Lost Palms Oasis
Cottonwood Spring, Joshua Tree NP · near Cottonwood / Chiriaco Summit · California Desert
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 7.5 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,100 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Oct–Apr
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- $30/vehicle 7-day Joshua Tree NP entrance fee. No day-hike permit needed.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Largest palm oasis in the park (100+ native fan palms) · Remote canyon · Wildflowers · Scramble to the overlook
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Start at first light and carry 3–4 liters per person; there is zero shade and no water on trail.
The guide
The park's flagship oasis hike — a rolling desert traverse through washes and past Cottonwood Spring that ends at a hidden cany…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Lost Palms Oasis — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 33.7377, -115.8117