How to Spend a Day in Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Trees, Arch Rock, Skull Rock – what else is there to see in Joshua Tree National Park?! Where to start, what to see, and where to stay. Follow my itinerary on How to Spend a Day in Joshua Tree National Park where I hit all of the major stops you don’t want to miss on your trip.

History of Joshua Tree National Park

Home of the Joshua Tree itself, Joshua Tree National Park is located in Southern California about a 2 hour drive East from Los Angeles making it the perfect overnight or weekend trip. Established in 1994, Joshua Tree National Park covers nearly 800,000 acres. The park consists of two deserts. The majority of the park is in the Mojave Desert. The rest of the park is the Colorado Desert at the eastern and southern points.

Check out my YouTube video: A Day in Joshua Tree National Park for a visual of my journey adventuring through Joshua Tree. Keep reading below for all the details you don’t want to miss!

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Getting into Joshua Tree

The typical entrance fee is $30. This is a 7-day vehicle permit admitting the passengers of a vehicle on the day of purchase for the next six days. You can purchase your admission at any of the park entrances or online with a digital park entrance pass at no additional cost. Be sure to have your ticket printed or screenshotted as cell service isn’t the most reliable in the area.

There are multiple entrances to Joshua Tree, for the following experience I am going to recommend, I started at the North Entrance Station near Twentynine Palms. But, you can also enter through the West Entrance Station closer to the town Joshua Tree as well as the South Entrance on Highway 10 West of the town Indio.

Things to know before you go

Cell service is not reliable inside the park. Always have a map and be sure to let people know of your plans before you go.
If you drive, which I recommend, be sure to go in with a full tank of gas. There can be a lot of driving inside the park.
Bring water with your refillable bottle. It’s important to carry a good amount of water with you while traveling throughout the park, especially if you’re going in the hotter months.
Besides water, it’s good to bring some lunch or snacks with you because odds are you’ll be out in the park all day. While it is possible to exit the park to get some food, it can be a long drive and you don’t want to waste any time because there is so much to see!
Bringing a first aid kit is always important because you never know when you’ll need it.
And finally, as always, take only memories, leave nothing but footprints.

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Where to stay?

Joshua Tree is also known for it’s unique stays, but when I travel I don’t focus on where I’m staying as much because I know I plan on adventuring out as long as possible.

On my trip, I booked the Super 8 by Wyndham Yucca Val/Joshua Tree Nat Pk Area with Hotels.com. This location was one of the cheapest options around and I promise it didn’t seem that way! The rooms were super nice with Joshua Tree decor and the staff was very friendly and helpful. I 10/10 recommend and would stay there again!

Day in Joshua Tree National Park

Follow my one day itinerary in Joshua Tree National Park.

Cholla Cactus Garden

First stop in Joshua Tree is to head straight to the Cholla Cactus Garden. This will be the longest stretch of drive and the furthest point you’ll go into the park that is recommended on this blog. It’ll be hard to drive straight there without wanting to stop. I stopped a few times at designated spots with information cards about that area. You’ll definitely want to stop many times along the way, but I promise you’ll have all day for that so no worries.

Now you’ve made it to the Cholla Cactus Garden. I’ve heard the best sunrise view is from here. Unfortunately, I wasn’t an early riser during my visit, but it’s still a good starting point! The “trail” is super accessible for anyone, it’s more like a walking path. It’s clearly marked as you walk through looking at the cactus garden as well as beautiful panoramic views south of the park.

Road Tripping through Joshua Tree?

If you’ve read one or two of my blogs you’d know I love road tripping. When visiting Joshua Tree there is no choice but to drive through even if you fly to a nearby airport like I did. Make sure you check out these Road Trip Essentials and a few tips to make sure your road trip goes smoothly.

Arch Rock

The next stop is Arch Rock. In my opinion, Arch Rock is one of the most iconic picture spots in Joshua Tree National Park, other than Joshua Trees. But, the surrounding area of Arch Rock is just as beautiful and has a lot to offer. It was one of my favorite places to explore and somewhere I definitely could’ve spent more time.

Arch Rock is found near the White Tank campground. If you drive past the White Tank campground a little there is a parking lot on the left designated the Arch Rock Nature Trail. The trail isn’t very well marked, but it’s on flat ground. Once you walk a little you’ll have to cross the road. I honestly wouldn’t have realized where to go if other people weren’t doing the same. So sometimes it’s not a bad thing to just be a follower.

When I visited Arch Rock it was pretty busy with families and little kids running around everywhere. I got my pictures, but towards the end it was nearly empty. If I had known this I would’ve waited around and had a snack til the crowds died down rather than attempting to doge photobombers.

Other than the Arch Rock itself, the area has tons of different rock formations perfect for exploring, climbing (not professionally, just your average inner kid climbing skills) and taking a break.

U.S. National Parks Adventure Journal

Track your National Park adventures, including Joshua Tree, with this journal! Mark your favorite memories and sights you saw!

Split Rock

Next up is Split Rock. This stop wasn’t originally on my list, but while driving around there’s always the opportunity to stop and explore and that’s exactly what I did. Split Rock offers a picnic area as well as a 1.9 mile trail loop. Looking back I definitely had enough time in my day to do the full trail, but I only walked into the trail a bit and then walked back out. But, from what I did see, I think this trail would’ve been really nice to complete.

Skull Rock

Continuing on the way across the park after Split Rock, Skull Rock isn’t too far along. Skull Rock is right off the road and is visible without having to hike, but the area is a hiking spot as well.

During my time I parked along the road, walked to the entrance to get a good view and picture of Skull Rock and kept on my way. This area was very popular and had a lot of people around which is why I didn’t stay around for long, but I thought Skull Rock was super cool and worth seeing!

Purchase Joshua Tree prints at my shop.

Keys View

The last stop on my day in Joshua Tree is Keys View. The perfect spot to watch the sunset over the mountains. On clear days you can even see Mexico from the view. Keys View is a popular spot to visit at this time so be sure to arrive a little before sunset to make sure you get an ideal parking spot.

Travel Tip: With the combination of being in a desert, on top of a mountain, and with night approaching, it can get pretty chilly. Try to bring some layers if you can.

Other Things to do in Joshua Tree

Joshua Trees – Of course, you can’t go to Joshua Tree National Park without stopping and admiring Joshua Trees themselves. They are just about everywhere which is why I didn’t make a specific stop on my itinerary to see them because they were already at nearly every stop.

Desert Bighorn Sheep – I’m not one for intentionally searching out wildlife, so when I saw a group of Desert Bighorn Sheep spontaneously galloping across the mountain I was very excited! It’s always worth keeping your eyes peeled for. I spotted a group of sheep at Keys View while waiting for sunset.

Star Gazing – One of the great things about Joshua Tree National Park is that the park gates stay open 24/7. Because of the low light pollution, it makes the perfect star gazing location even if you aren’t staying on sight overnight. Unfortunately when I was there it was very cloudy.

Wanting to add to your Joshua Tree Road Trip?

This U.S. Southwest Road Trip is one of my favorites. Starting in Amarillo, Texas passing through 3 Route 66 cities and 3 National Parks, this road trip is one for the books. Loop in Joshua Tree in between stops!

Spending a day in Joshua Tree National Park was such a unique experience. My favorite was exploring around Arch Rock. What spot in Joshua Tree would you like to see the most? Leave it in the comments below!