Can you cover Joshua Tree in a day? Yes, of course! It’s a lot easier when you know what to see and where to go. This Joshua Tree day trip guide covers the “must-see” places as well as some unique highlights that you don’t want to miss.
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Whether you’re driving from Los Angeles, San Diego, or Las Vegas, a Joshua Tree Day trip is always a good idea. Check this list with itinerary ideas before you go.
Suggested experience
Planning to explore Joshua Tree National Park by yourself? Consider downloading this highly rated Self-Driving Audio Tour. It includes stories, facts, photo spots, hiking and more!
Table of Contents
What kind of Joshua Tree Day Trip are you looking for?
There are a few different types of Joshua Tree day trips that you can do, depending on what you would like to achieve.
This California national park is seriously beautiful, but if you’re going all that way, there are a couple of other interesting stops to be made (proper road trip style).
Some things to consider on your day trip Joshua Tree itinerary are:
- Hikes: You won’t have a lot of time, so some of the longer park hikes are not going to work, but there are a few nice short ones which can be done quickly (half an hour or so).
- Food: There are some great, quirky restaurants and bars in the Joshua Tree area. We have narrowed it down to a few with close proximity to the park to keep travel time down.
- Shopping: If you are into funky thrift shopping, there are some great stores near the national park entrance station.
- Unique stops and photo opportunities: There are plenty nearby, so be sure to allow time for these (mentioned in detail below).
Joshua Tree Opening Hours
Joshua Tree National Park is open to the public every day, all year round, accessible to the public 24 hours a day. However, the visitor centers are only open during specific business hours listed below.
- Joshua Tree Visitor Center (close to the West Entrance, located in the village of Joshua Tree): Open daily from 7:30 am to 5 pm.
- Cottonwood Visitor Center: Accessible from 8:30 am to 4 pm daily.
- Black Rock Nature Center: Open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm (however closed for an hour 11 am -12 pm each day)
- Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center (located downtown in Twentynine Palms): 8:30 am to 5 pm daily
- Oasis Visitor Center: Please not this entrance has been permanently closed.
Joshua Tree Entrance Fees
The entrance fee is $30 for a vehicle, $25 for a motorcycle, and $15 for an individual. If you are a family or a couple, visiting by car is the most cost-effective method to explore the national park. If you want to visit multiple times in the year, you can buy an annual park pass for $55.
Can you cover the whole of Joshua Tree National Park in a day?
It takes about an hour and a half to drive from one side of the national park to the other. So, at minimum, you can cover the park in a couple of hours (allowing for time to purchase the entry ticket, drive, get out, and stop for a photo, drive).
Therefore, if your intention is to tick off the park as a “seen” a couple of hours to drive through will cover you.
In reality, there are a few key spots in the park that you’ll feel inclined to stop (because they’re stunningly photogenic – highlighted in detail below). So, you’ll really want a minimum of three hours inside the park.
Joshua Tree Day Trip times
If you don’t mind driving or sharing the drive with friends then it is definitely worth it.
Note that direct drive times can vary greatly depending on traffic, but based on average conditions the drive time will look something like this from the three locations.
Los Angeles to Joshua Tree Day trip drive time
- LA to park entrance = 2hrs
- Time in park = 3hrs
- Food/gas stop = 1 hr
- Joshua Tree to LA = 2hrs
The Los Angeles to Joshua Tree Day trip can be completed in around 8 hours.
San Diego to Joshua Tree Day trip drive time
- San Diego to park entrance = 2hrs 45mins
- Time in park = 3hrs
- Food/gas stop = 1 hr
- Joshua Tree to SD = 2hrs 45mins
The San Diego to Joshua Tree Day trip can be completed in around 9.5 hours.
Las Vegas to Joshua Tree Day trip drive time
- Las Vegas to park entrance = 3hrs 30mins
- Time in park = 3hrs
- Food/gas stop = 1 hr
- Joshua Tree to LV = 3hrs 30mins
The Las Vegas to Joshua Tree road trip can be completed in around 11 hours. However, if you are planning to stay the night in Joshua Tree, consider visiting Death Valley National Park for sunrise at the beginning of your trip.
Palm Springs to Joshua Tree
Note that it’s only around 45 minutes from Palm Springs to the entrance of Joshua Tree National park.
The Must-Do List in Joshua Tree National Park
Note that this list is for those who want to cover the park in a reasonably short amount of time and not stray too far from your vehicle.
