Joshua Tree

A hollow entirely enclosed by granite walls, where cattle rustlers supposedly hid stolen livestock, circled by a 1.6 km loop among boulders and Joshua trees, with climbers on the surrounding cliffs.

💡 Park early, before 9am at weekends, as the car park is one of the first in the park to fill up. Walk the loop clockwise and scramble freely over the first boulders at the entrance. Price: included in park entry, $30 per vehicle for 7 days, about €26, with no surcharge for non-residents.

A small ranchers' dam from around 1900 that holds a reflecting lake after wet winters, where bighorn sheep come to drink, on a 1.8 km loop that also passes a petroglyph panel.

💡 The lake only holds water after a wet winter, from January to April: the rest of the year, the site is worth it mainly for the rocks and the petroglyphs. Come early in the morning for a chance to see the bighorn sheep. Price: included in park entry.

The park's most popular summit, at 1,664 metres, reached by a 4.8 km round trip with stone steps, for a 360-degree view over the high valleys and the Wonderland of Rocks.

💡 Set off at dawn in summer, as the trail is in full sun and the heat becomes dangerous from 10am. Allow two litres of water per person. Sunset can also be watched from the summit, but bring a torch for the descent. Price: included in park entry.

A house-sized granite boulder hollowed by erosion into the shape of a skull, beside the main road near Jumbo Rocks, with a 2.7 km loop through some of the park's most photogenic boulders.

💡 The roadside car park is small: leave the car at the Jumbo Rocks campground and follow the loop. The low evening light brings out the skull's eye sockets. Price: included in park entry.

A rare white granite arch hidden behind the White Tank campground, reached by a 2.1 km loop past Heart Rock, and a favourite of night photographers under the Milky Way.

💡 Come at dusk, then stay for the stars: the park is certified for the quality of its night sky. Park at the Twin Tanks car park, the official trailhead, not in the White Tank campground, and arrive before nightfall. Price: included in park entry.

A field of several thousand teddy-bear chollas whose silvery spines glow against the light, where the Mojave gives way to the Colorado Desert, crossed by a 400-metre loop trail.

💡 Touch nothing and wear closed shoes: cholla segments break off at the slightest contact and cling to skin, clothes and dogs' paws. Bring a comb and tweezers to remove them. Price: included in park entry.

The highest viewpoint reachable by car, at 1,581 metres, looking out over the Coachella Valley, the Salton Sea, the San Andreas Fault and the peaks of San Jacinto and San Gorgonio.

💡 Come at sunset, when the mountains stand out in successive silhouettes above the valley, or in the morning after rain, when the air is clearest. It is often 10°C cooler than down below, and windy, so bring a warm layer. Price: included in park entry.