Your Travel Guide to Joshua Tree National Park
One of the more underrated national parks in the United States, Joshua Tree is one of the quietest yet coolest places to visit. Nestled outside Palm Springs, the desert park is famous for it’s – you guessed it – the Joshua Tree. While this isn’t the only place these trees exist, this is where they live in the most abundance and are truly the character marker for this park.
Planning a Stay in Joshua Tree
Where to stay? Some of the most popular accommodations for Joshua Tree are AutoCamp, Air BnBs, and local hotels/motels. I recommend staying in AutoCamp if you are 2 people and opting for an Air BnB if you are a larger group.
How many days are needed? I would recommend staying one night, two days in Joshua tree. The park is on the smaller side so it is more than doable to see everything and get a good hike in within a weekend. I strongly encourage staying at least one night to experience the star gazing from the Park.
How much is the entrance fee? The entrance fee into the park is $30 for a private vehicle holding less than 16 people. This will remain active for 7 days.
Is there cell-service in the park? No! There is no service or wifi in the park so make sure to prep for this beforehand whether that’s telling family you’ll be offline or preparing to read a paper map!
The Top Things to Do In Joshua Tree
Hidden Valley Loop
This is a 1-mile, easy-rated loop trail close to the entrance of the park. You talk through numerous rock formations with trails paved on rocks themselves. We were most amazed by the absolute silence we heard on this trail – we were so far from any street noise and each sound of our steps bounced off the rocks.
Barker Dam trail
This is a 1.1 mile loop trail that takes you through beautiful landscape, rock formations, and ultimately leads you to a small lake reservoir. Note that the water here dries up during Summer months so don’t keep looking for the lake if you’re there in August like we did (but it did made for a good laugh when we realized the “puddle” we had passed 3 times was the lake we were looking for all along).
Skull Rock and Split rock
Arch Rock and trailhead
Arch rock is exactly what you might imagine – a rock formation in the shape of an arch. This is a short, easy hike from the Twin Tanks Parking Lot along the Arch Rock Trail. If you hike in the Summer, just beware there is no shade and it can become extremely hot after lunchtime.
Cholla Cactus Garden
Cholla Cactus Garden is one of the further stops to head to as you need to drive about 30 minutes into the park from the visitor center. This will bring you to the western edge of the Colorado Desert which has created the ideal habitat for these cacti. There is a quarter-mile garden trail here to walk through the garden that is extremely family-friendly. Just beware that brushing against any of the Cholla can lead them to quickly lodge into you.
Keys ranch
Keys Ranch is a community of small buildings built between 1910 and 1964 to honor the early settlers in the area before becoming a national park. This can only be visited with a ranger as part of a guided tour that lasts around two hours. Reservations open up 60 days in advance so be sure to book this before coming to the park! Pricing is $10 for adults (12+) and $5 for kids (6-11).
Keys View
Keys View is a 20-minute drive up from the main road in Joshua tree which offers a panoramic view of Coachella valley. You’ll also be able to see the San Andreas Fault running through the valley floor. Note that this wheelchair accessible and has a designated parking lot at the top; no hiking required.
Star Gazing
Last, but certainly not least, if you are staying the night in Joshua tree you must look up at the night sky once the sun sets. This is one of the best views of the stars as the minimal light pollution allows for clear sightings of our constellations.