Inspiration Peak is a quick out-and-back that not only escapes the crowds at popular, drivable Keys View, but also provides better vistas of Joshua Tree National Park and its surrounding mountains.
* Note: This peak may also be referred to as Inspiration Mountain in some maps and guide books.
“Industrial tourism is a threat to the national parks. But the chief victims of the system are the motorized tourists. They are being robbed and robbing themselves. So long as they are unwilling to crawl out of their cars they will not discover the treasures of the national parks and will never escape the stress and turmoil of the urban-suburban complexes which they had hoped, presumably, to leave behind for a while.” – Edward Abbey
In National Parks, there are certain places that are known as automobile hotspots – and in Joshua Tree, Keys View might be the most popular. It’s the highest elevation in the park that you can get to without getting your shoes dirty – and with its ample parking and sloped cement sidewalks it’s always a popular spot.
In many cases, those crowds of tourists can keep you away from popular corners of the Parks – but the actual view from Keys View can be stunning. If the air is clear, you can see the San Bernardinos to the west, Mount San Jacinto to the southwest, and south past the Salton Sea and into northern Mexico.
Luckily for hikers, there is a short trail that leaves the crowded parking lot at Keys View and takes you to an actual peak with even better views than the motorized tourists get.
If you make it to Inspiration, not only will you be rewarded with similarly spectacular views of the Salton Sea and San Jacinto …
… but you’ll also get sweeping vistas of the park’s interior, which is not visible from Keys View. Here’s distant Queen Mountain (on the left) and Ryan Mountain – an excellent hike in the center of the park – in the foreground.
Tags: Hiking, Inspiration Peak, Joshua Tree National Park, Trail Write-Ups
