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.

+ Nice place to visit Jesus statues and recall his history…read more + Peaceful, quiet ambience. + Free to enter. + Ample parking. Almost no one there. - Couldn't find drinking water or restrooms.

This park right here if you are into Christ, you will love this. It's very peaceful. Make sure you…read moresee everything and read the size you will feel the spirit I will go again

Really beautiful, moderate 4 mile trail. It was very pleasant and easy to get to - however the…read moretrail itself was a little difficult to navigate. We got turned around a few times. If you keep an eye on your All Trails app it should be fine.

Fun trail! Pretty easy and a fantastic view from the top. I saw lots of kids on the trail and they…read moreseemed to be having a great time. I had some difficulty finding the actual trailhead so I just stumbled around until I worked it out. Fine as I got in more miles. Nearly impossible to get lost around here you can see so many geographical markers as you ascend. Would be very hot on a typical day but today on a fairly cool winter day was great.

Joshua Tree National Park: Since there are no address numbers anywhere in the park, I'll start the…read morereview with directions to the trail head. Enter the park via the west entrance, which is Park Blvd in the town of Joshua Tree. Remain on this road until you enter the 25 MPH zone, then at Intersection Rock (Barker Dam Rd) make a left. Follow the signs (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wall-street-mill-trail-twentynine-palms?select=gZoHS2p1xMRiV0AKNErk1Q&userid=q3MkBcfG_g8gZ4aLUX4GJw#gZoHS2p1xMRiV0AKNErk1Q) & (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wall-street-mill-trail-twentynine-palms?select=gZoHS2p1xMRiV0AKNErk1Q&userid=q3MkBcfG_g8gZ4aLUX4GJw#8a1S6WlAOZL0_8n4mbd71w) to the parking lot for Barker Dam. Left of the restrooms is the trail head for Barker Dam. The trail head (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wall-street-mill-trail-twentynine-palms?select=gZoHS2p1xMRiV0AKNErk1Q&userid=q3MkBcfG_g8gZ4aLUX4GJw#6O_1Gw9HvG4L7ldKOvJZCQ) & (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wall-street-mill-trail-twentynine-palms?select=gZoHS2p1xMRiV0AKNErk1Q&userid=q3MkBcfG_g8gZ4aLUX4GJw#_z0qyFdJBgtvaBpsz-FzQw) for Wall Street Mine is on the right of the restrooms. Use the restrooms now. No peeing in the bush. The hike is just 2.2 miles out & back (a bit longer if you take the detours suggested here), mostly on flat land. Much of the trail traverses along sandy washes, so it can be slightly strenuous. Don't forget water! As much of a history lesson than it is a nice little hike, there are several points of interest along the way, none of which are marked, so you'll have to keep an eye out. Just don't forget to put it back. The first is the remnants of a house (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wall-street-mill-trail-twentynine-palms?select=gZoHS2p1xMRiV0AKNErk1Q&userid=q3MkBcfG_g8gZ4aLUX4GJw#OWeUSd_iW1sBcTPxek-GZA) on the left of the trail; a little past the quarter-mile mark. It's about 75 yards off the trail and it's hard to miss if you're looking for it. The walls are made of adobe and are pink... stands out like a sore thumb in the brown desert. This is the Ohlson House. There are relics stacked atop one of the walls (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wall-street-mill-trail-twentynine-palms?select=gZoHS2p1xMRiV0AKNErk1Q&userid=q3MkBcfG_g8gZ4aLUX4GJw#1FUV-l5fOP3Rakvbnjw5Jg) and also a well (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wall-street-mill-trail-twentynine-palms?select=gZoHS2p1xMRiV0AKNErk1Q&userid=q3MkBcfG_g8gZ4aLUX4GJw#L0wl-PhDctTTpTgW26omBg) in the front. Little pink houses... Return to the trail and continue for another hundred yards or so and look to the left again. There is an old abandoned truck (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wall-street-mill-trail-twentynine-palms?select=gZoHS2p1xMRiV0AKNErk1Q&userid=q3MkBcfG_g8gZ4aLUX4GJw#XlHd4Bj4x2htuX5Q0wgkKw) sitting in the middle of nowhere. This blends into the scenery a little better than the pink house, so it's easy to miss if you're not looking for it. Do not attempt to drive the truck. I think the brakes are shot. The next item of interest is the windmill (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wall-street-mill-trail-twentynine-palms?select=gZoHS2p1xMRiV0AKNErk1Q&userid=q3MkBcfG_g8gZ4aLUX4GJw#Ws1CYak8xP9ol9z1nxgNPA). It's hard to miss as it's just a few feet from the trail and on the right. Much of it has been sabotaged by vandals and weather, but it still stands tall. Soon after the windmill you'll enter a wash. Follow it to the old stamp mill (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wall-street-mill-trail-twentynine-palms?select=gZoHS2p1xMRiV0AKNErk1Q&userid=q3MkBcfG_g8gZ4aLUX4GJw#vdVFr9Y39NN9rBVLwb0rvg) & (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wall-street-mill-trail-twentynine-palms?select=gZoHS2p1xMRiV0AKNErk1Q&userid=q3MkBcfG_g8gZ4aLUX4GJw#9HmrKmiPxUZRA0xlj9d3Tg). A well and a well pump (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wall-street-mill-trail-twentynine-palms?select=gZoHS2p1xMRiV0AKNErk1Q&userid=q3MkBcfG_g8gZ4aLUX4GJw#uJF8KlXUFKAyfV9BwM-T1w) remain nearby. A plaque (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wall-street-mill-trail-twentynine-palms?select=gZoHS2p1xMRiV0AKNErk1Q&userid=q3MkBcfG_g8gZ4aLUX4GJw#69y354rf4KDymcScw-3s5A) & (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wall-street-mill-trail-twentynine-palms?select=gZoHS2p1xMRiV0AKNErk1Q&userid=q3MkBcfG_g8gZ4aLUX4GJw#v2LOSk4CWT20ICEAzGvNhw) gives visitors a brief history lesson of the area. Just beyond the mill is another abandoned truck (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wall-street-mill-trail-twentynine-palms?select=gZoHS2p1xMRiV0AKNErk1Q&userid=q3MkBcfG_g8gZ4aLUX4GJw#fsFJfOFaHLj6u-GkIIvQvg), this one a little more intact than the previous one, but I still wouldn't try to drive it. Find a nice shady spot near the rocks just beyond the mill. Sit down, have a bite to eat, guzzle some water, and return the way you came. "What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Neat place at Joshua's tree national park! The trail is a flat and easy 1.5 miles in which you can…read moresee Bill's old cars along the way to the Wall Street stamp mill. The wind was wild but the sun shining and was able to capture some cool photos.

