Gravel Riding in Joshua Tree National Park

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.

Day 1: Pinkham Canyon Rd

Right off the bat, this full route is not suitable for gravel riding. The first 7 miles are prime gravel—dynamic, scenic, easy, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a solid 14 mile out-and-back. But beyond that point, the trail quality drops off fast. Unless you are looking to do more pushing than pedaling, I can't recommend continuing. The terrain becomes extremely sandy and just reaching the start of Thermal Canyon Rd is a challenge — even with wide MTB tires. While we did make it there, much of the way involved walking through deep sand. It’s also easy to miss the gradual downhill that begins after those first 7 miles. You’ll only realize it on the way back, when that subtle descent turns into a long, exhausting trudge uphill through sand for several hours. Proceed with caution.

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.

Day 3: Queen Valley Roads

You can’t go wrong here. This area is small, but has a network of roads that can be combined in any way: Big Horn Pass Rd, O'Dell Rd, Queen Valley Rd, Desert Queen Mine Rd, and Barker Dam Rd. These roads are pan-flat, have some of the best Joshua Trees, and are easily accessible from Park Blvd. With the exception of some very minor sand and washboard surface, there aren’t any downsides to this route. It's a great option for when you are looking to keep it short.