Joshua Tree, Southern California’s iconic National Park, is world-renowned for its otherworldly trees, massive rock formations, and some of the best stargazing on the planet. Climbers, campers, and day-visitors flock here year-round. But a lesser known fact is that this park has an extensive 4x4 backcountry road network that is open to cyclists. These roads make for excellent gravel riding, and are a great option for cyclists looking for an adventure that gets them far away from others, yet close enough for a short road trip from the cities of socal. This post is to document my experience from 3 days of gravel riding there.
This post is only about the backcountry roads. These are the unpaved paths that the NPS has designated for cars (and bikes). Bikes are not allowed on hiking trails, and the paved roads are less than ideal, having no bike lanes or shoulders.
[insert photo here]
Bad new first. This route started off fun for the first 7 miles, then it became too sandy for gravel riding. Just reaching the start of Thermal Canyon Rd is a big challenge — even with wide mtb tires. I can’t recommend it. While we reached the start of Thermal Canyon, we had to walk through sand a lot. And keep in mind that after the first 7 miles, you will start going downhill, which is hard to notice until you return in the other direction and find yourself walking through sand for several hours. Proceed with caution.
[insert photo here]
We started from the Cottonwood Visitor center, took Pinkham Canyon Rd to the start of Thermal Canyon, then returned.
Day 2: Geology Tour Rd + Berdoo Canyon Rd
This route was incredible and easily my favorite. Although there was a few sandy areas, it never stopped us in our tracks. Sweeping views of Pleasant Valley, soft winding descents, and plenty of Joshua Trees will keep the stoke high.
[insert photo here]
Day 3: Queen Valley Roads
You can’t go wrong here. This area is small, so and you can combine the roads any way. It’s pan flat, has the most and biggest Joshua Trees, and easily accessible from Park Blvd. With the exception of some very minor sand and washboard surface, there isn’t any downsides to this route. It was a nice easy option to save for the last day.
Subscribe to be notified of new blog posts. Its free, there's no spam, and you can unsubscribe at any time.