Joshua Tree National Park travel guide

Catch the sunrise at Keys View

From 5,185 feet up on the Little San Bernardino range, the whole Coachella Valley opens up below, with the San Andreas Fault, Mount San Jacinto and, on a clear morning, the Salton Sea. Sunset draws the crowds, but sunrise is quieter, and it was one of my favourite moments of the trip.

Walk to Arch Rock and Heart Rock

A short, almost flat loop from the Twin Tanks car park leads to a 30-foot granite arch tucked into a maze of smooth boulders. I timed it for about 4pm, when the rock glows orange, then took the signed spur to Heart Rock. My Arch Rock guide has the route.

See Skull Rock from the trail

It sits right by the road, but the 1.7-mile loop from Jumbo Rocks Campground, which I walked, gets you there through the boulders and away from the roadside scrum. My Skull Rock guide covers parking and timing.

Loop around Hidden Valley

A gentle mile-long loop inside a ring of rock walls, said to have hidden stolen cattle, with climbers on the cliffs and a shady picnic area at the start. Read my Hidden Valley guide before you go.

Wander through the Cholla Cactus Garden

A quarter-mile boardwalk and gravel loop through thousands of teddy bear cholla, off Pinto Basin Road. I went in the afternoon, and as the sun dropped, every spine began to glow. Look, but don’t touch.

Chase golden hour among the Joshua trees

In the last hour of daylight, the trees and grasses of Queen Valley and Lost Horse Valley turn gold and the boulders blush pink, so pull over anywhere along Park Boulevard and wait for the light.

Hike the trails

Barker Dam, the palm oasis at Fortynine Palms and the climb up Ryan Mountain are three of the best known, and my Joshua Tree hikes guide covers 16 trails in detail.

Stay up for the stars

The park won International Dark Sky Park status in 2017, and it never closes, so you can drive out after dinner. I stargazed here too: head east, far from the lights of Palm Springs and the valley towns, for the blackest skies.

Joshua Tree in a day from Palm Springs

One day

Keys View at sunrise, Hidden Valley, Skull Rock, Arch Rock and Heart Rock, then golden hour at the Cholla Cactus Garden

Allow an hour and a half from Palm Springs to Keys View; head home via the South Entrance and the I-10.

Three days in Joshua Tree

Three days

Boulders and cholla, then a summit and a gold mine, then Black Rock Canyon and the Integratron

My 3-day itinerary takes the park one corner at a time.

The Southern California desert loop

Around ten days

Los Angeles to Death Valley, on to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, and down to San Diego

My own route in November; for the other stops, see my Death Valley guide and things to do in Palm Springs.

The High View Nature Trail

A loop of 1.4 miles up onto a ridge in Black Rock Canyon, the park’s north-west corner above Yucca Valley. I loved it: huge views and hardly another soul on it.

Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum

Ten acres of sculptures made from scrap, from old televisions to toilets, a few miles north of the town of Joshua Tree. Entry is free, and it’s open every day in daylight hours.

The Integratron

A white dome in Landers, half an hour north of Yucca Valley, built from 1954 by a man who said the plans came from Venus. Book ahead for one of its sound baths.

The entry pass covers nearly everything inside the park, so fuel and beds are the real costs.

• Seven-day entry: $30 a car, $25 a motorbike, or $15 a person arriving on foot or by bike
• Joshua Tree annual pass: $55
• America the Beautiful annual pass (all national parks): $80 if you live in the US, $250 if you don’t
• Campsites: $25 to $35 a night

Safety

Summer storms can send flash floods down washes and across roads, so keep out of narrow canyons when rain threatens. Stay back from the fenced mine shafts, never climb the Joshua trees, and watch your hands when scrambling: rattlesnakes shelter in the rocks.

Health

Heat and dehydration are the main risks, even on short walks: drink often, rest in the shade and save longer hikes for the mornings. If a cholla segment catches you, flick it off with a comb, not your fingers. Winter nights bring frost to the higher west of the park.

Tipping

At sit-down restaurants, tip 18% to 22% of the bill; at bars, US$1 to US$2 a drink; and for guides and drivers, around 15% to 20%.

Tips for travelling

• Stock up before you drive in: there’s no fuel, food or shop anywhere in the park, and you’ll lose signal for long stretches, so download offline maps or the NPS app first.
• Bring a card: the West and North entrance stations don’t take cash (the visitor centres do).
• Check the NPS closures map the day before. The Cholla Cactus Garden loop closed for trail work for part of 2026, and the Geology Tour Road shut after flooding in October 2026.
• Go early or late: the small car parks at Arch Rock, Skull Rock and Hidden Valley fill by mid-morning.
• Flying in from the UK or another Visa Waiver country? Apply for your ESTA (US$40.27) well before you travel.

How to see the best for free

The entrance fee covers almost everything: every viewpoint, trail, boulder pile and cactus garden, with no timed tickets and no charge to stay after dark, as the park never closes. Ranger walks and night sky talks are free too (see the visitor centre noticeboards); the one paid extra is the Keys Desert Queen Ranch tour. Outside the gates, the Noah Purifoy art museum costs nothing.

Packing

Packing for Joshua Tree? Don’t forget…

• A large water bottle: there’s no drinking water on the trails and only two campgrounds have taps, so fill up before you drive in.
• A sun hat and high-factor sunscreen: shade is scarce once you leave the boulders.
• Closed-toe shoes with a grippy sole: for the granite, and to keep cholla spines out of your feet. I wear my Tropicfeel Canyons.
• Layers: for sunrise at Keys View and cold desert nights.

Travel insurance

US medical care is expensive and the trails are far from a hospital, so make sure your policy covers US medical bills and emergency rescue in full, and check your car hire cover for dirt roads. You can find a policy with AXA Travel Insurance.

Suggested guidebooks

• Moon Joshua Tree & Palm Springs

Interesting facts

• The Joshua tree isn’t a tree at all but a giant yucca, and it grows wild only in the Mojave Desert.
• The park was created as a national monument in 1936 and became a national park in 1994.
• Its granite holds more than 8,000 climbing routes, which makes it one of the best-known climbing areas in the world.

Time zone

The park runs on Pacific Time, like Los Angeles and Palm Springs: UTC-8 in winter and UTC-7 during daylight saving time (March to November), so usually eight hours behind the UK.

Electricity and adapters

US sockets take Type A and B plugs (120V, 60Hz).