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Just Ahead’s Joshua Tree Trip Planner

Welcome to Just Ahead’s Joshua Tree Trip Planner—our guide to everything you need to know to plan your trip to Joshua Tree National Park. Click here to see the complete series, and be sure to download our Just Ahead smartphone audio tour of Joshua Tree before you head to the park.

What do you need to know to plan a trip to Joshua Tree National Park? We happen to be experts on this topic, as we’ve been visiting the park regularly for decades. And we’ve been venturing out there a lot lately to research, write, test, and double-check our Just Ahead tour of Joshua Tree National Park.

Joshua Tree is easy to get to, easy to drive through, and always a pleasure to visit, especially with Just Ahead’s narrated audio tour playing on your smartphone.

But it is also a remote desert area. That’s what makes it a compelling place to visit. But at the same time, a visit to Joshua Tree requires smart planning. So it helps to have an insider’s take on trip preparation, where to stay, where to camp, and so on.

Joshua Tree National Park

A visit to rugged, wild Joshua Tree National Park requires some simple advance planning. NPS photo/Robb Hannawacker

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When Should I Visit Joshua Tree?

This post is part of Just Ahead’s Joshua Tree Trip Planner—our guide to everything you need to know to plan your trip to Joshua Tree National Park. Click here to see the complete series, and be sure to download our Just Ahead smartphone audio tour of Joshua Tree before you head to the park

When to visit Joshua Tree National Park? Anytime! Joshua Tree National Park is a year-round destination with four distinct seasons. Always come prepared for the unexpected. Weather in the desert can be fickle.

Wildflowers in the desert

Spring wildflowers in Joshua Tree National Park? Actually, this is September. A summer of occasionally heavy thunderstorms laid a carpet of chinchweed on the desert floor.

Spring—March through mid-May—brings delightful weather, with warm sunny days and cool nights, as well as carpets of wildflowers. It’s the most popular time of year in the park. If you’re visiting the park on a weekend be sure to arrive early on Friday—or even  Thursday—to get one of the first-come, first-served campsites. Or you can reserve ahead at www.recreation.gov.

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How Much Time Should I Spend in Joshua Tree?

This post is part of Just Ahead’s Joshua Tree Trip Planner—our guide to everything you need to know to plan your trip to Joshua Tree National Park. Click here to see the complete series, and be sure to download our Just Ahead smartphone audio tour of Joshua Tree before you head to the park.

How much time do you need to spend in Joshua Tree National Park? If you only want to see it from your car window, you can cover the park’s major roads in three or four hours. You’ll certainly get a sense of the park, especially if you have Just Ahead along for the ride. Remember, Just Ahead is our smartphone app that provides a narrated audio tour of the park. But if you can, allow time to get out and explore a bit.

South Astrodome, Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree is great for a drive, but allow time to explore on foot, too. NPS photo/Robb Hannawacker

One Full Day

If you have a full day to visit the park, arrive early in the morning and stay at least till dusk. That way you can either . . .

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How Do I Prepare for a Trip to Joshua Tree?

This post is part of Just Ahead’s Joshua Tree Trip Planner—our guide to everything you need to know to plan your trip to Joshua Tree National Park. Click here to see the complete series, and be sure to download our Just Ahead smartphone audio tour of Joshua Tree before you head to the park.

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Joshua Tree is a remote desert park. You’ll be far from any services most of your time in the park, even though its northern fringe is near small towns. So to prepare for a trip to Joshua Tree, it’s wise to plan for these issues:

Dehydration

You lose moisture from your body in the dry desert air no matter what the temperature is or how active you are, which is why dehydration is a year-round concern. The solution is simple, of course—carry and drink plenty of water. Drink regularly, even if you’re not thirsty. You’ll need at least a gallon per person per day—twice that if you plan to bike, hike, or climb. Carry water with you whenever you leave the car. Remember, water is available only at Black Rock, Cottonwood, and at the Indian Cove ranger station, so stock up before you venture into the heart of the park.

Lost Horse Valley, Joshua Tree National Park

A daypack filled with water and food, plus a sunhat and sunscreen, are must-haves on even a short walk in Joshua Tree. NPS photo/Robb Hannawacker

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How Do I Get to Joshua Tree?

This post is part of Just Ahead’s Joshua Tree Trip Planner—our guide to everything you need to know to plan your trip to Joshua Tree National Park. Click here to see the complete series, and be sure to download our Just Ahead smartphone audio tour of Joshua Tree before you head to the park.

The best way to get to Joshua Tree National Park is by car. Park entrances and park roads are not easily served by mass transit, and the park does not run shuttle buses. Here are estimates of driving time from common locations:

  • Los Angeles or San Diego: 3 hours
  • Las Vegas: 4 hours
  • Phoenix: 4½ hours
  • Death Valley National Park: 4½ hours
  • Yosemite National Park: 6 hours
  • Grand Canyon National Park: 6 hours
  • San Francisco: 8 hours
West Visitor Center, Joshua Tree National Park

Three entrances have nearby visitor centers where travelers can get oriented: West (shown), North, and South. NPS photo

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Where Should I Camp in Joshua Tree?

This post is part of Just Ahead’s Joshua Tree Trip Planner—our guide to everything you need to know to plan your trip to Joshua Tree National Park. Click here to see the complete series, and be sure to download our Just Ahead smartphone audio tour of Joshua Tree before you head to the park.

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There’s nothing like spending a night or two in Joshua Tree National Park.

The nearby motels and inns are fine (click here for advice about where to stay), but they’re not in the park. And nighttime in Joshua Tree is special. The sky is almost always clear, so the star show is dazzling, particularly in the campgrounds farthest away from the glow of city lights: Belle, White Tank, and Cottonwood Spring. No matter where you camp, sunset and sunrise are almost always dramatic. You’re likely to hear coyotes yipping and howling at night, and you’ll wake up to the dawn chorus of singing birds.

Jumbo Rocks Campground, Joshua Tree National Park

Massive boulders frame campsites in Jumbo Rocks Campground. NPS photo

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Where Should I Stay Near Joshua Tree?

This post is part of Just Ahead’s Joshua Tree Trip Planner—our guide to everything you need to know to plan your trip to Joshua Tree National Park. Click here to see the complete series, and be sure to download our Just Ahead smartphone audio tour of Joshua Tree before you head to the park.

Much as we love camping in Joshua Tree National Park, sometimes a roof and creature comforts are in order. The towns near and adjacent to the park offer everything from inns with character to traditional motels to quirky joints that don’t fall into any category.

We don’t endorse any places in particular, but a few local lodgings are notably famous:

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What Are the 10 Best Sights in Joshua Tree?

This post is part of Just Ahead’s Joshua Tree Trip Planner—our guide to everything you need to know to plan your trip to Joshua Tree National Park. Click here to see the complete series, and be sure to download our Just Ahead smartphone audio tour of Joshua Tree before you head to the park.

Naming the top 10 best sights in Joshua Tree National Park is like naming your favorite child, because we love every sandy, rocky, scrubby, wildflowery acre of Joshua Tree. But here we go anyway: a selection of our favorite places described in the Just Ahead tour of Joshua Tree National Park. Note: These are not in any particular order. Because remember, we love them all.

 

Barker Dam/Keys Lake, Joshua Tree National Park

Summer or winter rains bring an ephemeral lake to Joshua Tree at Barker Dam.

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