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Skull Rock Nature Trail
4.5 ★★★★★ 6 Google reviews · Running trail in Twentynine Palms, California · Hours vary
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Not reported
- Loop distance
- 2 mi
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Not reported
- Access
- Not reported
Confirmed from Skull Rock Nature Trail's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
What runners say about Skull Rock Nature Trail
You can access the skull rock from multiple sides. You can access from North Joshua tree national park entrance for a trail experience or if you just want a pic you can ho the south entrance. Plenty of parking and the rock it self is visible right from parking spot.
This was a nice hike, and the rock truly looks like a weathered skull missing part of its head. If you enter through Discovery Trail, you can skip the whole hike and just go straight to the Skull Rock
Fun, but crowded area. The skull rock is the main feature to see, but there are a lot of easy trails in the area to see different rock and plant features.
Trail conditions & character
“Plenty of parking and the rock it self is visible right from parking spot.”
Plan your run at Skull Rock Nature Trail
The practical stuff
- AccessHours vary — hours are not posted for this trail, so check before an early or late run
- Loop distance2 mi back to where you parked
- ShadeNot reported. Assume some of it is exposed and carry water in summer.
- At the trailheadparking — reported by runners
- Trail mapOfficial trail map
- Websitetrailspotting.com
- Social Facebook
Running trails near Twentynine Palms
Other trails within easy driving distance — useful when this one is flooded, gated, or just not the run you had in mind today.
Skull Rock Trail
4.6 ★★★★★ 3,287 reviews
Skull-shaped desert granite rock formation with 2 depressions like eye sockets created by erosion.
Discovery Trail
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Popular 0.7-mi loop connected to the Skull Rock Nature Trail, with brief rocky & steep sections.
Split Rock Loop Trail
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Gentle 2-mile circuit in a boulder field with picturesque rock formations & colorful desert plants.
Arch Rock Nature Trail
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Gentle hike through a boulder-strewn desert landscape to the Arch Rock granite formation.
Cap Rock
4.8 ★★★★★ 801 reviews
Short trail through desert scrub dotted with Joshua & juniper trees, plus huge monzogranite rocks.