Of course, we expected to see the weird and wonderful trees in Joshua Tree National Park, but what we didn’t expect was the giant boulder and rock stacks that looked like aliens were trying to organize the landscape. This was our first real desert experience and it was a fascinating world where the Mojave and Colorado deserts converge.
There are some unique things to know about this national park that is about the size of Rhode Island and was established in 1936 by FDR:
You are welcome to stray off of most paths in JTNP and this sometimes makes it hard to know where the actual trails go. Make sure to have trail maps—at the very least take a photo of the NP trailhead map on your phone to reference as needed.
Unlike most NPs, there’s no water or food available inside the park, so make sure you bring water and snacks.
JTNP ranks 10th on the list of most visited national parks with 3 million visitors per year. The busiest season is spring when the desert is abloom. For our early May visit, we did see various blooms but in most cases, it was past peak bloom time. The benefit of our timing was that it wasn’t very busy in the park and temperatures were still fairly pleasant.
The one-hour drive from Palm Springs to the south entrance to JTNP is an opportunity to listen to a great podcast about the park with some great insights from a former park ranger, Jeff Ohlfs.
We spent 1-½ days in the park and for us, that felt like the right amount of time to get a good taste of what Joshua Tree has to offer. Of course, there are many longer hikes and so many great things to see, a longer visit during a cooler time of the year would be amazing.
We started the day driving from LA first thing in the morning and then spent a couple of hours in Palm Springs before reaching JTNP early afternoon. Being from Minnesota and just coming out of winter hibernation, we kept our hikes on the shorter side and luckily, there are plenty of options for short hikes when the sun is bearing down on you.
We entered through the south park entrance (Cottonwood Visitor Center) and made our way to the Cottonwood Spring Oasis. This is a very short walk to a grove of Fan Palms that encircle the lush vegetation around the spring. Entering this oasis “room” feels like a secret hideaway.
Our next stop was at the Cholla Cactus Garden. This area is otherworldly. Wondering amongst the fuzzy-looking cacti creatures is sure to delight. As I was filming a video and not looking to see where I was stepping, I ended up with a prickly Cholla ball stuck to the bottom of my shoe. My first instinct was to pull the spiky ball off my foot with my fingers but luckily I’d listened to the podcast that informed me the barbs on the Cholla Cactus are so small to see. DO NOT try to get the cactus spikes off with your fingers! I knocked the ball off and Mazzy helped by using rocks to pull out the remaining spikes in my shoe. I’m glad I didn’t need to use the pliers and instructions that were provided at the entrance to the path---but warnings for this area are real, so pay attention (unlike me!).
Located adjacent to the Pinto Basin Road, the Ocotillo Patch is worth a quick stop. The Ocotillo plant is a unique and unusual plant that transforms into a leafy green, orange-crowned flowering gem after it rains.
We continued the drive through the park and exited through the Twentynine Palms area, briefly considering a hike to Arch Rock, which is only a 1.2 miles out-and-back hike along the road just past the Ocotillo Patch--but we were feeling a bit tired from the heat and decided to forego and get to our Airbnb to hang out a bit.
On Day 2 in JTNP, we entered from the West Entrance Station and our first stop was in the Lost Horse Area, which was quite magical. Off the main road (Park Boulevard), take a right to the Lost Horse Ranger Station and then park in the immediate parking area. This area is popular with rock climbers, with Hemmingway’s Buttress, one of the longest formations in JTNP, and Banana Cracks, another named formation. We scampered about the rocks a little and discovered a lovely blooming cactus hidden in the shade of the boulders.
Scrambling around on the rocks in Joshua Tree is pretty fun. There are so many places to stop along the main road, just take your pick and explore the rocks. The quartz monzonite is very porous and rough and it's easy to maintain your grip as you climb around. The downside is that if you do happen to slip and scrap your leg against a rock face, you end up with a nasty road rash that stings quite a bit and is visible a month later!
The next stop is the popular, Hidden Valley. The one-mile loop circles a small valley surrounded by tall rock formations. The natural enclosure of the area made it attractive as a hideout for cattle rustlers. Although this is a short and easy hike, we still missed a turn and had to double back to try to find the right trail and path out. It’s a good example of how it’s sometimes hard to follow trails when everything looks like a trail in this park.
The highest viewpoint in JTNP is Keys View. This 20-minute diversion down Keys View Road offered the Coachella Valley panoramic views from a perch on the Little San Bernardino Mountains. When we arrived here it was extremely windy and quite chilly. Instead of having a picnic lunch outside, we ate our sandwiches in the car, then put on the fleece and held on to our hats to take the short stroll to the viewpoint.
Just to the east of Hidden Valley is the popular Barker Dam area hike. This is another easy 1.1-mile loop. The dam area was dry on our visit but still interesting to see the historic dam structure and old horse trough with interpretative signs along the way. There are rock art/pictographs visible towards the end of the hike.
The Jumbo Rocks campground looked very interesting and we decided to stop and explore this area by walking through the campsites, imagining which one would be best to stay at. We continued the hike to Skull Rock and then returned back on the north side of the road.
The last area we checked out was the hike to Fortynine Palms Oasis. This hike is accessed from Canyon Road in Twentynine Palms. Our timing was bad and we were just starting the hike during the hottest part of the day. We decided to just scramble up the initial ascent of the hike and get a panoramic overview. This 3-mile round-trip hike will have to be tackled on another trip!
Lodging and Dining near JTNP
We stayed in Yucca Valley at a very sweet Airbnb, a 1951 Spartanette camper- Silver Bell Bungalow. This was SUCH an incredible experience to be in this wonderful vintage camper, in the desert.
The Spartan Aircraft Company in Tulsa was founded in 1928 and switched to trailer coach manufacturing after WWII. These trailers were considered “the Cadillac” of trailers. The camper with riveted aluminum on the exterior was lined with stained and curved plywood on the inside. Featuring all the original appliances, fixtures, and bathroom- this vintage camper was in remarkably good shape and was just perfect for the two of us. The outdoor tarped “front porch”, chairs and fire table were well-used by used by us in the evenings. I highly recommend this unique Airbnb. But if you can’t get a coveted spot in this camper, there are many other unique glamping experiences in this area.
Pappy and Harriet’s is the classic dining choice in the area. Located in Pioneertown (living movie set with western storefronts), this place is always busy. Known for the mesquite barbeque and live music concerts- from Paul McCartney to Lizzo, this place brings in some serious talent! Arrive early to minimize the waiting time. They don’t take reservations.
Bottom line, Joshua Tree National Park is so much more than the trees. This area is a unique wonderful landscape with many places to explore. Although our trip to the park was only a small part of our California Road trip, this was truly a memorable experience.