Amazing, we'll kept, clean park with a huge covered playground. Perfect for a toddler!read more

Nice park with a great dog park area. People were friendly and the park is well maintained.read more

Friendly Hills Park offers great views above old town Joshua Tree. Parking is street only…read more Porta-potty. No Dogs allowed. A few BBQ Grills and picknick tables. Swings. AstroTurf. Playground with slides, bridges, mini-rock wall. For a pocket park it's pretty nice and the views are amazing.

Essig Park is a well-kept, family-friendly place tucked away in Yucca Valley. It's cleaner and more…read morepolished than most parks in the area. Smooth concrete walkways, fresh landscaping, and shade structures give it a pleasant, clean, maintained atmosphere Dog-friendly perks * Separate small & large dog areas * Water fountains & benches - both sides have them, so you stay comfortable * Fully fenced & double-gated - adds peace of mind for dog owners. Family & community feel It's not just about dogs--there's a modest playground, grassy picnic areas, and restroom facilities and is frequently used for public events.

Clean, well maintained. Would stop again. Not crowded, nice shaded area. Would recommend as a good…read moreplace to stop when traveling.

I've came to this park nearly every time I've traveled here to visit my mother. Prior to having my…read moreown family, we would come for the early morning walk and a mini workout using the equipment staged around the block. It's always so peaceful in the mornings, with plenty of other walkers; most of which are friendly and wave back. Throughout the day, depending on the heat of course, you'll find families and their small kiddos enjoying the playground and / or having a picnic. If school is out, you'll often find the older kids climbing all over the place too - most of them try to look out for the smaller ones. They do have a bathroom that's kept unlocked during park hours. It can be a little dark in there and they do get messy at times but they have people who clean them daily. This is definitely a cleaner and nicer park than most, especially for being in the desert. The grass is kept lush and ironically is the first place our son ever even felt grass. He's 4 now and thoroughly enjoys how interactive the playground is. A must for any family that wants to get out and enjoy the outdoors and to be around greenery. They also have outdoor basketball courts in a caged area that I've seen a few pick up games pop up from time to time. There are plenty of picnic tables and several open bbq charcoal grills available. There's a community swimming pool open during the summer and though I've never personally used it, have heard good things. The sidewalks are kept in good shape and wheelchair accessible. Anyone wanting to throw or kick a ball around, there is more than enough room for multiple families to do so.

Great huge park! Large playground with a few different areas and shade. Sports fields, corn hole…read morearea, bathrooms, a pool. Lots of fun for all ages. Very well kept.

A park should belong to the people that live nearby. Although it is a nice park, there's way too…read moremuch politics involved in how it is run and who can use it. Instead of arguing with the troll, we choose to visit the park in Joshua Tree. Always welcome there.

An amazing locality built, with donations, park. I have to say, local support is the best. Bbq…read moregrills, kids play area, and a baseball diamond. But no restrooms. There are fireworks on the 4th (most years) and an annual Rodeo that is always sold out every spring. All locals are grateful for the work donated by the community.

Clean, quiet, nice little path and looks like they're expanding! Great place to let your dog get…read moretheir wiggles out before or in the middle of camping at JT.

I'm new to the area is it really nice large dog park I've met a lot of nice people out here. but…read more,No lights @ night? And why is there so many grass fields that the animals can't go on just half of one of them? Just curious

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.

My mother in law insisted we come here so we obliged. The parking lot is larger than other…read moretrailheads and it's a popular destination with cholla cactus dotting the landscape. It's a very short 0.5 mile loop and you can start on either side, you'll see the same things. It's popular for sunset or sunrise photography. The worst thing is you are on a twisting trail that's clearly bounded by rocks and ropes. Though you can get close to cactus I didn't feel immersed, more like I was doing a drive-by. Because the way the path is set up it's also very hard to take pictures without ropes, the path, and other people being in your picture. There is an area right across the street where you'll be more immersed but Cholla caxtus us a protected species so we didn't want to accidentally damage one or get stabbed.

In the Pinto Basin of Joshua Tree, where the Colorado desert morphs into the Mojave, you'll find…read morethousands of "teddy bear" cholla cacti thriving! They may look soft and cuddly but they're quite hazardous - designed to spike into skin and fur to hitch a ride in order to propagate! This reproductive tendency to easily snap off pieces at the stem and travel has earned these cacti another nickname - "jumping cholla" lol. Luckily, the NPS works hard to keep the trails through the garden well maintained - allowing us to explore and meander the 10 acres without getting poked and spiked! Some of the teddy bear cholla towered over me by at least a foot! And the surrounding area is all mountains in the distance so it's definitely worth a visit. The sunsets here are often dramatic with lots of interesting photo angles and opportunities. The cacti themselves are beautiful with their rich brown stems gradually blending into the pastel green of their crowns. And in the spring they have great big greenish blooms. There's plenty of paved parking at the trailhead and it's easy to find - right off one of the main roads so you really can't miss it. I'd say it's definitely a must see in the park. Entry to the national park has a fee but there's lots to see and do. They have plenty of visitors centers, other nearby bathrooms, and picnic spots. Cell and WiFi signal is very lacking in the park - plan ahead and download and offline maps you may need.