The Lost Horse Mine Trail is a hike in Joshua Tree National Park where the end destination is the…read moresite of an old gold mine. It was named after a man who was trying to find his lost horse. There's a long dirt road to the trailhead and there's not much parking. If you want to only go to the gold mine and back it's about 4 miles total. If you want to do the whole loop it's 6.2 miles. It's a long trail with no shade so bring plenty of water and take breaks as needed. Unfortunately the gold mine is fenced off for safety but you still get to read about the history of it. Out of all the hikes and trails we did this was my favorite. It's the most like a traditional hike and has a pretty unique end destination.

What a fun and well-marked hike in Joshua Tree national park! From the parking lot it's 2.2miles…read moreto the mine ruins (4.4 there and back) or 6 miles to do the entire loop. I would say this is a beginner hike, but there are certainly a few hills that will get the heart rate going! The trial itself is super scenic- full of rolling hills, rock formations, Joshua trees and depending on the season there lots of wildflowers. What's keeping it from a perfect review is the super small parking lot, with maybe 15 spots, which fills quickly. Due to its tight nature, turning around in the lot is near impossible (though we saw a few cars try). Pro tip: you can park at a turn out just short of the lot and walk in via dirt road or side trail. It gets you there all the same!

AMAZING hike right across the street from Skull Rock! Most people will stop at Skull Rock so its…read morecrowded with people but we saw much more interesting formations at Discovery Trail. I can't find a street address for it but you can locate it by going to Skull Rock. I found this online described as an "easy kids" hike and to me that translated as boring but I was very wrong. You get a little big of all the good parts of Joshua Tree all in this amazing 0.7m mile trail. The nice thing is there are little placards at kid height that educate children on plants, history, and geology. Hike this trail through sandy washes, boulder piles, and unique rock formations. There is even a mini canyon you can walk through!  The route was influenced by input from local students in the Morongo Unified School District, who were asked to share what interested them about the area. These children did an amazing job with this trail! Parking is tough here and will fill up quickly so best to come early or late. The face and elephant jumbo rock formations here are MUCH cooler than Skull Rock and less people are climbing all over them so you get better photographs and video.

Split Rock Trail is a 2.5 mile loop hike in Joshua Tree National Park. It's a relatively easy hike…read morewith no much elevation. You start off with a bumpy road driving in and end at a parking lot with restrooms at the trailhead. We did the hike in the counter clockwise direction which was a little confusing at first because there weren't a lot of obvious markers leading you along the trail so we almost gave up. Eventually we followed other people and figured it out but I wonder if it would've been a little more clear had we gone clockwise instead. It was a pretty easy hike other than some incline. Of course, there's not much shade here so bring plenty of water and take breaks if needed.

I enjoyed this trail a lot! It has multiple kind of rock shapes ( face rock, fish eye rock, hidden…read moreegg rock, engineering rock, funny rock etc... ) And hike can be as short of 30 minutes to 2 hours. We went on weekend in Feb. weather was perfect and not much busy. No issue with parking and trail was equipped with restroom same as other trials.

White Tank Campground is a small campground with 15 camp sites and has pit toilets, picnic tables,…read moreand fire pits. It costs $25 for an individual campsite and is a high-demand campsite so it runs out quickly. Even if you're not staying at the campground, you can still explore the area. The area includes Arch Rock and Heart Rock which are popular attractions at Joshua Tree. If the campground parking is full there's a small parking lot before you reach the campground. I recommend coming early because those two rocks will attract a lot of visitors.

White Tank Campground is located off Pinto Basin Road in the northern end of the Joshua Tree Park…read morenear Jumbo Rocks. It is about 28 miles from the Cottonwood Visitor Center. All campsites are first-come, first-serve. RVs and trailers are welcome but cannot exceed a combined maximum length of 25 feet. What's great about this campground is that it is quiet and is nestled among some of the bigger granite boulders. You get great views of the stars at night because of how secluded it is. Downfall is that there is no water and Wi-Fi. So you must rely on paper maps and road signs to find the campground. I love this spot because a couple of my favorite rock formations are here. There is a trail from within White Tank Campground that leads to Arch Rock. It is less than half a mile. Arch Rock is about 30-feet across and pretty cool to explore. If you continue walking down the trail, you will find Heart Rock. There are small signs that point the way. It is totally worth it to check it out. Heart Rock is a giant rock in the shape of a heart and makes for great photos.