Joshua Tree National Park (JTNP), named for the native Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia), spans two desert ecosystems, the Mojave Desert to the north and Colorado Desert to the south. This park is nearly 800,000 acres, characterized by rugged rock formations and stark desert landscape, a truly one-of-a-kind desert wonderland.
Best Time to Visit
The best time to visit would be Spring and Autumn, when the climate temperatures are tolerable. With much of the park between 2,000 feet and 4,000 feet above sea level, the combination of the dry climate and elevation means dry, sweltering hot summers and chilly, sometimes snowy, winters. Ample sunscreen (even in the winter) and drinking water is essential for this trip. Regardless of what season you choose to visit JTNP, it is important to note that day and night temperatures can vary up to 30 degrees or more. A good layering system will be beneficial and allow you to feel comfortable throughout the day as the temperature drops.
Getting There
There are three entrances going into the park. The most popular is the west entrance in the town of Joshua Tree. During the busy season (October-May), you can expect delays and longer waits. I prefer the north entrance in Twentynine Palms (29 Palms) because there is less traffic. I booked our Airbnb in Twentynine Palms for this convenience. Lastly, there is the more remote south entrance near Chiriaco Summit off of Interstate 10 (I-10).
There are two main roads within the park: Park Boulevard connecting Joshua Tree to Twentynine Palms and Pinto Basin Road intersecting Park Boulevard, running south toward I-10. There are a few smaller paved roads and unpaved backcountry roads for those who have 4-wheel-drive vehicles. Most of the sights and hiking trails are off of Park Boulevard, with a few spots on Pinto Basin Road.
Where to Stay
The only accommodations within the park are the National Park Service run campgrounds, which are available Fall through Spring. The campsites are between $15-$25 and sell out months in advance, sometimes booked up within minutes of becoming available for booking online. The smaller campgrounds are available on a first come first serve basis. So if camping is your thing, make sure to book early or arrive earlier in the week for the first come first serve sites to secure a spot.
The best places to stay are the small towns to the north (29 Palms) and west (Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley, Pioneertown) of the park entrances. Staying closer to the park will allow you to spend more time exploring within the park. If you're only looking to do a day trip to JTNP, you can plan your stay in a bigger city like Palm Springs, about 45-55 minutes away. I booked a charming Airbnb, 29 Casita, in 29 Palms, with lovely ambience and desert boho vibes. The crazy thing is that I turned 29 on this trip! It was totally unintentional, I swear. I'm taking this as a sign that 29 will be a pretty good year for me.
Another great accommodation is this Minimalist Modern Cabin in Yucca Valley. The clear walls that wrap around the cabin give way to the best uninhibited views, sun-up to sun-down. This place is a rare find on Airbnb and books out for months, so keep that in mind if you want to stay in this breathtaking paradise with amazing views.
Photos courtesy of Airbnb | Minimalist Modern Cabin
Itinerary
Day One:
We flew into Los Angeles early on a Friday to get the most out of the day. The best way to get around for this trip is by car. Car rentals can be quite expensive in LAX, so I did some price comparisons with multiple companies and found that Dollar and Budget had the most competitive prices. It will vary from time to time, so I recommend doing your own research before committing and booking with one car rental company.
The first thing we did was stop at In-N-Out to grab a quick bite because we're from Michigan, and we needed our fix.
Once we arrived at JTNP, we drove into the park to familiarize ourselves with where things are and do a little hike prior to checking into our Airbnb.
The one-mile Hidden Valley Trail was the perfect loop around the small valley that is primarily enclosed from the outside with towering boulders and the rocky landscape of Joshua Tree. This easy trail is the perfect introduction to this desert gem.
After soaking in the California sun and relaxing a bit at our Airbnb , we got ready and went out to explore the town of Joshua Tree before grabbing dinner to-go for sunset in the park. We picked up a pie (pizza) and garlic cheese bread from Pie for the People!, a local favorite.
A great spot for viewing the sunset without worrying about hiking back in the dark is Keys View. A 20-minute drive up Keys View Road, past massive juniper trees, leads you to amazing views of the sun setting over Coachella Valley and San Jacinto Mountains. Prepare for large crowds and packed parking lots. This is one of the most popular sunset spots in Joshua Tree, so it gets extremely crowded. Get there early!
Day Two:
Get an early start to catch the sunrise in Cholla Cactus Garden. Before doing so, make sure to stop at Jelly Donut right outside of the park entrance, to get some fresh donuts and coffee.
The 0.25 mile Cholla Cactus Garden Nature Trail is a loop that takes you through nearly 10 acres of beautiful landscape dominated by the teddybear cholla, not to be confused with its close relative, the jumping cholla. These are a one-of-a-kind sight because this unusual stand of cacti is not widespread throughout the park. In fact, there are very few teddybear cholla stands in the park. They're called teddybear cholla because of its extremely close and fine spines, giving it an almost fuzzy and cute appearance, but it's important to note that that's not the case at all. The stem-joints can easily detach and latch onto you due to the minuscule barbs on the spines. It can be extremely painful to remove.
Arch Rock Nature Trail is an easy 1.2 mile out and back trail with an option to take an unmarked trail (about 0.4 mile)out to Heart Rock. If you're a climber, there are many bouldering and scrambling opportunities along this trail. This is a popular hike and can get very busy on the weekends.
If you're looking for something more challenging, make sure to check out Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail, a 3.1 mile out and back trail. Make sure to bring enough water to stay hydrated because this trail, like many others in the park, has little to no shade. The trail does get rocky and stairs are involved, but the views along the way and the palm-fringed oasis at the end are well worth it.
Day Three:
Sunrise hike! Today, we got up early and packed a breakfast for on-the-go. The Ryan Mountain Trail is a moderate 2.9 mile round trip hike with 1,050 feet elevation gain. At the top, you will be rewarded with breathtaking panoramic views of the Joshua Tree forests and rock formations that make this park so unique. The best part of a sunrise hike is that we were able to enjoy the hike and take in the views without the intense desert sun and heat. There is no shade on this trail, so it is to your advantage to get up and down the mountain before it gets too hot.
After a successful sunrise hike, we picked up coffee from Joshua Tree Coffee Company. They use high quality organic coffee beans and do small batch roasting. The coffee is some of the best I've ever had. I even ordered some beans from their website when I got home. We grabbed tacos for lunch at Mexican Street Tacos before hitting the road.
We spent one night in L.A. before flying home. If you have time, I highly recommend exploring Los Angeles and checking out the sights, attractions, and diverse foods.
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