It's a little unnerving to walk around beneath Cap Rock - a huge, flat boulder precariously perched on top of another giant mound of monzogranite - making it look like the mound is wearing a newsboy cap lol! It really does look like it could come tumbling down at any moment!
But it's definitely worth the stop while in the park - easily accessible right off one of the main roads with lots of paved parking, picnic tables, and even BBQ grills. I'd even go so far as to say parts of this trail are possibly handicap accessible with the right equipment.
There's a very short 0.4 mile trail around the rock itself so if you're hiking, it's not a terribly long trail. But you can do some boulder scrambling and it's a very popular rock climbing spot so you can spend more time here depending on your interests. There are numerous monzogranite formations in the area and the rock itself is quite lovely - with a slight pinkish appearance in certain light.
The little trail is flat and sandy. You'll be surrounded by Joshua Trees and various species of cacti which was very interesting. Apparently in the spring there are lots of wildflowers too. Definitely one of the better spots in the park to explore the Joshua Trees!
There's also a bit of creepy history at the rock - a singer/songwriter from the 60s/70s, Gram Parsons, made a vow with one of his friends that if either of them died, the other would take their body out to Joshua Tree and burn it after one last drink. And supposedly after Parsons passed away, this friend and his other buddies stole Parsons' body from the airport prior to the remains being flown back to New Orleans, and as promised, they drove out to the desert, pulled off at Cap Rock, and did just that :-o read more