These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
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Joshua Tree National Park is known for some of its very interesting rock formations such as Skull Rock, Split Rock, or the very popular Arch Rock. Heart Rock, a rock that is shaped like a standing heart, is another one of these awesome rock formations here at Joshua Tree National Park. It used to be quite elusive since there wasn’t an established trail to get there. In fact, we tried a few times but didn’t manage to find it. Granted we didn’t try that hard but still… Luckily, the park finally put up trail markers to help hikers reach this elusive formation. The hike to Heart Rock shares the same trail as the Arch Rock trail before splitting off. Because of this, people usually combine Heart Rock with Arch Rock Trail.
Arch Rock Nature Trail
33.989778, -116.022833
There is a paved parking lot next to the trailhead.
There is a fee to enter Joshua Tree National Park. For more information, check out the park’s website. You can also use your America the Beautiful pass!
No restroom at the trailhead, however, there are vault toilets at the White Tank campground, a short detour from the trail.
Leave your pet at home. They are not allowed on the trail!
1.7 mile
108ft
Easy
30 to 45 minutes
Since this is the desert, the best times to hike this trail are October through May when the weather is cooler. This is a popular hike so go early if you’re visiting during peak seasons.
Heart Rock shares the same parking lot and a majority of the trail with Arch Rock trail. The parking lot for Arch Rock Nature Trail is located off the Pinto Basin Road. If you’re driving from 29 Palms, it will be on the right-hand side. The parking lot is not that big so if you’re visiting on the weekend, make sure to come early. This trail is very popular.
We decided to hike to Heart Rock on our last day at Joshua Tree National Park on our recent visit. So, we got to the parking lot bright and early. It was already warm at this point. After parking, we followed the trail for Arch Rock to cross over the main road to the other side. We had done this trail multiple times before since we love Arch Rock, but this is the first time that we will be hiking to Heart Rock.
The trail is very well-marked and defined as the curves along the main road and heads toward the beautiful rock formations to the left. About 0.6 miles, we came upon the junction of Arch Rock and Heart Rock Trail. From this junction, we went left, following the signs for Heart Rock. If you want to combine Arch Rock, which we highly recommend, then turn right at this junction. We’ve been to Arch Rock so many times so we decided to skip it for today.
After turning left at the junction, there are a couple of forks right after. Just stay straight away. There are also trail markers so you’ll know where to go. The trail markers become sparse the further we hiked in though. Soon enough, the worn path led us down a small sandy wash and crossed over to the other side. This was the only spot where we got a bit confused. But once we looked over to the other side of the wash, we could see a trail marker tucked far away.
Once crossed over the wash, it was just a short walk to the Heart Rock. In fact, we could see Heart Rock in the distance. Heart Rock is as interesting as we imagined, especially if you’re a romantic. It really does shape like a standing heart, well from the front anyway. Of course, we had to take a few obligatory couple shots! If you’re visiting Heart Rock and want a good photo, we recommend visiting near sunset. The lighting will be much better. It was a bit harsh in the morning when we were there.
The trail to Heart Rock is such a short hike that we highly recommend stopping by if you have a chance. And don’t forget to combine this with Arch Rock Trail. Arch Rock trail is one of our absolute favorite short hikes here. If you’re looking for other short trails, check out Hidden Valley or Barker Dam. If you’re into history, check out Wall Street Mills. And if you’re looking for off-the-beaten-path things to do in Joshua Tree, check out our list.
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to check out the related posts below for more inspiration on your upcoming adventures. While at it, follow us on Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel! We’ll love you forever!
These are the gear that we personally use and find helpful for this particular adventure. Don’t forget to check out our Recommended Gear section as well.
These hiking poles are sturdy, and great to help keep your balance on short or longer hikes
If you tend to have foot blisters on hikes, get this! We use this all the time.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
Our favorite hiking/travel jacket. It's warm and packable, perfect to bring on a hike or a road trip.
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
This jacket is packable into a super small and light little ball. Perfect for when you just need a little…
It's always good to bring a GPS tracker with you. We use the Garmin inReach.
This is Vy's favorite hiking bag! It has tons of room for snacks and water!
Our favorite biodegradable, eco-friendly, reef-safe sunscreen!
This is our go-to camera for all of our adventures. It comes with us everywhere!
Compact GoPro pole that extends to 25", perfect to bring on your adventure.
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Hi! We are Dustin & Vy, the proud creators of That Adventure Life. We created this website because we wanted to inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. On here, you’ll find everything from hiking, canyoneering, kayaking, and snorkeling to adventure and travel tips, gear reviews, and bucket list items such as bungee jumping or wing walking. We’ll show you the ropes so you can do them too!
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