which is also just a bit over a mile. This one was my favorite of the two and you get to climb some nice rocks on this hike. We did the other typical stuff like see skull rock, but didn't do this hike, and saw keys view, which is also really nice, but if you do go, it's definitely worth to do some hiking since it makes the experience of this park so much better.

    As part of our quest to visit all 63 U.S. national parks, we set off on a six-week road trip. I…read morehave a personal rule: I only count a national park as "visited" if I actually spend time there, hike or walk through it, and truly experience it. On this trip, we visited 14 national parks, and Joshua Tree National Park was one of the most playful and surprising. My husband came up with what may be the park's most accurate unofficial name: "Amazing Boulders National Park... with a few Joshua trees." After spending a couple of days there, I had to admit he had a point. Yes, the Joshua trees are fascinating. These unusual plants are actually members of the yucca family rather than true trees, and they give the landscape a wonderfully whimsical character. But what completely captivated us were the enormous granite boulder formations scattered throughout the park. They seem to have been dropped from the sky by a giant child building a playground. Hiking here is simply fun. Around every corner, another incredible rock formation appears, and before long you find yourself spotting shapes in the rocks: an elephant, a skull, faces, animals, castles... your imagination takes over. Climbing on the boulders brought out our inner children. Unlike many hikes where you simply follow a trail, Joshua Tree encourages exploration and curiosity. One of the most fascinating aspects of the park is that it lies where two distinct deserts meet: the higher, cooler Mojave Desert, home to the Joshua trees, and the lower, hotter Colorado Desert, creating remarkable diversity in both plants and wildlife. We were fortunate to visit while many of the cacti were in bloom, adding splashes of color to the desert. We also enjoyed watching the abundant wildlife, including desert iguanas, ground squirrels, Gambel's quail, and countless birds that make this seemingly harsh environment feel surprisingly alive. The scenery constantly changes, from forests of Joshua trees to giant rock piles, hidden valleys, cholla gardens, and wide-open desert vistas. It is easy to understand why artists, photographers, climbers, and stargazers have been drawn here for generations. Joshua Tree National Park is one of those rare places that makes you smile while you're exploring it. It is beautiful, quirky, imaginative, and incredibly fun. Whether you come to hike, climb, photograph, or simply let your imagination run wild among the boulders, this park is unforgettable. Highly recommended, and if you find yourself calling it "Amazing Boulders National Park," don't worry... you're probably not the first.

    Photos
    Joshua Tree National Park - Joshua tree shadows

    Joshua tree shadows

    Joshua Tree National Park - Snow, March 13, 2025

    Snow, March 13, 2025

    Joshua Tree National Park - Keys View vista

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    Keys View vista

    Arch Rock - Arch Rock

    Arch Rock

    4.9(29 reviews)
    11.4 mi

    Located inside Joshua Tree National Park off the Pinto Basin Road. You have to hike a little from…read morethe parking lot to get to the road crossing. Luckily there were plenty of signs. The trail was pretty flat until you to get closer to the split between the Arch Rock and Heart Rock. There's a lot of cool boulders and rocks to climb on. Arch Rock was definitely more popular than Heart Rock. Did take us almost an hour and a half to do both the Arch Rock and Heart Rock. Hiked during a weekday morning and saw only a few groups.

    Seemingly short but a pretty far walk from the parking lot. Once you get to the Arch rock trail…read moreit's 1.4 miles and winds through some great rock formations, all of which you can scramble on. Our favorite parts were all the "off-trail" moments where you could get up and close with the desert. In summer it's recommended to do this trail before 10 am, it gets hot even in Spring! It was by far the hottest we were because of the long walk from parking with no shade at all. I believe the elevation is lower here so it felt warmer than the other Joshua Tree hikes. The iconic stops are whale rock, heart rock, and the large arch near the beginning of the trail. I'm not sure what it was but there is also a cliff you can walk to the edge of and there is some great rock formations in a canyon. It is popular also if you come too late there will be no parking, when we left we saw people walking from pretty far to get here since the parking lot was full.

    Photos
    Arch Rock - Arch rock

    Arch rock

    Arch Rock - Heart rock

    Heart rock

    Arch Rock - Arch rock

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    Arch rock

    Oasis of Mara

    Oasis of Mara

    3.5(14 reviews)
    4.4 mi

    At the north edge of Joshua Tree National Park, the Oasis of Mara doesn't try to impress you. It…read morejust is. And somehow, that lands deeper. What makes it special isn't just the pocket of life in the middle of all that desert, it's how thoughtfully it's been preserved and shared. The paved loop trail is an open invitation, designed so almost anyone can experience it, which matters. Beauty shouldn't be gatekept by steep inclines and perfect knees. When we visited, most of the loop was closed for repairs. The kind of moment where you think, "well, that's that." But then, plot twist, kindness showed up. A staff member took the time to talk with my husband and, seeing his mobility challenges, gave him permission to walk the full trail. That small act? It meant everything. We didn't just see the oasis, we experienced it. And what an experience it was. A slow, easy walk, the kind your body thanks you for. Quiet learning along the way. A desert iguana making a cameo like it had somewhere important to be. The soft, unmistakable call of a quail echoing through the stillness. No big show, just little moments stacking up into something meaningful. It's peaceful, beautiful, and layered with history you can feel even if you don't read a single sign. The kind of place that doesn't demand your attention but earns it anyway. Go. Walk it slowly. Let it sink in. It's one of those places that leaves a quiet mark and somehow stays with you longer than the louder stops.

    Nothing very pretty. Plants looked burnt and neglected! One area was closed off for repair…read more Random info with history signs but not with cohesive storytelling. So sad that the Maaryam and other tribes were driven off this land. And worse that the water was depleted by 1940 so it had to be pumped in mechanically. Yuck- all around. The brush in the park looked much healthier than this. The only thing nice was that I could walk my dog in.

    Photos
    Oasis of Mara
    Oasis of Mara - Quartz

    Quartz

    Oasis of Mara

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    Fortynine Palms Oasis - hiking - Updated July 2026

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