JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK

CALIFORNIA

AN OVERVIEW

Across the vast Mojave Desert in southern California lies a (mostly) dry oasis of nature. Filled with iconic Joshua Trees (where the park gets it name), with vast desert landscapes that stretch for miles, and enormous boulder playgrounds ready for climbing, this park is a must.

This park intersects two desert regions, the Mojave and Colorado, which clash to form differing elevations. One end is filled with cacti and shrubbery, and the other, with the famous joshua trees and boulders. And all around there are mountain ranges adding to the dramatic landscape. 

This park feels like a reprieve, first and foremost. If you’re looking for nature close to Los Angeles, Joshua Tree is the answer to get away from the busy city life. I had wanted to come here for years and made it out to the park on a day trip from Los Angeles, with plenty of time to hang in town after. It is pretty incredible how fortunate Californians are to have such a wondrous national park at only 3 hours or less from the coastline. 

It also is a photographer’s paradise - it is a great place to chase golden light, frame trees with interesting, rocky backgrounds, and find diversity in the swaths of cacti. And if you’re lucky (I hope to one day be) you may get a wildflower boom in the spring or snow in the winter.

A Guide

Joshua Tree has plenty of amazing areas that don’t necessarily have to be actual designated points.. Some parts of the park are littered with Joshua Trees, some parts with boulders, some with cacti, and then some just empty areas of great desert wilderness. Regardless, the most popular and notable points of interest, in my opinion, are as follows:

Barker Dam

One of the only places you’ll find water in the park, this is a great spot for sunrise or sunset. A short hike from the parking area, if you go counterclockwise, you’ll start with huge, smooth boulders before reaching the dam.

Once you pass the dam, the trail loops through a vast field of Joshua Trees. 

Keys view

A worthwhile stop to soak in the entirety of the park, but not the most stunning vista I’ve come across. The views are beautiful, but I felt like coming to this park was more about the close interactions with trees and rocks in the desert, rather than a crowded viewpoint. I stopped over for a brief breakfast break after a morning hike. If you’re low on time, this is a long detour, so skip over it. 

skull rock and jumbo rocks

This is a great rock scramble and excellent stop. Park in the main lot off the side of the road, and start climbing and heading deeper into the rock fields on the south side of the road. Alternatively, you can park in Jumbo Rocks and walk to Skull Rock the longer, back way, which presents some more difficult climbs and jumps. 

arch rock

Similar to the Skull Rock area, Arch Rock provides more of a hiker’s paradise, where larger boulders await their climbers. Park in the White Tank Campground area and follow the trail until you find the Arch Rock. From there, I recommend carving your own path out randomly through the rocks. 

cholla cactus garden

Best visited during golden hour, where the sun bounces off the deathly needles, this garden is an amazing, otherworldly stop in the park. Unlike any of the landscapes you saw in the north, this is a barren desert laced in dangerous cacti. There is a marked trail and if you choose to stray from it, be careful as these needles can pierce your tough, gore-tex boots.

The Basics

CHOOSING YOUR ENTRANCE

There are three main entrances into the park, two in the north, and one from the south. The one you take mostly depends on whether you plan to spend the night so you can start and end close to home base, or whether you’re taking a day trip and want to go in one way and exit the opposite. 

From the north, you can come in through the “West Entrance” via Quail Springs Road, or from “Twentynine Palms Entrance” via Utah Trail. From the south, you enter through “Cottonwood Springs” via Cottonwood Springs Road, where you’ll find the visitor center.

If you plan on taking a day trip, plan around your sunrise and sunset locations and determine how best to maneuver the park given your limited entry and exit points. If you plan to spend the night, ending near your place of lodging is more convenient, but not a necessity.

SPENDING THE NIGHT

There are plenty of short stops in Joshua Tree National Park to give you a general idea of this sweet park, but if you can, stay a night. There is no official lodging within the part, only campsites, so if you do decide to stay in the park, come prepared. A campervan may be the easiest way to come if you’re not keen on setting up a tent, and you can find all sorts of rentals online for a fraction of a hotel room cost.

The other reason why it is recommended to sleep in the park is the night sky. The early morning light and evening glow are wonderful reasons to keep you here late, making the 3 plus hour drive back to civilization a burden, so why not stay over night and watch the stars glitter the darkness, giving yourself a whole new experience in the park?

My Trip

I visited Joshua Tree for a day trip in October 2017 from LA. My friend, Jonathan (pictured below), and I set out from LA at 3am in order to make sunrise and decided on the northern route. It’s a slightly shorter drive to the park entrance and we decided to start our adventure here making our way south through Joshua Tree National Park.

The light crept over the smooth rocks and started painting the mountains behind us. We chose this spot because of the water for reflections. The Barker Dam Nature Trail winds around the dam and through the first thick Joshua Tree ridden expanse. The morning light off these trees is groovy. Nothing is weirder than these trees. They follow the snowflake rule: no two are alike.

While the sun was still low, we drove to Keys View and took this as a breakfast rest stop. The views are cool on all sides – we grabbed a bench, had some food, and watched out for the hungry chipmunks.

Driving back to the main road from Keys View are Cap Rock and Hidden Valley. Both solid areas to climb some rocks and walk around aimlessly. The Hidden Valley Nature Trail is a good option from what I’ve read, but we weren’t able to spend much time here. 

Continuing down Park Blvd, it was time to climb rocks. We chose Skull Rock and the Jumbo Rocks area as the first target. After getting high enough above the ground, we found a shady spot to grab a snack and look out across the park. Then, we stayed right onto Pinto Basin Road on the fork further east and found our way to Arch Rock. This is one of the last chances to play with these huge boulders so don’t miss out on exploring the area. We power napped in the car under some shade before heading out there.

The light was starting to dim so the last stop on the list was the Cholla Cactus Garden for sunset. I wanted to catch the light bouncing off the spines on these bad boys during golden hour and I did just that, enjoying every minute.

That was as far as we got this day. We pulled over a few more times on the way out through the south entrance and got some wicked night shots, but we were beat from the hot sun. The move is to set up camp somewhere and spend the night, or make a full weekend out of it.