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Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park includes parts of both the Sonoran and Mojave deserts and is a playground of giant rock piles surrounded by its namesake Joshua Trees.

California

2012

About The Park

Joshua Tree National Park is named for the Joshua Trees which are native to the Mojave Desert. The name was given to them by the Mormon settlers who thought that the trees limbs looked like Joshua reaching toward the heavens.

The park is actually two deserts. There’s the ‘high desert’, the Mohave Desert with elevations greater than 3,000 feet (914 m), and the ‘low desert’, the Sonoran Desert with elevations below that and higher temperatures. These two deserts are virtually separated by the park road with the Hexie Mountains to the west and the Pinto Basin to the east.

The park covers 1235 mi.² and gets about 2.8 million visitors a year. It probably owes a lot of its visitation to its proximity to Los Angeles which is only 174 miles away. The desert resort town of Palm Springs, popular among the Hollywood elite for many years, is just outside the southwestern tip of the national park and about 50 miles from the south entrance.

Summertime temperatures in the area are frequently greater than 100°F on the average from June through September. Even May and October have averages above 90°F. The Mojave Desert is the driest desert in North America averaging less than 2 inches of precipitation a year.

The park is famous for its rock piles which were formed by volcanic activity. Erosion rounded the edges of these manzogranite rocks. It’s a very popular rock climbing destination even though there’s nothing higher than about 230 feet. The allure is that it allows climbers to do multiple climbs in one day.

It’s also known to amateur astronomers for its clear nights and excellent stargazing.

The town of Twentynine Palms is on the northern rim of the park and is where the Oasis visitor center is located. Adjacent to the city there is a small Indian reservation belonging to the Twentynine Palms Band of Mission Indians. About four miles north of the town is the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps base.

Some people might think that going to deserts doesn’t sound like a very exciting way to spend a vacation. When you visit these places you find out how beautiful and interesting they are. The southwestern deserts are not the Sahara with endless barren sand dunes. These deserts are full of life in their beautiful canyons, scenic valleys and, in the case of Joshua Tree National Park, huge piles of boulders. This is a park that I wouldn’t hesitate to go back to.

Wildlife

Desert bighorn, mule deer, coyotes, lynxes, bobcats, foxes, jack rabbits, lizards, toads, desert tortoises, rattlesnakes, scorpions, and black widow spiders.
There’s 250 species of birds including golden eagles and road runners.

Lodging

There is ample lodging in the towns of Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms on the north side of the park and the city of Palm Springs located near the southwestern corner of the park.

I stayed in a Holiday Inn express in Twentynine Palms. This was convenient for me since I was coming from Las Vegas and my next stop after Joshua Tree National Park was Death Valley National Park and this was the closest to that destination.

Hiking

Keep in mind that hiking in the Joshua Tree National Park is desert hiking. You will need to carry lots of water. Don’t get too hung up on how much it weighs. As you drink it the load will lighten. That’s an incentive to drink which is exactly what you need to be doing. The temperature in the summer often can reach 100°F (38 C) and dehydration is an ever present danger. Read this National Park Service page for Hiking In Joshua Tree National Park.

Ryan Mountain

Hiking to the top of this 5,456 foot high mountain is a 3-mile out-and-back hike. The Park Service calls it challenging. They also warn that you should not attempt this in the summer heat. I hiked it in mid-April and it was short sleeve weather and a really nice hike. I would rate it only as moderate plus due to the distance. This is one of the most popular hikes in the park so don’t expect to have the views at the top all to yourself.

Hidden Valley

This was an easy 1 mile loop to a boulder enclosed valley once rumored to be used by cattle rustlers.

Skull Rock

This was an easy 1.7 mile loop hike located near the Jumbo Rocks. There’s piles of boulders to climb over or wind your way in and out of. Skull Rock is an eroded piece of granite that from some angles does resemble a skull.

Fortynine Palms Oasis

This is a nice 3-mile out-and-back hike with a 300 foot elevation gain that, since it’s over a ridge, you’ll have the same ridge to climb on the way back. There was little shade until you get to the oasis. The Park Service advice is to avoid this hike on hot days.

Barker Dam

An easy 1 mile loop hike to a small reservoir which may not be there in the dry summer weather. It’s a good place to see desert bighorn sheep and mule deer when they come to drink.

Joshua Tree is a great place to visit if you are into RV camping. Your-rv-lifestyle.com has an excellent free guide packed with practical tips and advice.

Points of Interest

Cholla Cactus Garden

About midway along the park road there’s the Cholla Cactus Garden. They refer to these as Jumping Cholla’s because of their tendency to attach themselves to people walking by who got a little too close. The barbed spines detach easily and are painful to remove. There are pathways around the garden with fences around the Cholla’s to keep people from getting stuck. Avoid the temptation to feel how sharp the spines are.

Jumbo Rocks

This could easily have been called the jumble of rocks. There’s lots of giant boulders and many smaller, rounded ones lodged among the rocks. It’s a fun playground where you can make your way into it and explore an unusual landscape.

Keys View

The lookout point at Keys View offers views of the Coachella Valley, the Salton Sea, the San Andreas Fault, the Santa Rosita Mountains and the city of Palm Springs. It is 0.2 miles from the parking area and wheelchair accessible.

Other Points of Interest

Salton Sea

The Salton Sea is a large shallow lake about 20 miles to the south of Joshua Tree National Park. At 236 feet below sea level, only Death Valley is lower than that in the United States. The name derives from its salinity level which is greater than the Pacific Ocean but less than the Great Salt Lake. It has a climate that is pretty much the same as Joshua Tree National Park. The summertime water temperature reaches 95°F. It was once a resort but owing to increased salinity and pollution from agricultural runoff and other sources the lake, as of late, has an odor that the US Geological Survey describes in terms like noxious and objectionable. You can view it from Keys View and that might be enough.

Joshua Tree National Park Photo Gallery

Picture of mountains in Joshua Tree National Park

Other National Parks Within a Day’s Drive

Death Valley National Park is about 310 miles to the north if you take secondary roads across the Mojave National Preserve where you will pass the Kelso Dunes. These dunes, which are up to 650 feet high, are the third highest sand dunes in the United States. Only Great Sand Dunes National Park’s Star Dune at 750 feet and Death Valley National Park’s Eureka Dunes are higher. This is a far more interesting and scenic way to get here than to take the interstate route that Mapquest will point you to.

Saguaro National Park Home of the iconic Saguaro Cactus is 360 miles to the southeast and about a 5.5 hour drive.
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Updated 02/11/23 7:04 PM

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