And additional tips related to COVID-19
National Parks are optimal attractions to visit during the summer. 63 in all, some span millions of acres. There are mountains and beaches, forests and rivers, lakes and glaciers, and deserts, too!
Joshua Tree National Park is one of those national parks. Located about 150 miles east of downtown L.A., Joshua Tree National Park features the Joshua Tree as well as amazing mountain views, uniquely shaped rock formations, and other desert flora and fauna.
Here is a guide to Joshua Tree National Park, including guidance on what to see, how to divide up visiting the park for optimization, and some COVID-19 related tips.
The park is currently open, there have been adjustments to what is available to guests or not. Check the current conditions and closures before going.
About Joshua Tree National Park
The Joshua Tree highlights Joshua Tree National Park, appropriately enough, and these amazing trees are present in abundance.
These trees remind me a lot of the truffala trees in Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax.
In addition to these trees, there are also desert shrubs and cactai. Being a desert, it’s very dry, and it also has lots of mountains, rocks, and sand. I didn’t see a lot of wildlife while I was there, but there are some.
The park stretches for almost 800,000 acres, so there’s plenty to see, and you’ll need multiple trips to see all the park has to offer.
Getting to Joshua Tree
If you’re coming from L.A., make sure you stay on the east side of L.A. the night before. It’s a long drive to Joshua Tree. For example, from Fontana, it’s an hour and a half driving without traffic. I took U.S. Interstate 10 to CA-route 62 and entered through the West Entrance.
There are three main entrances. The West and North Entrance stations are off California Route 62. The south entrance is called Cottonwood Visitor Station, accessible via US Interstate 10. There’s also a Ranger Station and Black Rock Campground, both of which are entrances to smaller areas into the park not connected by road to the main road loop in the park.
The National Park Pass
You can purchase a yearly pass for $80 that allows for free entry for your vehicle into any national park and federal recreation area. I purchased one to enter Joshua Tree National Park, and now I have it to enter other national parks and federal recreation areas. Purchase a pass at a federal recreation area.
Currently, some national parks are temporarily allowing free entry due to COVID-19. Joshua Tree National Park is collecting fees, and they have requested to make sure you bring a credit card. The most common pass is a 7-day pass for $30 for one non-commercial vehicle, though other options exist.
Driving through Joshua Tree
The main road through the national park connects the West, Oasis (East) and Cottonwood (South) entrances.
There are several pull-off and parking areas to stop and see the scenery. I pulled off on one of them to paint a painting! I forgot brushes so I actually used my hands to make the painting. Here it is.
Here’s the scenery for comparison.
Major locations to stop at while driving through the park
There are plenty of awesome places to see in the park. Check out this online map for better views of locations.
Keys View is a must at Joshua Tree because you can see the Coachella Valley and Mount San Jacinto. It’s up on a mountaintop, but you can drive close to the top with your car.
Here are more places to see.
This one looks like a person’s head resting on the mountainside.
Here are some additional locations to consider while visiting Joshua Tree.
Campgrounds at Joshua Tree
There are several campgrounds at Joshua Tree. As of January 22, campgrounds were closed, but continue to check the park website for updates. I have not gone camping at Joshua Tree, but I’m sure it’s a wonderful experience.
Optimizing your visit(s)
It’s nearly impossible to visit all of Joshua Tree National Park in a day, so this section is dedicated to how to optimize your visits to the park. There’s the “only have a day” line up, as well as separate clusters that group nearby notable sites.
The Day Trip Itinerary
- Enter the West Entrance Center
- Stop at Quail Springs and Hemingway stops
- Keys View
- Ryan Mountain
- Arch Rock and Heart Rock
- Skull Rock
- Exit park by Oasis Visitor Center
West Side Best Side Itinerary
- Enter the West Entrance Center
- Stop at Quail Springs and Hemingway stops
- Stop along another exhibit pulloff
- Keys View
- Ryan Mountain
- Turn around and exit through West Entrance Center
Oasis Center Itinerary
- Enter by Oasis Center
- Visit Oyster Bay
- Visit Skull Rock
- Visit Arch Rock and Heart Rock
- Cholla Cactus Gardenn
- Exit through Oasis or Cottonwood entrances
Cottonwood Entrance Itinerary
COVID-19 and other Health Tips
As of the publication of this article, the COVID-19 pandemic still was having a significant impact on travel, the economy and peoples day to day lives.
While cases have declined from their peak and governments have lifted stay-at-home orders, its important to take precautions that the CDC recommends, including washing hands, maintain 6 feet of distance, using a face covering out in public when near people, and keep living areas sanitized.
Fortunately, with national parks, there are wide stretches of land to maintain distance. But hiking trails might be crowded, too.
With Joshua Tree National Park, the primary road serves as a way to maintain enough distance from people, but it also allows time to rest in between hikes in the park.
Make sure you have plenty of water in this arid environment. And try to stay out of the sun or use sunscreen.
Additional Resources
Here’s the main page to Joshua Tree National Park.
And here are additional places I visited in Southern California while I was on my most recent trip.