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.

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.

Great park . My son plays tball here . It is always clean and well kept . The park area is nice …read more There are tennis courts , basketball courts , a nice little picnic area , plenty of grass and trees and a nice baseball and tball field . Good amount of parking also available. We come here often .

Hiked Barker Dam Trail in January 2026 and it ended up being one of my favorite spots in Joshua…read moreTree National Park. The dam was filled with water (which apparently isn't always the case), and I had most of the trail completely to myself. Peaceful, scenic, and classic Joshua Tree views the entire way. Easy hike, big payoff, and felt like discovering a hidden gem. Loved it.

Easy and idea spot for light hiking just after you park your car. Trail leads to some key spots in…read morethe park including the the remnants of the Barker Dam that once served the area. Surrounding area are steep cliffs and bluffs offering some really epic views. Be sure to keep an close eye out for infamous Big Horn Sheep that often adorn the sides of the canyons on top of rocks and steep terrain.

I'm always up for a new hiking spot. First time here which I didn't even know about. No one in my…read moregroup has even heard of it either. It's a good half hour from Palm Springs just along the 62 leading you towards Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree. The road which is somewhat residential at the beginning lead you to a park. We actually parked and started to walk around which found out later that it wasn't the right part. Drive up a little further till you enter a spot where there were some campers and a parking lot. I'm assuming camping is somewhat available from the looks of things. Don't quote me on that as I'm not sure. It's a decent size parking lot available. Before the trail, there's a little introduction information station where you should pick up the map. There's also pamphlets about the area. Billboards explaining how the area came about and the nature of it. The different animals you'll like to see and so on. A nice little helper before you hike. The main trails breaks down and connects to each other. They're not hard and pretty easy. Some are in dirt but guided trails while the others are on wooden planks. The map helps you connect from trail to trails and they're pretty reasonable with difficulty level. Majority are very easy but they also have the trail that wraps around which is about 8 to 9 miles roundtrip. We started off with the trails that go from the dirt path that connects you to the marsh land which mainly is on the wooden planks. Pretty nice seeing what nature has to offer. We did find out that a lot of the places did get destroyed by wildfires a while back and slowly started to make a comeback as well as the tropical storm a couple years ago which I happened to be in Palm Springs as well. The whole trail is pretty easy and mainly on flat land. You will encounter some hills at certain parts of the trail but they're pretty moderate. It's like going from the desert to an oasis and back out to the mountain and desert. The way the trails connect is pretty easy with trail marks and sign posted whenever you come to a connection. They also have free guided tours I believe the first and third Saturday of the month. In the middle of the trail is a visitor center where's there's a little garden area. Nothing too major but something worth checking out. It's nice to see what nature has to offer. The trail is actually well maintained as some parts you could tell that they were manicured for your safety. Overall, it's an easy hike. Main part isn't much of a hike but I'm sure if you do the whole trail, it'll be more of a strenuous hike. Would I go back, yes.

I love visiting this beautiful preserve. This visit was extra special since we had both of our…read moredaughters along! The cottonwood trees are truly majestic as they sway and flutter with the breeze. The preserve is an internationally recognized birding site. Over 247 bird species have been recorded here. National Geographic features the preserve in their guide to bird watching sites. The preserve is 31,000 acres. Home to one of the largest Cottonwood and Willow riparian habitats in California. There are many trails to choose from and various benches to enjoy the wildlife along the way. The restrooms are near the entrance and are well maintained.

. Somewhat peaceful ambience. One of the residential dogs kept barking at nothing…read more + Good restrooms. - Only one pickleball court here. Public & free. But no one to play with in the middle of the day. The pb court looks clean and largely unused though. - No barriers to prevent stray balls. - The park is small, actually. Not much to do here besides play bb.

In the hood people ride there motorcycles through the park. The child climbing play area is very…read morenice but it is in a housing community.

Joshua Tree National Park should be on everyone's bucket list. So much beauty here. Obviously, you…read morehave the iconic Joshua trees. But there's so much more, from the rock formations, great trails, the cholla cactus garden, star gazing, etc... That said, there are certain spots that are so popular it can get crowded. Also remember this is the desert, so hike smart: sun protection and lots of water are a must. Stay on the trails and leave no trace. Have fun. Friendly staff at the Visitor Center. As always, don't forget to ask about the Junior Park Ranger badge if you visit with kids.

Had a great time at Joshua Tree. My only complaint is the bathrooms- every single bathroom that I…read morevisited was filled with bees which made it difficult to use the bathroom so I had to wait until we were out of the park. Make sure to pack water and snacks, as there is no food for sale in the park. If you're going in the summer, please be prepared with lots of water and sunscreen!