Full Moon Hikes in Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park connected with 160 visitors on a full moon hike on Saturday, May 30th – the first of a new series of such hikes that will be offered by the park this summer. With summer days starting to heat up, the full moon hike offered a chance for visitors to take advantage of the cooler evening hours with the brightness of the moon lighting the way.

Visitors of all ages were treated to an hour long, ranger-guided hike to explore myths of the moon, nocturnal animals, and finding solace and inspiration in the night. As a result of the large attendance, visitors were split into groups with staggered, ranger-guided hikes to ensure visitor safety and resource protection.

Many of the visitors in attendance had traveled all the way from San Diego and Los Angeles to attend the full moon hike and were planning on heading back to their respective homes that same night. The park’s social media and flyers at the visitor centers promoted the event to the public and achieved an overwhelming success for the first of four ”full moon hikes” that will be offered this summer.

The remaining hikes will take place on June 27th, July 31st and August 29th. With the popularity and success of the first hike, the park is considering expanding the program to allow even more visitors the opportunity to experience the desert after dark.