Parking
Start at Minerva Hoyt Trailhead on Park Boulevard, about a quarter-mile north of the Park Boulevard and Keys View Road junction. The trail begins at the trailhead parking area.
Overview
About Minerva Hoyt Trail
Why go
- Easy mileage through Joshua trees, granite, and distant mountain views
- A clear destination at Hidden Valley Picnic Area
Heads up
- The out-and-back retraces the same dirt corridor
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Joshua Tree map
Full mapElevation4,131–4,232 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
5 active Joshua Tree alerts
- ClosureOasis of Mara Trail closed past the OasisThe Oasis of Mara Trail is closed past the Oasis due to a heavy flooding event; do not continue beyond the Oasis. Check current park conditions before visiting.Official details
- ClosureSR 62 and US 95 closed by floodingFlooding has closed portions of SR 62 and US 95; avoid the closed segments.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Joshua Tree Tour Guide
Your drive to Minerva Hoyt Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Joshua Tree National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Joshua Tree audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Minerva Hoyt Trail and a Desert Campaigner0:00 / 0:29
“You're nearing the Minerva Hoyt trailhead, for an easy walk through a valley of Joshua trees.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Joshua Tree Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cap Rock: A Quick Look or Short Loop
- Ryan Ranch: Adobe and Mining History
- Oyster Bar: Where Two Rocks Meet
- Ryan Campground Among the Joshua Trees
- 89 audio storiesacross Joshua Tree’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bighorn Sheep, Golden Eagle, Desert Tortoise, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 60 trails, 64 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Minerva Hoyt Trail
The three-mile walkMinerva Hoyt Trail is an easy, 3-mile round-trip out-and-back from its trailhead to Hidden…
Minerva Hoyt Trail is an easy, 3-mile round-trip out-and-back from its trailhead to Hidden Valley Picnic Area. Allow 1–2 hours. It’s a good pick for a low-gain desert walk with a clear destination, rather than a climb or a long wilderness outing.
Follow the old road to Hidden ValleyThe trail follows an old road before a sharp right toward Hidden Valley.
The trail follows an old road before a sharp right toward Hidden Valley. Expect hard-packed and sandy dirt. The route crosses a valley of Joshua trees, with distinctive rock formations and mountains in the distance. The three miles covers the walk to the picnic area and back; the Hidden Valley Nature Trail loop is a separate option.
Why Minerva Hoyt mattersMinerva Hamilton Hoyt organized public exhibitions of desert plants, founded the International…
Minerva Hamilton Hoyt organized public exhibitions of desert plants, founded the International Deserts Conservation League, and campaigned for protected desert parks. Her effort helped bring about Joshua Tree National Monument in 1936. The trail gives that conservation story a fitting setting among the Joshua trees she worked to protect.
Add the loop if you want moreThe separate, one-mile Hidden Valley Nature Trail can be added at the picnic area.
The separate, one-mile Hidden Valley Nature Trail can be added at the picnic area. Together, the two trails make a roughly 4-mile lollipop loop. If you want the simpler outing, turn around at the picnic area and keep Minerva Hoyt as its own out-and-back.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Joshua Tree
129 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
15 sightingsGolden EagleMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
413 sightingsDesert TortoiseMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
275 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
47 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
32 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Joshua Tree. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
