Joshua Tree
THE AMERICAS · NATIONAL PARK · DESERT
Where two deserts meet — the high Mojave with its namesake trees, and the lower Colorado with cholla and ocotillo. The park is a jumble of enormous rounded granite piles that has been a rock-climbing destination since the 1950s, and one of the best dark-sky sites within reach of a major city. The town outside is a strip of homesteader cabins, saloons and art.
The plan
Hidden Valley
A one-mile loop into a rock-enclosed bowl that cattle rustlers used. The best short walk in the park.
Keys View at sunset
1,580m up, looking down on the Coachella Valley, the San Andreas Fault and, on a clear day, Mexico.
Cholla Cactus Garden
Ten acres of teddy-bear cholla that glow when backlit at sunrise. Do not touch them, ever.
Stargazing
An International Dark Sky Park — the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye on a moonless night. Bring a red torch.
Pappy & Harriet's, Pioneertown
A 1946 film-set town with a saloon that books acts far bigger than the room. Check the calendar before you plan.
Book before you fly
Campgrounds
Jumbo Rocks and Indian Cove book six months ahead on recreation.gov for spring.
Pappy & Harriet's
Book the restaurant; check the gig calendar before you set your dates.
Rock climbing guides
Half-day beginner sessions, booked a week ahead in the cool months.
Getting there
Fly Palm Springs (PSP)
Forty-five minutes to the west entrance, the closest airport, busiest in winter.
Fly Los Angeles (LAX) or Ontario (ONT)
Three and two hours west. Ontario is usually the cheapest combination of fare and drive time.
Getting around
You need a car; there is no shuttle, no petrol in the park, and no phone signal in most of it. Download maps first.
When to go
Best time to go
October to April — 20°C days, cold nights, and the climbing season. March can bring wildflowers.
Cheapest months
July and August, when it's 40°C and the park empties. Rooms are cheap; the hiking is not advisable.
Priciest & busiest
Coachella weekends in April, when everything within an hour books out.
If you've got one day
Morning
Hidden Valley
Late morning
Cholla Cactus Garden
Lunch
Natural Sisters Café
Afternoon
Stargazing
Sunset
Keys View at sunset
Evening
Dinner at La Copine, then Pappy & Harriet's, Pioneertown
If you've got a week
Day 1
Arrive, settle in around AutoCamp Joshua Tree, and take it slowly — Natural Sisters Café for dinner.
Day 2
Hidden Valley.
Day 3
Keys View at sunset. Dinner at Pappy & Harriet's.
Day 4
Day trip — Palm Springs →.
Day 5
Cholla Cactus Garden. La Copine at some point.
Day 6
Stargazing.
Day 7
Pappy & Harriet's, Pioneertown. Finish with Kitchen in the Desert.
Staying longer?
Nearby & day trips
Forty-five minutes southwest.
Pioneertown
Twenty minutes northwest for the saloon and the film set.
Salton Sea
Ninety minutes south to a shrinking sea and Salvation Mountain.
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