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Summit

Malapai Hill

California

About

Malapai Hill is a summit of 4,273 feet in the Joshua Tree Wilderness, within Joshua Tree National Park in California. The National Park Service manages the land, and the nearest town is Indio Hills, about 11.5 miles away. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Yucca Valley show April highs around 73°F and October highs around 80°F, while July and August average about 96°F. The hill sits close to several climbing areas, including Geology Tour Road about 0.4 miles away and Lechlinski Crack Formation about 0.6 miles away. The Paac Kü̱vü̱hü̱’k Trail is about 1.2 miles off, and Sheep Pass Group campground is about 4.5 miles away.

Summit Facts

Summit elevation

4,273 ft

Land manager

National Park Service

Elevation from USGS 3D Elevation Program terrain data (about 10 m resolution).

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Location

Malapai Hill

California

Name and location: U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). Elevation: USGS 3D Elevation Program. View the GNIS record.

Facts about this place

When to go

Best time to go: Feb–May. The mildest months here, with typical highs of 61–82°F and lows of 39–52°F.

Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Yucca Valley, CA weather station, 22 mi away. High / low in °F.

  1. Jan58° high38° low
  2. Feb61° high39° low
  3. Mar67° high40° low
  4. Apr73° high46° low
  5. May82° high52° low
  6. Jun91° high59° low
  7. Jul96° high66° low
  8. Aug96° high68° low
  9. Sep89° high60° low
  10. Oct80° high50° low
  11. Nov66° high41° low
  12. Dec58° high34° low

The station sits about 1,000 ft lower than this spot, so expect it to run cooler up here.

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020

Where it is

Nearest town
Indio Hills, California · 12 mi
Managed by
National Park Service

Source: Wilderness.net boundaries; NPS Land Resources boundaries; USGS PAD-US 4.1; USGS GNIS populated places

Conditions

Active alerts for Joshua Tree National Park as of Oct 9, 2026:

Source: NPS Alerts API

Nearby

Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)