Joshua Tree National Park

Camping and Hiking Guide

Joshua Tree

Have you ever seen the Milky Way so bright, it looks like a painter dipped his brush on the moon and smeared it across the sky? Thousands of trees so unique, it looks like they may be an alien species from another planet? Huge boulders piled so scatteredly, it looks like a giant baby got a hold of them?

If you haven't, you will in Joshua Tree.

It may be a desert, but it's not flat, boring, or ugly

Joshua Tree is a paradise for sightseers, stargazers, campers, hikers, and climbers. The Joshua Trees themselves look fascinatingly alien and big mountains of exposed boulders are scattered throughout the valley like piles of toy blocks. There's so much to see...there's abandoned gold rush era mills to explore, palm tree oasis' to cool off at, and hidden caves to take naps in.

Joshua Trees look otherworldly, and very similar to Dr. Seuss's Truffula Tree

Joshua Tree is a National Park located in both the Mojave Desert and Colorado Desert of Southern California. Joshua Tree was a national monument from 1936 until 1994. In 1994, Joshua Tree was designated as a national park after congress passed the California Desert Protection Act. Joshua Tree was switched from a national monument to a national park for good reason, it really is a gorgeous and special place.

What is a Joshua Tree, anyways? Scientifically known as Yucca brevifolia, Joshua Tree is a member of the Agave family. The Joshua Tree grows primarily in the Mojave Desert. American Indians used the Joshua Tree for baskets and sandals, and also ate the flowers and seeds. In the 19th century, Mormon immigrants found and named the tree after the biblical figure, Joshua. The outstretched limbs of the tree reminded them of arms guiding travelers west.

Joshua Trees can live for at least 150 years and can grow as tall as forty feet. Some of them have limbs, some don't. Some droop, some bend, and others twist. People sometimes compare a Joshua Tree to a Truffula out of Dr. Seuss's book, The Lorax. Overall, Joshua Trees are an important part of the Mojave Desert ecosystem. They provide shelter for birds, mammals, insects, and lizards.

Why visit Joshua Tree? Seeing pictures of Joshua Tree National Park beforehand don't do the park justice. I got a lot more from visiting Joshua Tree than I expected going in. Go and experience for yourself how beautiful a desert can actually be. There's no shortage of fun at Joshua Tree and I can safely say that you will leave wishing you had more time to see it all.

Planning and Preparing to Visit Joshua Tree

The best time to visit Joshua Tree: the seasons with the best weather to visit Joshua Tree from most popular to least are spring, fall, and winter. The winter can be very cold, so bring layers, but winter is still much more accommodating than summer can be. Summer is the least popular season because the desert heat is intense and can even be fatal if you're not prepared. The desert is unforgiving.

Wildflower viewing is popular in the spring. The Joshua Trees bloom beautiful white flowers. March, April, October, and November are the most popular months to visit and have an average high/low of 85°F and 50°F. It's more difficult to secure a campground during these months. We visited in early November and the weather was great.

Cholla Cactus Garden at Joshua Tree National Park

If you'd like to stay the night at Joshua Tree, you have several options:

Camping and Accommodations

There are nine established campgrounds in the park. If all the campgrounds are full, there is also overflow camping. Black Rock Campground, Indian Cove Campground, and Cottonwood Campground have water and flush toilets.

You can reserve spots at Black Rock Campground and Indian Cove Campground from October through May. Search for Black Rock and/or Indian Cove campgrounds by clicking here. All the other campgrounds are first-come, first-served. We stayed at Hidden Valley Campground and really recommend it, it was gorgeous. More information about camping in Joshua Tree can be found here.

Additional Accommodations:

Backpacking/Backcountry Camping
Airbnb's
Hotels
Rent an RV. (Read our reviews of Outdoorsy, RVshare, and RVezy to find out how to do it best.)

If you’re planning an RV trip around California or the US, check out our reviews of Boondockers Welcome and Harvest Hosts to learn about all the different spots you can spend the night for free.

Gear and Weather

Gear you should bring to Joshua Tree depends on the season. Bring layers for winter and shorts and a T-shirt for summer. Bring lots of water and water bottles or a Camelbak. Bring your camping and cooking gear. If you're a rock climber, bring your climbing gear and/or crash pad for bouldering. Don't forget to check the weather before your trip!