Enter at Yucca Valley
There are three entrance points to the park:
- Yucca Valley West Entrance Station
- Twentynine Palms North Entrance
- Cottonwood Springs South Entrance
The Yucca Valley entrance offers the best drive in to see the Joshua Trees and large boulders immediately.
Stop before the Hidden Valley Campground Area
There are a few car parks that you can stop at as you drive towards the main Hill Valley area. Quail Springs Picnic Area, Boyscout Trail, and another two car parks before you get to Intersection Rock.
This is where you will see some amazing rock formations with fewer people. You can have a whole rock formation area to yourself in many cases.
Once you get to Intersection Rock and the Hidden Valley Carpark area it tends to get busier.
Depending on how much time you want to spend you could do say 20 minutes exploring around the boulders and get some amazing photos between the Joshua Trees.
Stop at Skull Rock
Another 15-20 minute drive along the main road (Park Boulevard) takes you by the Hidden Valley area which is where there are some rock climbing walls (if you’re keen to climb). Otherwise, Skull Rock is a quick stop right by the main road. There is a designated parking space on the side of the road and you can basically see the “skull” from the road. It is a pretty interesting spot to take a look and a photo. This is located close to the Jumbo Rocks area.
Check out the Arch
Drive another 10 minutes (taking Pinto Basin Road south) to the White Tank Campground car park and you can take a short 5 to 10-minute walk to the famous “arch rock”. It also makes for a great photo. The Arch Rock Nature Trail is approximately 0.37 miles, and you can enjoy some beautiful boulders.
Walkthrough the Cholla Cactus garden
Continue along the Pinto Basin Road south for another 15 minutes through some Mars looking landscape to a wide-open plane. The Cholla Cactus “garden” is signed and has a parking area. This unique style of cactus is almost fury. They look great in the afternoons when the sun is coming across the mountain range and highlights their hairiness.
Where to exit Joshua Tree National Park
To exit the park from Cholla Cactus garden you can go two ways depending on your return destination.
For Los Angeles and Las Vegas
It’s better to head back north and take the Park Boulevard road out to Twentynine Palms past the Oasis Centre.
San Diego
For San Diego, you can go either through the oasis visitor center entrance to Twentynine palms or through the southern entrance and straight onto the i10 freeway.
The Unique, Add-on Experiences to your Joshua Tree Day Trip
The must-do list mentioned above is great for those who want to cover the national park and get a feel for what it’s about. You get to see the difference in landscapes between the high desert and lowland desert, the rock formations, and cactus types.
If you want to spend more time in the park itself you can do one of the many Joshua Tree Hiking Trails.
There are a lot of interesting things to do in Joshua Tree beside the park. Here are a few options that can be incorporated into your Joshua Tree day trip.
Stop at the windmills
If you’re driving from Los Angeles or San Diego (along the i10) you will pass the windmill farms. There are only a couple of places that you can stop, get out of your car, and actually admire these monstrous power generators in all their glory.
The best place to do that is down North Indian Canyon Drive which is just off the i10 (heading towards Palm Springs).
Drive through Vista Las Palmas in Palm Springs
If you’re already driving towards Palm Springs to stop by the windmills you might as well keep going. A quick drive through the quiet, funky neighborhood of Vista Las Palmas will give you an idea of what all the fuss is about.
These beautiful homes are immaculately maintained and have that classic ‘Art Deco’ style.
There are so many other things to do in Palm Springs if you do end up staying longer.
Walk down Pioneer Town street
A 20-minute drive from the Joshua Tree National Park entrance is the funky, Western movie set. It is a great place to stop and get a photo or two or imagine/act our your favorite cowboy movie lines. There is a restaurant/saloon at the end of the dirt ‘main street’.
Visit a thrift store
There is a unique Joshua Tree style that could be described as ‘desert chic’. As you drive into the town of Yucca Valley there are a few great thrift stores worth checking out:
- The End
- Funky & Darn Near New
- Ricochet vintage wear
- Hi-Desert Medical Center Auxiliary thrift shop
You can grab a new pair of cowboy boots or hat to take in the park for some real desert vibes.
Check out the quirky artwork
The town of Joshua Tree has a quirkiness about it. The art that comes out of this area really highlights the fact. It’s unique and well worth a visit. Check out:
- Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum an outdoor collection of upcycled pieces of metal and wood, stacked together to make a distinctly desert look
- World Famous Crochet Museum makes for an interesting stop. It’s all thing crochet and a unique photo opportunity.
Drive to Salvation Mountain
While this is not really ‘on the way’ it is a pretty memorable stop. Out in the middle of an off-grid community in “Slab City”, the mountain is an iconic representation of one mans mission to create art, no matter the struggle.
