Joshua Tree National Park is in the desert of Southern California, 140 miles east of Los Angeles, according to NPS. In one day you can drive from the west entrance to the north entrance and make five short stops. We read the NPS pages on 14 October 2026.
NPS does not give a distance from Palm Springs. It says only that Palm Springs has the closest airport.
Where it is and how to enter
Note: "140 miles east of Los Angeles," "175 miles northeast of San Diego," "215 miles southwest of Las Vegas, Nevada," and "222 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona." You can approach from Interstate 10 or California Highway 62 (the Twentynine Palms Highway). The closest airport is in Palm Springs (NPS Directions page, read 14 Oct 2026; the page is dated 6 Sep 2019)
| Entrance | Where | Which sights are close |
|---|---|---|
| West | Five miles south of Highway 62 and Park Boulevard at Joshua Tree Village | Hidden Valley, Barker Dam, Keys View |
| North | In Twentynine Palms, three miles south of Highway 62 and Utah Trail | Oasis of Mara, Jumbo Rocks |
| South | On Interstate 10, 25 miles east of Indio, near Cottonwood Spring | Cholla Cactus Garden |
The last column is our reading of the distances table below. NPS warns: "Do not rely on GPS directions to navigate to or within Joshua Tree National Park!" Public transport to the park is limited. NPS points to the Morongo Basin Transit Authority for bus routes. We did not check them.
Is it open
Hours: "The park is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year." The gates stay open when entrance stations are not staffed at night (NPS Basic Information page, 10 Feb 2025, and FAQ page, 17 Sep 2025)
Hours: Visitor centers: Joshua Tree (town) 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Twentynine Palms 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Cottonwood 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Black Rock Nature Center 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed 11 a.m. to noon, and Thursday to Sunday only in summer (NPS Visitor Centers page, 12 Jun 2025)
We did not read the park's live alerts page on 14 October. Check it for closures on your day.
What to bring
Note: "There are no gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, or hotels." "There is no water available in the interior of the park." Cell phone reception is "very limited." NPS tells visitors to arrive with enough food, water, and gas or electric charge (NPS Basic Information and FAQ pages)
Fill your tank and your water bottles before you enter. NPS gives no amount of water per person.
Best months and heat
Note: "Temperatures are most comfortable in the fall and spring." Fall and spring highs are 70 to 85 F with nights near 50 F. Winter highs are near 60 F with nights near or below freezing, and snow is rare at higher spots. Summer highs are typically over 100 F, with lows near 75 F. Spring and holidays are the busiest (NPS FAQ page, 17 Sep 2025)
For summer, the NPS Hiking page says to start the short trails before 9 a.m. and to avoid hiking between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. It also says to bring plenty of food and water, even on short hikes.
A one-day route
This order starts at the west entrance and ends at the north side. The sights and times are NPS's. The order is ours.
Note: Trail lengths and times from the NPS Hiking page (updated 15 Dec 2025). Keys View 0.25 mile, 30 minutes, short, paved and steep. Hidden Valley 1 mile, 1 hour. Barker Dam 1.1 miles, 1 hour. Skull Rock 1.7 miles, 1 to 2 hours. Cholla Cactus Garden 0.25 mile, 15 to 30 minutes
Note: Drive from the Joshua Tree town visitor center: Hidden Valley 14 miles, 26 minutes. Cap Rock and Keys View Road 16 miles, 29 minutes. Keys View 21 miles, 37 minutes. From the Twentynine Palms visitor center: Cholla Cactus Garden 20 miles, 28 minutes. Jumbo Rocks Campground 14 miles, 22 minutes (NPS "How Far Is It?" page, 4 Feb 2025)
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Keys View (21 miles, 37 minutes from Joshua Tree town). A short, steep paved loop. NPS says you can see the San Andreas Fault and the Salton Sea from here. Go early.
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Hidden Valley, 1 mile. A loop through a valley closed in by rock.
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Barker Dam, 1.1 miles. A loop to a water tank that early cattle ranchers built. NPS says to watch for bighorn sheep.
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Skull Rock, 1.7 miles. A loop past boulder piles to a rock shaped like a skull, near Jumbo Rocks.
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Cholla Cactus Garden, 0.25 mile. A short loop through thousands of cholla cactus. NPS says to stay on the trail and wear closed-toe shoes.
Add it up. The five walks take about 3 hours 45 minutes to 5 hours on foot, by NPS's times. The driving between them is on top of that. NPS does not give the drive time from stop to stop, so we do not give it either. Start at sunrise in warm months.
Camping
Note: Reservation only on Recreation.gov (up to 6 months ahead, or same day): Black Rock, 99 sites, $35, water and flush toilets. Cottonwood, 62 sites, $35, water and flush toilets. Indian Cove, 101 sites, $35. Jumbo Rocks, 124 sites, $30. Ryan, 31 sites, $30. First come, first served: Belle, 18 sites, $25. Hidden Valley, 44 sites, $25. White Tank, 15 sites, $25. No park campground has showers. Updated 16 Aug 2026 (NPS Campgrounds page, read 14 Oct 2026)
For first-come sites, you take an empty site and then pay at an entrance station within one hour. NPS accepts debit and credit cards only. These sites are often full on weekends and in spring. A campfire ban runs 15 June to 1 October each year. Ryan is closed in summer, and Belle and White Tank may close in summer. Hidden Valley is open all year. Book before you go in, because cell service is poor.
Fees for 2026
Price: Private vehicle $30, motorcycle $25, per person on foot or bike $15, valid 7 days. Joshua Tree annual pass $55. America the Beautiful pass $80 for residents and $250 for non-residents. Fee-free days for US citizens and residents include 27 October and 11 November 2026. NPS lists no extra non-resident entry fee for this park (NPS Fees page, updated 29 Sep 2026, read 14 Oct 2026)
Note: NPS's list of 11 parks with an extra $100 fee for non-US residents aged 16 and over does not include Joshua Tree (NPS Nonresident Fees page, 15 Jul 2026)
What we checked and what can change
Checked on 14 October 2026: NPS Joshua Tree pages on directions (6 September 2019), basic information (10 February 2025), the FAQ (17 September 2025), hiking (15 December 2025), distances (4 February 2025), campgrounds (16 August 2026), visitor centers (12 June 2025) and fees (29 September 2026), and the NPS non-resident fee page (15 July 2026).
Not confirmed: the distance from Palm Springs, the live alerts and closures, hotel and rental prices in the nearby towns, bus times and the drive time between stops. Fees, campground rules and visitor center hours change, so check NPS before you go.
