Joshua Tree National Park
Where two deserts meet
Welcome to Joshua Tree National Park! One of the NINE National Parks here in California. This guide will give you an overview of the Park, some things to do, where to see the famous Joshua Trees and of course star gazing and sunsets 101! Joshua Tree, California is known for its special energy and quirky town, and this park will defiantly show you why!
Visiting Joshua Tree National Park has been high on my list since the early days of Instagram! Seeing these goofy beautiful trees reminded me of something straight from a Dr. Seuss Book. My mom planned an amazing Trip to Palm Springs for her 60th Birthday and we knew it was the perfect opportunity to check the park off our list!
The Basics:
I am a big fan of the more you know before you go! Here are a few basics about the park…
Hours of Operation: ALWAYS! Joshua Tree is one of the special parks open 24/7 three hundred sixty five days a year.
How Much Does It Cost: $30 per vehicle
Can I Bring My Pup? Unfortunately dogs are not allowed on the trails of Joshua Tree
Where should I enter?
Something super fun about Joshua Tree National Park is the THREE park entrances! The entrance you choose will really be based upon the direction you are coming from, and your plan for the park that day!
Joshua Tree Visitors Center: This is the first Visitors Center when driving from Palm Springs. Here you can shop, chat with Rangers, purchase a park pass and get park information. This is the best spot to enter to do get quick access to the trails and view points.
Joshua Tree National Park Visitors Center: This visitors center will lead you to the North Entrance. It is located pretty centrally downtown and might fool you for being a visitors center! It truly is located between other shops. Here you can shop, get information about the parks but you cannot purchase a park pass, you will have to do that at the North Entrance gate!
Cotton Wood Visitors Center: This is the southern most entrance and would make the most sense to enter if are driving in from Arizona or Coachella. Here you can shop the store, chat with a ranger, use facilities, and purchase and entrance pass. If you are looking to see the park in its entirety then it might be a good idea to enter here so you can then drive the entire park once! If you enter through the other two you will be driving the same road twice to get down to the cotton wood area.
Cholla Cactus Garden
Welcome to the land of fiction!! These little cactus trees stole my heart as being my new favorite desert plant. This little area is tucked in the basin of the mountains and provide the perfect living conditions for these plants to thrive and multiply making it truly feel like a Cholla Garden! There is a 0.25 loop to walk around giving you epic vantage points of the cactus, mountains, and landscapes of the two deserts. Even though this was not the inspirtation for Dr. Seuss, it truly feels like stepping into one of his stories!
The garden is halfway between the North Entrance and the Cotton Wood Visitors Center Entrance. There is only one road so if you enter in the North just keep in mind you might have to double back on the road, unless you save it for the last stop and exit through the Cottonwood! We drove in the North, came here first, and then double backed up to skull rock and other stops.
PRO TIP: Please wear closed toe shoes and pay attention where your walking! These little guys leave lots of prickly buds behind and will stick to you in an instant if given the chance! So please stay on the path and stay alert to where you are stepping.
Hiking and Rock Climbing
One of the main highlights of Joshua Tree National Park besides the trees, is the epic rock formations. They provide some perfect conditions for rock climbers, camping, and hikes. The most famous formation is Skull Rock because it truly looks like the skull emoji face! You can almost see it from the road side, but to really take in its glory it is a 1.7 mile loop to the skull. If you are looking to rock climb here, check out the information you need to know before hand HERE! There is also a full list of hikes and descriptions broken down by difficulty from the National Park Service HERE!
where to see joshua trees?
Perhaps one of the best parts of the park is they are truly EVERYWHERE! You can be as simple as sitting in the car and drive through the park and I promise you will be oooing and ahhhing from your car window at all the amazing trees! Truly no two Joshua Trees are the same!
Driving along PARK BLVD in Joshua Tree National Park will be surly your best place to see the amazing trees. There are lots of areas to pull off, lots of trails to explore, and some of the campgrounds too! Be mindful you will have to obtain a reservation for the campgrounds, information on that HERE! Reservations can be made 6 months in advance and fill up quick!
If there are fences or signs to please keep of that area, please be mindful of this! There are lots of areas to explore but often times places are barricaded to protect the land and plants.
Best Place For Sunset
Truly anywhere in Joshua Tree National Park will be a good place for sunset because the desert sky always puts on a show! If you are willing to work for it the best spot in the Park is Keys View, which is about a 1.9 mile hike. But here you can see the sunset behind the mountains. The cactus gardens will also prove a pro vantage point for this as well! Other wise you may not see the sun actually setting behind the mountain tops but I promise the sky will do its thing. We opted to watch sunset at Joshua Tree Hemingway because you had a stunning view of the mountains as well as a field of Joshua trees. Watching there shadows come alive in the golden sun was a spectacular sight.
Sav’s Tips
Overall I felt pretty prepared for Joshua Tree based on prior research but I still learned some things/wished I prepared differently so here is what I gathered!
Bring your own snacks! There is no food inside the park, so eat before you enter and bring a few bites for the car and adventures! We opted to bring or own picnic sandwiches and snacked while the sun was setting!!
Bring lots of layers! One thing we didn’t think of was the drastic temperature changes! It can go from hot desert sun to freezing night sky in an instant. Especially if you plan on star gazing, bring the extra layers and blanket!
Plan your route before you go! First off always check out current conditions and closers on the NSP website before you go so you know your plan is doable. Next ensure you plan your route/day ahead of time based on what you want to do so you are not doubling back on driving and spending extra time in the car! Know what entrance to use and stops are where on the map!
Take your time to walk around and observe Joshua Tree! This area and park is known for its special energy and landscape. When I come back I want to do longer hikes to really dive deeper into the nature and scenery of Joshua Tree National Park!
As always check out the NSP pro tips before you go too!
Star Gazing In Joshua Tree National Park
Did you know that Joshua Tree National Park is an international Dark Sky!? This means it is one of the best places in the US to star gaze! The remoteness of the desert allows for some areas to have zero light pollution. My mom is big into star gazing so we knew we had to wait it out for the night sky! The first time I ever saw the Milky Way in its glory was in 2017 when we saw the Eclipse in Wyoming, so seeing it again here in Joshua Tree brought back all the feels. It truly brings out your inner kid looking at the star constellations and pointing out the Big Dipper and Orion’s Belt :)
The best places in the park is anywhere past the entrances haha! The four designated dark sky spots are Quail Springs, Hidden Valley, Cap Rock, and Ryan Mountain. However you can truly pull off at any lookout and see an amazing dark sky and Milky Way!
PRO TIP: Since you are in the middle of the desert, the desert night temperatures do not play! Ensure you have extra layers and blankets to stick it out in nightfall, and especially if you are camping. We did not pack layers so we were taking turns sitting in the car and stepping outside to stare. Our car had a sunroof and Nyla was on cloud nine standing up to see the stars!! Core memory.
where is it at?
Joshua Tree National Park is located in Joshua Tree, California. It is a popular day trip from Palm Springs, California. You must drive into this National Park and be mindful there is no gas stations inside the park.
This park will always hold a special place in my heart for two reasons, one because it was the first National Park as a family of four. Two because Nyla became a Junior Ranger here. They gave her a little badge and asked her if she could do two things: Not feed the animals and pick up our trash. She got a little booklet and it will forever be a core memory for her and us ♡
pin gallery
A perfect round up of the best things to do in Palm Springs, California! There is so much to see and explore in this amazing desert city. The people, design, and overall vibe make Palm Springs the wonderful place it is. This city will welcome people with arms wide open to experience life here.