The vastness of the desert seems to go on for miles and miles in Joshua Tree National Park. Cacti, granite rocks, and Joshua Trees (shocker!) dot the landscape. With over 800,000 acres of protected land, you’d imagine it takes a few days to explore Joshua Tree, but the terrain of the park is predictable; it’s spiny tree after spiny tree with rocks scattered in between. After a day in Joshua Tree, you get the picture.
The repetitive and predictable nature of the desert doesn’t diminish its beauty — it makes it more peaceful. You can take a deep breath in the desert and not hear a single sound. The quietness of the park is what makes it so alluring to the over three million visitors that pass through every year.
The desert makes for a great winter weekend getaway. Your trip to Joshua Tree should be at least two days long, but you really only need one day to hit the highlights of the park.
In this guide, we’ll dive into an itinerary for exploring Joshua Tree National Park in one day.
Let’s get into it.
Arriving at the park
When you arrive at Joshua Tree, you’ll need to buy a day pass at the ranger station. It costs $30 per vehicle. The pass is valid for 7 days, so you can come and go as you please or split up this itinerary over a couple of days.
If you’re planning on visiting multiple national parks within the year, you can buy a yearly pass that will get you into any national park for $80. After paying for a pass, parking is free and abundant throughout the park.
As you drive through Joshua Tree, you’ll cover a lot of ground, seeing the desert landscape and distant mountains outside of your window, so blast the music and enjoy the drive.
Joshua Tree highlights
Cholla Cactus Garden Trail
The first stop will be the furthest point of your journey: the Cholla Cactus Garden Trail. This garden is popular for its unique teddy bear cactus. The cacti look so fuzzy you can hug them, but be warned. These cacti easily latch onto whoever gets too close to their needles.
The Cholla Cactus Garden Trail is a popular photo destination for sunrise and sunset because of the way the light plays on the needles of the cacti. Although the location has “trail” in the name. It’s not really a hike per se. You can pull up to the parking lot and walk among the cactus.
Arch Rock Nature Trail + Heart Rock
Next, you’ll climb granite rock formations at the Arch Rock Nature Trail near the White Tank Campground. From the parking lot, you’ll walk a trail to find various rock formations like Arch Rock and Heart Rock. The names of the rocks in the park are pretty self-explanatory.
Along the trail, you’ll walk through granite rock and Joshua trees. It’s the perfect place to frolic. The campground near the parking lot and rock formations is a great place to enjoy lunch.
ThatPlannerFriend Tip: Joshua Tree doesn’t have any food vendors or restaurants within the park, so pack snacks or a sandwich for lunch.
To find these two specific rock formations, follow the signs posted on the trail. An easy way to find them is by following other folks walking the trail. The trail is less than half a mile long, so you’ll eventually run into the formations if you stick to the course.
Skull Rock
The name of this rock formation gives it away, but Skull Rock is the most famous rock in Joshua Tree. Up close, the boulder looks like any other rock, but along the trail leading up to it, you can see that it looks like a human skull with eyes and a nose.
To visit Skull Rock, you’ll need to park on the side of the road and walk up to it.
More places to explore
Once you’ve seen these three areas of Joshua Tree, you will have gotten a taste of the beautiful landscapes of the park. If you’re looking for more places to see in the park, go here:
Keys View: This lookout point has incredible, panoramic views of the Coachella Valley. It’s a great spot to watch the sunset.
Hall of Horrors: A network of slot canyons where you can walk and squeeze between two walls of rocks.
Hidden Valley Nature Trail: An easy one-mile loop hike through rock formations and desert foliage.
Barker Dam: A one-mile loop to an old dam/reservoir. During the rainy season, there’s a reflection pool from the collected rainwater.
Planning your visit
When to go
Because of the dry desert climate, Joshua Tree is a great winter destination. During the day, the temperatures rise to 60 degrees, the perfect weather for exploring the desert. In the winter, temperatures drop to the 30s at night.
Regardless of the season, the desert gets cold at night and stays that way into the early morning. Pack layers to stay comfortable as the temperature changes.
Where to stay
Joshua Tree feels off the grid because it is. While there aren’t many hotels nearby, there are amazing Airbnbs tucked away in the desert. I’ve stayed here and here with big groups and enjoyed both locations.
The best places to stay are Joshua Tree Village or Twentynine Palms. Joshua Tree Village is closer to the west entrance, while Twentynine Palms is closer to the north entrance.
ThatPlannerFriend Tip: The grocery stores around Joshua Tree aren’t the best. You should stop on your drive at a grocery store to find everything you’re looking for during your stay.
If peace and quiet scare you, you can stay in downtown Palm Springs and drive an hour to the national park. Another option is staying in Indio and entering through the south entrance near the Coachella Valley.
Getting to Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree is theoretically a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Los Angeles, but LA traffic can turn it into a five-hour drive. If you’re planning to arrive by plane at LAX and drive, book a flight that lands early in the morning so you can beat rush hour traffic.
You can also fly in Palm Springs, but it will be more expensive. Regardless, you’ll need to rent a car to visit Joshua Tree. There is no public transportation within the park.
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