Be sure to check out the Western Region page for other ideas around the best things to do in Joshua Tree National Park California!
*Last updated March 16, 2024
Best Things to Do in Joshua Tree National Park
Table of Contents
How Long to Stay at Joshua Tree National Park
We spent most of a day in Joshua Tree National Park. The main road runs north-south and we started on the south side and drove north. However, you can start on either side of the park. There are a few different campgrounds in the park, so you could definitely spend a couple of days here.
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is near Palm Springs about 130 miles from Los Angeles. We flew into LA and rented a RV from Cruise America. From there, we drove out to Joshua Tree.
Joshua Tree is well known from the U2 album by the same name. You can find Joshua Trees outside of the national park throughout the Mojave Desert. However, there are a large concentration of these plants in the park. The park is not only Joshua Trees, there are rock formations, overlooks and a cactus garden you can visit.
What are Joshua Trees?
The Joshua Tree is the namesake of the park and is well known from the U2 album by the same name. Also, you can find Joshua Trees outside of the national park throughout the Mojave Desert. However, there are a large concentration of these plants in the park. The park is not only Joshua Trees, there are rock formations, overlooks and a cactus garden you can visit.
Hiking Trails
There are numerous hikes in Joshua Tree that are perfect for kids. We didn’t go in with a plan, but we spent an entire day driving from the south entrance heading north. Additionally, you can drive either way and there are two visitor centers on each side of the park. Finally, there are numerous spots to get out and hike.
- Skull Rock Trail (1.7 miles)
- Cholla Cactus Garden (0.25 miles)
- Key’s View (0.25 miles)
- Indian Cove (0.6 miles)
- Oasis of Mara (0.5 miles)
- Barker Dam Trail (1.1 miles)
- Hidden Valley Nature Trail (1.0 miles)
- Wall Street Mill Trail (1.8 miles)
- Spilt Rock Loop Trail (2.0 miles)
- Panorama Loop Trail (6.6 miles)
Cholla Cactus Garden
Joshua Tree National Park is more than just the Joshua Trees! Also, there are beautiful varieties of cactus, which can be viewed on the Cholla Cactus Garden trail. Additionally, it is only 0.25 miles so it is a quick stop.
Petroglyphs (Barker Dam Trail)
There are petroglyphs (rock art) visible on the Barker Dam trail in Joshua Tree National Park. Additionally, it is a short 1.1 mile loop so it easy to access the petroglyphs.
Camping
This vacation was our first RV rental with kids, so we opted to stay outside the park at a RV hookup site. Additionally, we stayed at Indian Waters, which was nice and not far from the park.
There are numerous campgrounds inside Joshua Tree if you are planning on tent camping or boondocking. Also, the park campgrounds seemed to all be located around some of the park’s rock formations, which would make for a fun place to camp.
Also Consider Nearby
While you are in the Western region, consider visiting Channel Islands NP, Sequoia NP, Death Valley NP or other sites in the Western region.