Built and painted using waste material, the structure is visited by people from around the world as a kind of symbol of the city through art.
It can be added to the Joshua Tree day trip itinerary for those coming from San Diego as it is south of the national park.
For those heading back to Los Angeles or Las Vegas, it will add another 2 hours of driving onto your trip.
Itineraries and Joshua Tree Day Trip maps
There is a lot of ideas in the above mentioned day trip options. It will depend on what kind of trip you are looking for. If it is just to go into the park, get an idea of what it’s about and return home, it’s all very doable.
If you’re someone (or a group) that likes to take your time and really explore the details of each place, trying to fit everything in one day may be a struggle.
Los Angeles to Joshua Tree Day trip Ideas
Here are a couple of options for those looking to do an LA to Joshua Tree road trip.
TRIP 1 – Cover the Park Must See
As mentioned above, this trip would take around 8 hours.
TRIP 2 – Cover the and add ons
This option you’re looking at approx. 5 hours of drive time on top of:
- Windmills = 10 mins
- Palm Springs Las Palmas drive though = 30 mins
- Pioneer Town = 20 mins
- Thrift Stores = 45 mins
- Art Galleries = 45 mins
- Gas/food stop = 1 hr
- National Park = 3 hours
Total Day Trip would be around 11.5 hours.
TRIP 3 – Cover the park add ons plus Salvation Mountain
This option you’re looking at approx. 8 hours of drive time on top of:
- Windmills = 10 mins
- Palm Springs Las Palmas drive though = 30 mins
- Pioneer Town = 20 mins
- Thrift Stores = 45 mins
- Art Galleries = 45 mins
- Gas/food stop = 1 hr
- National Park = 3 hours
Total Day Trip would be around 14.5 hours.
San Diego to Joshua Tree roadtrip itinerary ideas
TRIP 1 – Cover the must see spots inside the park
As mentioned above this trip would take around 9.5 hours
TRIP 2 – The add ons
With around 5 hours 45 minutes of driving on top of:
- Windmills = 10 mins
- Palm Springs Las Palmas drive though = 30 mins
- Pioneer Town = 20 mins
- Thrift Stores = 45 mins
- Art Galleries = 45 mins
- Gas/food stop = 1 hr
- National Park = 3 hours
This day trip would take around 12 hours.
For Las Vegas drive time is around 8 hours on top of the activities which would make a day trip of around 14 hours.
TRIP 3 – the add ons plus Slab City
With around 7hours 45 minutes of drive time on top of the activities, you would be looking at around 14 hours for this trip.
For Las Vegas, drive time is approx. 12 hours making a total day trip around 18 hours.
Joshua Tree National Park entrance fees
Entrance fees are paid at the park entrance and the money goes towards park maintenance.
Entrance Fee – $30.00
- 7-day vehicle permit, admitting the passengers of a single, non-commercial vehicle on the day of purchase and for the next six days.
Motorcycle Entrance Fee – $25.00
- 7-day entrance permit, per motorcycle.
Individual Entrance Fee – $15.00
- 7-day entrance fee, per person on foot or bike.
Want to Stay in Joshua Tree?
There is a lot of driving involved in these Joshua Tree day trip itineraries.
If you do end up staying longer than expected, Joshua Tree has some amazing places to stay.
Seeing the sunset across the desert mountains and the light’s effect on the cast and Joshua Trees themselves is truly remarkable (also getting up early for the sunrise).
If you are considering visiting Joshua Tree for more than a day, there are some great accommodation options in the area. Here are the best:
- Joshua Tree Glamping is probably one of the best ways to experience the desert in style. Experience the beautiful, starlit skies from the comfort of a permanent tent structure.
- Want to stay in sustainable luxury? Here are 12 beautifully styled and sustainable Joshua Tree stays
- If you are looking for a chic and vintage experience, there are some amazing Joshua Tree airstreams to choose from in the area.
- Joshua Tree Airbnbs are some of the coolest ones you’ll find. With unique, desert vibes, these are the best ones handpicked for the area
- If you decide that Palm Springs is more your style these dreamy Palm Springs mid century rentals are sure to suit your mood
1. Desert Saga
2 bedrooms | sleeps 6
One of the most iconic-looking Joshua Tree Stays is The Desert Saga. The spaceship meets barnyard exterior has attracted a new genre of upcycled luxury to the region.
2. Hey Cowboy
3 bedrooms | sleeps 6
The earthy tones and comfortable lounging areas (including hammocks) make this house a photogenic escape as well as a memorable one.
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