Joshua Tree National Park With Kids: A Family Hiking Guide

In celebration of National Get Outdoors Day on June 9^th, I am excited to partner with ACE™ Brand to encourage your family to spend time together outside and create lasting memories by doing things that you all love.

Summer is here, and I’m sure you are looking forward to having some fun outdoors with your kids because we sure are. There are so many things our family loves doing outdoors, and hiking is very high on our list. Our goal this year was to visit more state and national parks with the kids, and we decided to start with one close to home: Joshua Tree National Park with kids.

Our goal this year was to visit more state and national parks with the kids, and we decided to start with one close to home: Joshua Tree National Park.

When I told the kids that we were going on a hiking trip, they were all very excited. They absolutely love hiking, and we all love hiking as a family. When I told the kids that we were going on a hiking trip, they were all very excited. When packing for our day trip to Joshua Tree National Park with kids, I made sure to pack a few ACE™ Brand Elastic Bandages in my backpack.

Joshua Tree National Park Basics

• Joshua Tree National Park is located in the Mojave Desert. It is about 140 miles East of Los Angeles, 175 miles northeast of San Diego, 214 miles southwest of Las Vegas, and 222 miles west of Phoenix.
• The park has three entrances: the West Entrance, the North Entrance, and the South Entrance. We drove to Joshua Tree from Los Angeles, stopped at the visitor center, and entered the park through the West Entrance. When we were leaving the park, we exited through the South entrance, which gave us a chance to drive the entire length of the park and enjoy the scenic route.
• When coming in from the West entrance, as we did, it is best to stop at the Visitor’s Center, pay the park fee, and get a map and Junior Ranger booklets for your kids. If your kids don’t get a chance to finish the Junior Ranger booklet, they can complete it at a later time and mail it in, and their Junior Ranger Badge will be mailed to them.

• Admission to Joshua Tree National Park has increased since our visit. So confirm the current per-vehicle rate at nps.gov/jotr before you go, as fees are updated regularly. The America the Beautiful Annual Pass covers entry and is worth it if you plan to visit more than two national parks in a year. No timed entry or reservation is required for day use in 2026, but the park can reach capacity during peak spring wildflower season. Therefore, plan for an early morning arrival just in case.
• There is no cell service or reception once you enter Joshua Tree National Park, so expect to be disconnected from the world.
• Joshua Tree National Park is located in the desert, and because of that, it can get extremely hot in the summer. Make sure you check the weather before your hike.
• If you are around for sunset, the best place to watch the sunset at Joshua Tree National Park is Keys View. You can also see the whole Coachella Valley from here. It’s a view you don’t want to miss. We didn’t make it to Keys Views to see the sunset; however, we got some gorgeous views from Hidden Valley Trail.

What are the best things to do in Joshua Tree with kids?

1. Hidden Valley Nature Trail: easy one-mile loop with incredible rock formations
2. Skull Rock scramble:1.7-mile loop, kids absolutely love
3. Keys View desert panorama: short walk with sweeping Coachella Valley views
4. Cholla Cactus Garden walk: 0.2-mile stroll through stunning wildflowers
5. Stargazing after dark: one of the best dark sky spots in Southern California

---

Best Joshua Tree National Park Hikes With Kids

After doing much research on family-friendly Joshua Tree National Park hikes, as well as talking to the Ranger at the Visitor Center, I was able to compile this short list below. We wanted to hike at least 2 or 3 of them, but ended up only hiking one because we spent so much time. We started with the Hidden Valley Nature Trail and absolutely loved it, and so did the kids.

1. Barker Dam – 1.3-mile loop trail- is the only place where you can find water in Joshua Tree.

2. Cholla Cactus Garden – 0.2-mile trail filled with beautiful wildflowers

3. Hidden Valley– 1-mile loop trail with amazing views, also the most popular trail

4. Skull Rock – 1.7-mile loop trail with several cool formations, such as a skull.

5. Wall Street Mill –3-mile trail with must-see rock formations, old mine, plenty of Joshua Trees and an abandoned building.

---

What should you not miss at Joshua Tree with kids?

1. Junior Ranger booklet from the visitor center
2. Hidden Valley Trail is the most popular trail we love
3. Barker Dam: the only place in the park where you can find water
4. Keys View at sunset: the best viewpoint in the entire park
5. A picnic after your hike: pack food, there are no restaurants inside the park

10 Tips For Hiking Joshua Tree National Park With Kids

With four kids aged 5, 5, 4, and 3, we had to make sure to do our research prior to heading to Joshua Tree National Park. I am excited to share these 10 tips for hiking with kids, as well as how we applied all these tips to our Joshua Tree National Park hike with kids.

