The Hidden Valley Picnic Area in Joshua Tree National Park is a popular spot to relax, enjoy a meal, and take in the stunning desert landscape.
Joshua Tree National Park
30 Minutes
Spring, Fall
$35 per Vehicle
Overview
When we first planned a trip to Joshua Tree National Park, we didn’t know anything about the park, except that it was a national park that we hadn’t been to yet. It’s on our bucket list to visit all of the national parks. If you haven’t been to Joshua Tree, I highly suggest adding it to your travel bucket list, too. It was the perfect spot to hike, see the unique desert landscape, and allow the boys to really explore the best hikes and scrambling areas in the park.
Hidden Valley Picnic Area Plan
On our two-day trip to Joshua Tree National Park, we brought in a picnic lunch to find a place to eat. The first day we tried to stop at the Live Oak Picnic Area but it was so windy that everything was blowing off of the picnic tables and we couldn’t enjoy the meal. Instead, we ended up eating lunch in the vehicle while enjoying the scenery from there.
On our second day, though, we decided to stop at the Hidden Valley Picnic Area since it was in the same parking lot as the Hidden Valley Nature Trail that we wanted to hike. We ended up spending almost an hour between our sandwich picnic and exploring the unique rock formations and rock climbing on the large boulders near the picnic table.
Hidden Valley Picnic Area
Hidden Valley Picnic Area
Getting There
Location
Joshua Tree National Park is located in southern California about 4 hours east of Los Angeles where the Mojave Desert and Colorado Desert converge. This park ended up being one of our favorite national parks because of all of the giant boulders we were able to climb. The closest airport is the Palm Springs International Airport, though most visitors will fly into LAX due to costs and rent a car from there.
The best places to stay when visiting Joshua Tree, if you aren’t planning to camp, are in the town of Joshua Tree, Twentynine Palms, and Yucca Valley. We stayed in a rental home in Yucca Valley which gave us easy access to the West Park Entrance and the North Park Entrance.
Best Time to Go
Because Joshua Tree National Park is in the desert, it can get extremely hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. The best times to visit are in the cooler months of February, March, April, October, and November. The park is about 800,000 acres of land where two distinct ecosystems converge: the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert.
Although spring and fall are usually the peak season for the park, we did not feel like it was very crowded. We saw the most people when we were trying to visit Skull Rock. Otherwise, even the most popular hikes didn’t have too many people at them and we didn’t have a problem finding places to park.
Hidden Valley Picnic Area
Who Can Go?
The picnic area is a great place to stop for anyone who is driving through Joshua Tree National Park. The parking area and sidewalks are paved, but all of the picnic tables are in the dirt. This may be a little difficult for those in a wheelchair.
What You'll See
The picnic area is surrounded by rock walls from the massive boulders, Joshua trees, and pinyon pine trees along with a variety of Mojave desert flora. The area is a popular place to go rock climbing. You may get to see a rock climber scale the cliff faces. If you’re lucky, you may also get to see some of the desert wildlife such as lizards, jackrabbits, and various species of birds.
Hidden Valley Picnic Area
Hidden Valley Picnic Area
What to Bring & Wear
Make sure to bring a picnic lunch and plenty of water with you to enjoy while at this picnic area in the middle of the park. You’ll want to wear sneakers or hiking boots if you plan to explore the area of large rock formations around the picnic tables. Each of the picnic sites has a charcoal grill available for use.
Where to Go
The picnic area is closest to the West Entrance, across Park Boulevard from the Hidden Valley Campground (which is on Barker Dam Road) near the trailhead for the Hidden Valley Trail. There are also a few vault toilets in the two parking areas, so it’s a great place to stop for a restroom break, too.
How Long Does it Take?
The amount of time you spend here depends on how much you want to explore the desert plants and large boulders in the Hidden Valley area. We ended up spending almost an hour here because there was plenty of room to spread out, lots of nooks and crannies to explore, and the shade of the rocks kept us cool.
Cost
There’s no charge to use the picnic area, but you will have to pay the fee for the park at the entrance station as you come into the park. The charge for a private vehicle is $35 and the parking pass is valid for seven days from the date of purchase.
Hidden Valley Picnic Area
Hidden Valley Picnic Area
Tips for Hidden Valley Picnic Area
- There are pit toilets in the parking area near the trailhead and by the picnic tables.
- Take a short walk over to the trail head for the Hidden Valley hike which is an easy hike on a loop trail through the sandy desert floor. The trail is a one-mile loop on a family-friendly trail that walks through a scenic valley on an interpretive trail surrounded by rock formations.
- Before using the charcoal grills check the local fire conditions and follow all regulations regarding the use of grills and fire pits.
- When you pull into the large loop parking area, the Hidden Valley Trailhead will be on your right. Keep going until you see another loop to the right that takes you back to the main picnic area. Any of these spots is a perfect place for your picnic in the shade of the boulders and pinyon-juniper woodland.
- Make sure you pack out your trash. This helps keep the environment clean, keeps humans safe from the animals that become used to human food, and prevents litter from trashing up the national parks.
- The Hidden Valley Picnic Area would also be a great spot to take advantage of Joshua Tree's status as an International Dark Sky Park and do some stargazing. You may even get to see the Milky Way on a clear night.