7 Can’t Miss spots in Joshua Tree National Park
While Joshua Tree National Park is only 2 hours away from Los Angeles, it feels like a completely different world. We had the opportunity to check out this national park while on a Southern California road trip. You can see the entire park in a day, but I recommend taking your time and spreading it out over 2 days. These are the top spots you shouldn’t miss on your trip to Joshua Tree National Park.
When is the best time to go?
As this is the desert, the best time to go is during September-May. During the summer, it can be very hot and hard to do things outside. Like most national parks, the majority of things to do here are outside and you want to be able to enjoy your hikes.
Where to stay?
Joshua Tree National Park makes for a great day trip from Palm Springs. Palm Springs is about an hour away and there are plenty of hotels and AirBNBs to stay at as well as restaurants. There are also some campgrounds within the national park you can stay at as well.
How much time do you need at Joshua Tree National Park?
While you can see the entire national park within one day, consider making it a 2 days trip with seeing Joshua Tree in the morning and lounging by the pool in the afternoon when it tends to get hotter. When we were there, a storm came through in the afternoon and luckily we had another day to see everything. If you do plan on going on some of the longer hikes, then I would definitely recommend two days.
How to get to Joshua Tree National Park?
There are 3 different entrances for Joshua Tree National Park. We entered at the southern Cottonwood Springs Road entrance as we stayed in Palm Springs overnight. you can exit out of the west entrance and make your way back to Palm Springs in a circle.
How much does it cost?
It costs $30 for a 7 day pass to Joshua Tree National Park, but if you have the America the Beautiful Pass it is free. Although they do not stop all vehicles at the southern entrance, they will stop all vehicles at the northern entrance so make sure to have your pass ready. You can purchase your pass before you get there here or you can purchase it at the visitor center when you get there. It’s a good idea to stop at the visitors center as this is the last actual restroom you will see for awhile. There are trailhead restrooms scattered around the park.
Other things to know before you go:
There is no food or gas available within the park, make sure to plan ahead. This is a desert, so make sure to bring lots of water with you.
Be prepared for different weather. When we first got there, it was sunny and then turned into a rain storm. The weather can change fast and dress in layers especially if you are going to do a long hike.
Like most national parks, cell service is very spotty within the park. Make sure to pick up a map at the visitor center when you enter or download a map before you go.
I HIGHLY recommend downloading the GuideAlong App prior to going. It is a guided tour that goes off your gps of your phone. Even if you do not have cell service, it will still work to tell you all the important sights of this national park.
Things to do and see:
Drive the National Park
The best way to see the park is by driving the entirety. The southern end is part of the Colorado Desert and is home to the Yucca plant and Cholla Cacti. The northern end is part of the Mojave Desert and is where you will find the Joshua Trees and huge rock formations. There is one main road that goes the entirety of the park, if you enter the Cottonwood Springs Road entrance and exit out of the West Entrance you will be able to see the entire park.
Skull Rock
This is one of the most unique rock formations within the national park and is located right off the road. It is across the road from Jumbo Rocks Campground. Although it is right off the road, it is not visible from the road and you have to hike up the small hill to see it. To get the best picture, you have to climb up on the rocks across from Skull Rock.
Hidden Valley Nature Trail
This is around a 1 mile loop trail around a massive valley surrounded by boulders. It is a very popular hike, so be prepared for crowds if you are there midday. Try to get there early or late afternoon so it is not as busy. What makes this trail unique is that the valley is surrounded by rocks except for a small opening where the trail starts.
Key’s View
This is the highest point in Joshua Tree National Park and allows you to see the vastness of the desert and this park. To get to the top, it is about a 20 minute round trip drive, but is a good way to take a break in the air conditioning from all of the hikes.
Arch Rock and White Tank Campground
This is another interesting rock formation. In order to get to it, you have to walk about 0.5 mile from the White Tank Campground. There isn’t a specific trail, but multiple different paths to take. There are so many interesting things to see on this walk and it was fun trying to find the arch rock. We saw a lot of rabbits in this area so keep an eye out. The arch rock is on the right. Make sure to find the heart rock as well.
Cholla Cactus Garden
You will find that the southern part of Joshua Tree has more Cholla Cacti rather than the infamous Joshua Trees. This is a 1/3 mile garden trail that takes you through a garden of the Cholla cacti (nicknamed the teddy bear cactus).
Hall of Horrors
Hall of Horrors is another hiking trail that is a short 0.5 mile. This one was not as packed as the other trails which is one of the things that I liked about it. It was also unique as the trail takes you under and through many formations of rocks.
