California Riding and Hiking Trail | Active Adventure People

Into the Backcountry: Discovering Joshua Tree’s Lesser-Known Trails

I lived in Southern California for ten years but hadn't visited Joshua Tree National Park until Thanksgiving weekend last year. I never thought Joshua Tree was among the top must-see National Parks, but a quick Google search informed me that in 2023, it was the 9th most visited National Park in the US with 3,270,404 visitors. Perhaps it's due to its proximity to large urban areas. Indeed, it's only about a three-hour drive from San Diego, which we're calling home for the year.

The park was indeed busy, but like most national parks, if you can get to the backcountry, you have the place to yourself. After some poking around on the Internet, I discovered the California Riding and Hiking Trail, or CRHT as it's affectionately called. It's a 38-mile one-way trail crossing Joshua Tree National Park from west to east. Several hiking sites recommended it, and the Hiking Guy provided a very detailed description and instructions. (See resources below).