“From a mere vacation, one goes home older, but from true travel, one returns changed by challenge.” (William Least Heat-Moon, Gourmet)
Route Description
Joshua Tree National Park is located in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts of Southern California and is a perfect destination when it is cooler in the fall, winter or spring. Step off the main highway that is loaded with people and cars and remote desert wilderness is yours. However, it is primarily waterless.
Joshua Tree National Park’s California Riding and Hiking Trail (CRHT) is an end to end 37.5 mile hike. The CHRT is remote, gentle, largely no crowds, no natural water sources, with breathtaking views, sunrises, and sunsets.
I added a bonus to this mini thru-hike by turning around and repeating the trail in the opposite direction out and back for a nice 75 mile hike. This is called a YoYo.
My route started at the north entrance of the park to Black Rock Campground on the west side of the park, and then back again. CRHT can be accomplished in either direction east to west or west to east. A hiker must cache water along the way at easily accessed areas. Luckily, placing a water cache is legal in Joshua Tree.
This was a perfect early season solo hike.
Riding and Hiking Trail Route Overview
TRIP DATE February 2022
DISTANCE 37.5 miles point to point, 75 miles point to point and back, 3 1/2 days but 4 or 5 days would be nice
ELEVATION GAIN Westbound: +3230 -4316 , Eastbound: +4281 -3200
Total for both directions: +7611 Elevation Gain
TRAILHEAD Begin at north entrance of the park, traveled to the west side of the park to Black Rock Campground, then repeated the trail in the opposite direction
DIFFICULTY Moderate on well-traveled trail
NAVIGATION Map and GPS, trail is well marked
BEST TIME TO HIKE Late Fall, Winter, Spring
WATER No natural water sources, I cached 2 gallons of water at Keys View Road and filled up with water from Black Rock Campground’s full service bathroom.
PERMITS Effective March 1, 2023 permits will now be obtained online at recreation.gov or at the permit office at the main headquarters in Twentynine Palms. There are no quotas.
Guidebook, Maps & GPS
- Joshua Tree National Park Sports Illustrated Overview Map
- GPX track of trip created online at CalTopo.com and then synced to my CalTopo Phone App. Be sure to download map layers of the area for offline use.
Video Highlights
Daily Journal
Day 1 – Easing In
North Entrance Trailhead to 1/4 mile after Water Cache at Keys View Road
18 miles
After an early morning 3 1/2 hour drive to Joshua Tree’s North Entrance, I continued driving to the intersection of Keys View Road and the CHRT. I placed 2 gallons of water marked with my name and pick-up date in a bush. IMPORTANT! I opened my CalTopo App on my phone and placed a Waypoint exactly at the location of the water cache. Amazing how every bush looks the same when a hiker is hungry, tired, and after dark.
Because this was my first real backpack of the year, I made the commitment to hike 4 miles, stop, drink water, eat a snack, and stretch. This was super easy because there are mile markers along the entire CHRT! It worked, I felt great as I arrived at Keys Road water cache just before dark. I quickly filled my water bottles and platypus with water, found a rock sheltered camp, and intense cold and whipping wind settled in.
Complete happiness flowed in the comfort of my tent. It was a great day.
Day 2 – Wind, Water, & Winding Down
1/4 mile after Water Cache at Keys View Road to 2 miles east of Black Rock Campground
20.5 Miles
I love the desert: the extremes, open views, hardy plants, and crazy beautiful sunrises and sunsets. This harsh environment requires the hiker to use backpacking skills, but also common sense, caution, mindfulness, or things can go bad quickly.
My usual 6:00 am start payed off BIG time with a bright moon overlooking a colorful sunrise. Wind picked up as the day progressed. What a day to be alive. I hiked on until reaching mile 37.5 the western trailhead of the CHRT at Black Rock Campground.
The campground’s main restroom is big, clean, with flush toilets and running water. After filling up bottles with water, I decided to cook dinner. The campground is nestled in a beautiful area. I had the treat of overlooking an artist at work painting in the outdoors.
A sunset was my friend as I hiked about 2 miles up into the mountains in the opposite direction. Just before dark, I nestled my tent in a thicket of Joshua Trees. Cold set in and I slept.
Day 3 – Desert Mountains & That Sweet Camp Spot
2 miles east of Black Rock Campground to 2 miles east of Geology Tour Road
21.5 Miles
The good: My pack began to feel like it belonged on my back and ALL the VIEWS. The bad: Cold wind and the miles seemed to go so slow with lots of ups.
Picked up my remaining water cache at Keys Road, dropped the crushed empty bottles in the recycling receptacle at Ryan Campground, used the facilities, and hiked into the evening. The desert delivered on my last cold night with a great sheltered camp behind a large cluster of rocks, and that sunset!
Day 4 – Heat & Boy Scouts
2 miles east of Geology Tour Road to North Entrance Trailhead
15 Miles
The sunrise silhouettes thou!
This day the desert heated up. I walked quickly. The goal today was to finish up well before noon to arrive home before Dan, my husband got off work.