Camping and hiking packing checklist:

How to get to Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree NP
74485 National Park Dr.
Twentynine Palms, CA 92277-3597
(760) 367-5500
Website

Joshua Tree is a 3 hour drive from LA, San Diego, or Las Vegas, and 8 hours from San Francisco.

The closest airports to Joshua Tree are Palm Springs International (45 mins) and Ontario International (1 1/2 hours). Las Vegas, LAX, Burbank, Long Beach, and San Diogo Airports are all 2-3 hours away.

When driving to Joshua Tree, plug in the campground's name into your GPS and it'll take you straight there. If you don't have campground reservations and are not sure which campground you're staying at, plug in Hidden Valley Campground and go. Hidden Valley is one of the more beautiful and popular campgrounds, especially with climbers. Hidden Valley Campgrounds are surrounded by large, beautiful boulders and plentiful Joshua Trees.

If you're going on a busy weekend, leave early and plan to get there around the time people usually start waking up, about 7-10am, no later! Drive past people and if it looks like they might be packing up to leave, ask them and confirm they're not staying another night. If they say they're not, ask if you can have their campground. If that for some reasons fails and all the spots are full, you can also ask people with only one car in their parking space whether they're okay with sharing their campground and that you're willing to split the cost of the site with them. You can only have two cars per campsite. If all else fails, just drive to a different campground and repeat. We had about 20 people ask us per day if we can share our campground but we had to turn them away because we were already sharing with someone who had asked us earlier in the day.

Keep in mind the visitor center and city is about a 15-30 minute drive from the campgrounds, so get everything you need in the city before heading to your campground in the actual park. There are no amnesties in the park.

What to do in Joshua Tree

The best things to do at Joshua Tree are:

Backcountry Driving Roads - Requires high ground clearance 4x4
Hiking - Check out the 49 Palms Oasis Trail
Photography - There is an artists in residence program
Backpacking - 85% of the park is wilderness
Horseback Riding - Horses can stay at Ryan or Black Rock Campground
Birding - Over 250 species
Ranch Tours - Tickets required
Rock Climbing and Scrambling - Great winter practice area; thousands of named routes
Mountain Biking - And road biking
Stargazing - Go during the Night Sky Festival or the Perseid Meteor Shower
Wildflower Viewing - Joshua Trees bloom in the spring

Here's a link to a map of Joshua Tree National Park

Tips for Visiting Joshua Tree

Look for rabbits, big horn sheep, and roadrunners
The coyotes sometimes howl very loud at night (keep pets indoors)
Do not miss the opportunity to do the 49 Palms Oasis hike
Take pictures at Arch Rock or Skull Rock
Climbers can scramble their way up to the "Space Station" in Hidden Valley. It's a big round hole/cave carved in the cliff that you can chill in. The route starts on the rear left if you're facing the cave

Postcard courtesy of Shutterbug Sage

Visit Joshua Tree Today!

It's easy to see why so many people think Joshua Tree is special and why there is a vibrant arts and spirituality community surrounding the park. The scenery just really gets your brain waves flowing, you know? The colors and unique plants and rocks inspire creativeness and imagination.

It's difficult to leave the beauty and head back towards civilization. The concrete jungle that we call home becomes an unnatural disconnection of reality after visiting such a natural place like Joshua Tree. If you really enjoyed your time in the desert at Joshua Tree, consider visiting one of the other similar national parks nearby, like Zion National Park or Grand Canyon National Park.

Joshua Tree FAQ

Is one weekend enough to see everything in Joshua Tree?

We stayed at Joshua Tree for one weekend. We took the Friday off from work so we got there Friday morning and left Sunday afternoon. We personally felt like one weekend was enough to see a lot of great things at Joshua Tree. If you only have a couple days to spend at Joshua Tree, don't worry, you'll still have lots of fun.

Is Joshua Tree dog friendly?

Not really...pets aren't allowed more than 100 feet from any road, picnic area, or campground in the park. And they're strict about it. No pets are allowed on any trail, and they must be on a leash the entire time. Not the best place to go on a hike your pup! Especially with all the cactus and rocks. Our poor pup And if the weather is hot, you don't want to leave them in the car.

What is Joshua Tree named after?

In the mid-19th century, a group of Mormon settlers crossing the Mojave Desert named the unique trees Joshua Tree because their unique shape reminded them of the Biblical figure Joshua reaching his hands up to the heavens in prayer.