Popular destination, perched on the crest of the Little San Bernardino Mountains, provides panoramic views of the Coachella Valley
How to Get There
From Joshua Tree Visitor Center (16 mi): Drive south on Park Blvd for about 5 miles to the West Entrance, continue 8.9 miles, then turn right onto Keys View Road and follow it for approximately 2.5 miles until it ends at the Keys View lookout point.
Overview
This popular destination, perched on the crest of the Little San Bernardino Mountains, provides panoramic views of the Coachella Valley and is well worth the 20-minute drive from Park Boulevard down Keys View Road.
The lookout is wheelchair accessible, or take the .2-mile-loop trail up the ridge for especially nice views. Look for the shining surface of the Salton Sea, which is 230 feet below sea level, on the far left. Looking to the right, the Santa Rosa Mountains are behind Indio and, along with 10,800-foot San Jacinto Peak behind Palm Springs, form the high points of the Peninsular Ranges. Further right, the usually snow-covered peak of 11,500-foot San Gorgonio Mountain is clearly visable.
San Andreas Fault
The southwest side of the ridge drops nearly a mile in elevation into the Coachella Valley. The infamous San Andreas Fault, stretching 700 miles from the Gulf of California to the Mendocino Coast north of San Francisco, runs through the valley and can be seen below.
This article uses material from nps.gov"Joshua Tree"