About 4 miles from the end of this solo and very solitary trip, I enjoyed a Boy Scout Troop hiking in the opposite direction just starting their overnight backpack. I say enjoy because they literally were spread out over 4 miles. It had gotten hot and with slight uphill exposed terrain, and some had very heavy packs some were struggling, but happy and singing.
It was a awesome end to a successful trip.
Tips & Options
TIPS
- No water filter is needed for this trip. All water is cached and already purified. For caching water, I like using Crystal Geyser 1 gallon bottles with a lightweight handle: they crush easily, the handle is perfect to attach to the back of a pack and easily found at grocery stores. Take a Sharpie and write your name, pickup date, and contact info on each water container. The rangers will take away uncollected containers 14 days after the date marked on them. I find it is best to hide water bottles in a bush or rock a little away from trailhead marker sign. Be sure to place a waypoint on your phone GPS program where you have hidden the bottles. This is a life saver.
- Dispersed camping (no official camping sites) is legal in Joshua Tree. Just hike until you find a good space to camp. Some rules to keep in mind.
- Camp at least 1 mile from a backcountry trailhead
- Pack all your trash out. This includes your empty cached water bottles.
- Bury poop at least 6 to 8 inches, 200 feet away from water sources, campsites, and trails. Pack out your toilet paper.
- You can’t camp with an open fire (like a bonfire), but you can use a camping stove. Get a free camping stove permit online here.
- HOT TIP: Established campgrounds also have trash and recycling receptacles if you want to drop off trash along the way.
- There might be cell service in spots, but it is not reliable.
- Campsite selection is EVERYTHING for protection from blasting winds and deep moist cold. I look for a site that is protected (think large rocks or thick bush), clear of spiky bushes and plants and never camp in a sandy wash or at the bottom of a canyon or depression.
- Keep your gear, boots, and water (everything) in your tent with you at night. Critters can chew through packs to get to food and water. Storing food in an Odor Proof Sack is helpful.
OPTIONS
- I cached water at Keys View Road with enough water for the trip to and from the north entrance. Additional water cache locations on this trail: Pinto Basin Road, Ryan Campground, Geology Tour Road and Upper Covington Flats Trailhead.
- This trip can easily be done one way in 2 to 4 days or as an out and back in 4 to 7 days.
- A one-way trip will require a car shuttle leaving one car at both ends of the hike. There are shuttle services, taxies, and Uber in nearby towns you could pre-arrange ahead of time leaving a car at the end of your hike and a shuttle to the beginning.
Recommended Gear
- Carried Water Containers: I carried two, 1 liter Smartwater bottles and one 2 liter Platypus.
- Communication: I carry a Garmin Mini Satellite Communicator and highly recommend it, especially when hiking solo.
- Warmth: Deserts can get very cold at night and warm during the day. My nighttime temps were in the 20’s and daytime temps in the 50’s and 60’s. For this trip I added a fleece, beanie, warm gloves and down pants. Gear I add to my regular lightweight kit for colder and possibly wetter Fall/Winter/Spring backpack trips:
- SLEEPING PAD | Gossamer Gear Thinlight Pad
- WATERPROOF GLOVES | Showa 282 Temres Insulated Gloves or Showa Best 282 Atlas TEMRES Insulated Gloves
- GLOVES | Outdoor Research PL400 Sensor Gloves
- RAIN PANTS | Montbell Versalite
- HAT | Beanie
- DOWN PANTS | Winter Warm packable Down Pants
- DOWN BOOTIES | Lixada Down Booties
- FLEECE | Patagonia R1 Air Zip Neck
Links to other Hikes in Joshua Tree National Park
- Joshua Tree National Park – Lost Palms Oasis Trail Day Hike
- Joshua Tree National Park – Smith Water Canyon to Quail Mountain Backpack
- Joshua Tree National Park – Rock Climbing
- Joshua Tree National Park – Boy Scout Trail to Rattlesnake Canyon Backpack
- Joshua Tree National Park – 3 Peaks, 3 Water Caches Backpack
Hi Christy, I really enjoyed reading this post. It is great timing as I’ll be hiking the trail in April.
Hello Nabeel! You will love it and so good you are heading there next month. It has been wild wild weather in California.
Your photos continue to be stunning, and although I really enjoy the sunrise and sunset images, your smile outshines them.
Do you know Heart Rock there at JTNP?
I sure do! This is in your neck of the woods (or should I say Joshua Trees). Great to hear from you.
Have you switched from Gaia to Caltopo? If so, pros? cons?
I did a couple of years ago. In the past I didn’t like it as well, but the app is really good now and simple. Pros, the maps on the app and if you print a map it looks the exact same as what you create at caltopo.com, syncs automatically (you don’t have to upload anything, the organization is crazy simple, easy to close out a track instead of seeing a spiderweb mess, fast robust in the field, has all the map layers I need, and is used by search and rescue. Gaia is great too, but the tracks do not look the same as what I created online.
Cons, don’t know of any.