Eureka Peak

From Covington Flats Picnic Area, the dirt-road route to the peak is 3.8 miles one way. The final stretch is steep. Road conditions and vehicle suitability reports vary, so check current conditions with rangers before driving.

The hiking route starts at Black Rock Backcountry Trailhead and is 11 miles round trip with 1,748 feet of elevation gain. For parking, NPS lists the trailhead or Black Rock Nature Center, with overflow in the horse camp area on busy days.

At the summit, the landscape opens into a 360-degree sweep across valleys and mountain ranges, with views toward Palm Springs and the Morongo Basin. Turn around before settling on one direction; this is a place for the panorama, not just one framed peak. For a phone photo, leave some of the summit slope along the bottom edge so the distant ranges have a sense of scale.

Covington Flats sits in the park’s northwest, between Black Rock Canyon and Joshua Tree. Covington Flats has some of the park’s largest Joshua trees, junipers and pinyon pines. That mix of taller desert trees is part of the reason to slow down on the approach, not rush straight to the summit.

Most of the hike climbs gradually through a sandy wash, then gets steeper near the summit. From Black Rock, you follow the California Riding and Hiking Trail and turn south onto Eureka Peak Trail at the junction 1.1 miles in. It’s a worthwhile outing if you want the full walk, but the 11-mile round trip makes this more than a quick viewpoint stop. Desert tortoises and bighorn sheep are sometimes seen in this part of the park; sightings aren’t guaranteed.