Rock Climbing Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree has a reputation as being one of the best places for rock climbing in the world. It is well deserved. We did a lot of climbing while we were there, trying to take advantage of the amazing climbing.

We fully realize we only just scratched the surface but we felt like we did a good variety of climbing routes in various areas of the park that was a good representation of the types climbs you can do here.

There is a lifetime’s worth of climbing here so whether you’ve never climbed here and are looking for which climbs to start on or want to trying something new on your next visit, these are the climbs we enjoyed!

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Pixie Rock

We went out to the Indian Cove area and climbed a route on Pixie Rock as the sun set.

Intersection Rock

We climbed a route up Intersection Rock in the Hidden Valley Campground area, climbing up to a ledge and then from there all the way to the top. From there we rappelled back down to the ledge and then on to the ground.

Cyclops Rock

Another route we did was The Eye on Cyclops Rock, also in the Hidden Valley Campground area. This was a really neat route because at the top, you entered a little cave like area and walked through to the other side.

We also climbed this at sunset, and the colors were gorgeous as we walked off the back and returned to the car.

Quail Rocks

Quail Rocks was good for doing a little top-roping one day.

The Sentinel

Finally, we climbed the multi-pitch Fote Hog route on The Sentinel in the Real Hidden Valley. This route had some crazy exposure on a traverse and an overhang that was pretty reachy even though it had great big holds.

The rest was a very enjoyable route with amazing views. From the top we walked off the sloping south side and back to the base of the rock.

Joshua Tree Sightseeing

When you’re not climbing here are a couple tips for sightseeing around the park.

Joshua Trees

The Joshua Trees are so neat and you don’t have to do anything except keep your eyes open to see them. They’re everywhere. There were so many more than we expected, and there truly are “forests” of them.

Some are pretty straight, with few branches. Others are full and large, having more of a normal tree shape with lots of branches. These are those that have bloomed often and thereafter branched. And others are just weird looking!

Scenic Drives

The main scenic drive is Park Boulevard. This is the main park road that goes between the west entrance and north entrance of the park.

Take Keys View Road off of Park Boulevard to drive up to Keys View for panoramic views of the park.

You can also add on Pinto Basin Road which travels down to the south entrance.

There are some 4 wheel drive backcountry roads as well if you want to explore even further or get to other climbing areas.

Barker Dam Hike

This hike is a short 1.1 mile loop and a good one to do. Barker Dam was built by cowboys to water their cattle and you can see this historic dam on the trail. The hike takes you through monzogranite boulders and a rock art site.