Hiking the best of Death Valley & Joshua Tree

Welcome to Death Valley National Park! After being picked up from your accommodation in Las Vegas, drive through the Mojave Desert to Death Valley National Park. Arriving at the Badlands, a walk to the top of Zabriskie Point will help you to get your bearings as you look over the yellow and orange-streaked rocky landscape. Then, stop at the Furnace Creek Visitor Centre for further background on the park, before you make your way to the trailhead of Golden Canyon and Gower Gulch. This trail will be a true welcome to the wild west, as you snake through winding canyons deep into the Badlands, Red Cathedral towering over you in the distance. Stop for a picnic lunch before you finish the trail at the edge of Death Valley. At dusk, you’ll descend to the lowest point in North America at Badwater Basin before calling it a night.

Today’s all about getting a bird’s eye view. The Panamint Mountains form the western wall of Death Valley and Wildrose Peak is your destination. The trailhead is marked by the Charcoal Kilns – beehive-like stone buildings formerly used to provide fuel to smelters in nearby mines. Leaving the kilns behind, you’ll enter the woodlands of the Panamint Mountains. Passing by juniper and pinyon pines, the tree line will eventually fade away and you’ll be left with a view of your destination. The trail eases into the finish, leaving you with prime views of the Panamint Valley and the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the distance.

Swapping a summit for some unexpected scenery, take a short drive past the Devil’s Cornfield to the Mesquite Sand Dunes. The ripples catching the morning light make for a magical sight, as do the mountain views from atop the dunes. The magic only grows as you head to Darwin Falls, where the lush greenery and flowing waters feel like a mirage. Home to tree frogs, toads and aquatic vegetation, the spring-fed falls stick out from the surrounding landscape. Leaving the falls and Death Valley behind, you’ll head to Twentynine Palms for the night – the gateway to Joshua Tree National Park.

Your first day at Joshua Tree National Park will start with an easy stroll through the deceptive Teddy Bear Cholla Garden. Though the cacti here look soft enough to cuddle, keep your distance! A visit to another ecological oddity comes next, as you make your way to two of the park’s desert oases. Starting at the Cottonwood Spring Oasis, weave your way over rolling desert hills before the unexpected sight of the Lost Palms Oasis. Water that seeps up through fault lines keeps this pocket of palm trees going, which stand in stark contrast to the rest of the landscape. After stopping for lunch, the hike home takes you past views of the Salton Sea, California’s largest lake, before arriving at your accommodation. A short loop hike to the dramatic formations of Arch Rock will finish off an eventful day.

After breakfast, today, walk to Barker Dam. Though only a short loop track, it packs in a lot – you'll see a broad range of the park’s vegetation, wildlife (including desert bighorn) and towering boulders. Ancient rock art along the trail tells tales of the park’s human history, as does the dam itself, built by early cattlemen. When you’ve completed the loop, you’ll navigate The Maze – this trail winds past narrow canyons, towering rock formations and a multitude of Joshua Trees before opening to expansive views of the park. On the return leg, keep an eye out for the eagle-shaped Window Rock, then finish the day with a final included dinner and cheers to a trip well-trekked.

Your last day at Joshua Tree National Park will venture to Hidden Valley. The one-mile loop takes you past even more of the park’s fascinating rock formations, and signs along the way will point out plants and animals of interest. If the weather allows, you’ll then visit Indian Cove, and hike along the nature trail. Learn about the Native American history of the area, then sit down for a picnic lunch out on the trail with your group. Later, back to Las Vegas, where your adventure comes to an end.