1. Get the kids involved.

Plan the hike together with your kids. Let them come up with suggestions on where to go and what to do. By having them involved, you will be building the excitement and enthusiasm in them,m and this will lead to a generally great experience for everyone.

After we talked to the kids about Joshua Tree National Park, they had lots of questions to ask about what they were going to do and what they were going to see on the hiking trail.

2. Stop by the visitor center.

Each national park has a visitor center to help guide visitors who visit the park, so it is important to stop by the visitor center to receive the latest updates or ask any questions you may have. Kids will receive an activity book, which they will need to complete to receive a junior ranger badge.

During our hike at Joshua Tree National Park with kids, they were so focused on completing their activity books. After meeting with a ranger at the visitor center, they were determined to get a junior ranger badge, so this was great motivation for them.

3. Choose the right hiking trail.l

You need to choose an environment that will be challenging enough but not too tough on your kids. For instance, you can decide to take a hike in the neighborhood park with your toddler or climb a small hill if your kid is up for it.

After speaking to a ranger at the Joshua Tree National Park visitors center and looking at the different trails on the map, we chose to start our hike at the Hidden Valley Loop trail because it was only a mile long, and we knew the kids would be able to handle the walk. They did handle the walk so well, and we were so proud of them.

4. Make sure to pack some water, snacks, and food

It is important to keep yourself and the kids hydrated at all times. When we went to Joshua Tree National Park with kids, the weather forecast said it would be a sweltering 96 degrees hot and it sure was. I packed a few bottles of water as well as two insulated water bottles with ice to ensure that we had cold water for the entire hike. It is very easy to get dehydrated, so make sure you have enough water for everyone.

Don’t forget snacks and food. After our hike, the kids were starving like they hadn’t eaten in years; thankfully, I had rice, bread, fruit and cookies for them to eat. We had a picnic on the picnic table, and we all shared a meal and discussed what we had seen.

5. Let the kids create their own fun along the way.

Be open to the kind of fun the kids want. Let them jump over boulders, carry big rocks, kick stones, and chase after lizards if that is what they want. Do not limit them whatsoever!

The key here is to let them explore,d learn, and soak in as much as they can. We let the kids do whatever they wanted on our hike at Joshua Tree National Park, as long as they were making safe choices.

6. Give each kid a specific role.

Subdivide different roles among the kids and hold them accountable. For instance, you can have one kid spot different types of birds while the other kids spot different types of animals. Another kid can keep track of time and keep informing you of the progress you make. Giving each kid a specific role made them feel in charge and also gave them some sense of responsibility as well as awareness of their environment.

7. Keep track of the time.

Do not venture too much into the woods or the mountains and lose track of time. This is especially important when hiking with kids because you don’t want them to get too tired. If they do, you may end up having to carry them back, and that may ruin the fun experience.

So, make sure to keep time and keep pace. This is why it is very important to do your research and pick the right hiking trail so that kids don’t feel overwhelmed.

8. Take as much rest as the kids need

The whole purpose of the hike is to have some fun; it is not meant to be a rigorous workout. The kids will be tired at some point, and you need to give them space and time to recover their strength. Take as much time and as many stops as they need, drink water, breathe,e and then continue the hike. Just keep in mind that a 20-minute hike can turn out to be an hour with kids.

Our goal was to hike a few trails when we got to Joshua Tree National Park, but we spent almost 3 hours on one trail only. When you are hiking with four kids, you are guaranteed to make several stops along the way.

9. Act as their tour guide

Let the kids ask you questions about what they see on the way and about general things in their environment. Be the knowledgeable tour guide and answer their questions well.

This will keep them entertained. My husband was the designated tour guide and so led the way while the kids walked behind him. He made sure to help the kids climb up tricky areas and be as safe as possible. He also made sure to answer all the questions that the kids had for him.

10. Document the hike

Take a camera along and document the hike. Such memories will be priceless in the future. Being the one behind the camera, this is my favorite part. I loved taking photos of the kids exploring and doing different things. Some photos I asked them to look at the camera, and some I snapped without them knowing, and I was able to get great shots of them. Documenting our hike with photos and videos was great because it helped the kids finish their Junior Ranger book. They were able to look back at the photos and remember things they saw and experienced on the hike.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Joshua Tree National Park With Kids

Overall, we had an amazing time at Joshua Tree National Park with kids. I hope that we can keep up with our plan to hike more with the kids because this is truly something the whole family enjoys. Next time, we also plan to incorporate camping and spend a night or two.

I also hope that this guide to Joshua Tree National Park with kids was helpful. Add it to your Family Travel Bucket List and browse my Best Family Vacation Spots in the United States for your next adventure.

Do you go on hikes with your kids? Please share your favorite national park in the comments so we can add it to our list!

---