Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is one of the most surreal and beloved desert landscapes in America, a high-desert wonderland in Southern California where the whimsical, twisting forms of the Joshua tree — the iconic, shaggy-armed yucca for which the park is named — rise from the desert amid spectacular jumbles of giant, rounded granite boulders and rugged mountains. Where two great deserts meet — the higher Mojave and the lower Colorado — the park is a place of stark beauty, otherworldly rock formations, and brilliant night skies.

The Joshua trees, found in the Mojave portion of the park, stand like figures from a Dr. Seuss landscape, especially striking at sunset and against the stars, while the park’s fantastic granite boulder piles draw rock climbers from around the world and delight hikers and scramblers. Beyond the famous trees and rocks, Joshua Tree offers desert oases of fan palms, painted hills, old mines and homesteads, and some of the darkest, most spectacular skies in Southern California. Surreal, rugged and beloved by hikers, climbers, artists and stargazers, Joshua Tree National Park is a treasured icon of the California desert.

Joshua Tree National Park offers superb desert recreation — hiking among the Joshua trees and the spectacular granite boulder piles (Hidden Valley, Barker Dam, the Cholla Cactus Garden, Ryan Mountain for views), world-class rock climbing and bouldering on the granite (a global climbing destination), scrambling the rock formations, scenic driving, exploring desert oases and old homesteads (Keys Ranch), wildlife watching, and renowned stargazing under dark skies. Hiking, climbing and taking in the surreal landscape are the signature draws. The combination of the iconic Joshua trees, the fantastic boulders and the brilliant night skies makes the park a beloved destination.

Fall through spring is the prime season, with comfortable temperatures for hiking and climbing (and spring sometimes bringing wildflowers and the Joshua trees’ blooms), while summer is very hot (often over 100°F, dangerous for daytime exertion). Sunrise and sunset set the desert and the boulders glowing, the best times, and the dark skies make for spectacular stargazing year-round. Fall, winter and spring offer the best weather; avoid midday summer heat, carry plenty of water year-round, stay for the stars, and time a spring visit for possible wildflowers and Joshua tree blooms.

The Joshua Tree region was home to Native peoples for thousands of years, including the Serrano, Cahuilla and others, who used the desert’s plants and water. The Joshua tree was reputedly named by Mormon pioneers, who saw the tree’s upraised arms as the prophet Joshua pointing the way. Ranchers, miners and homesteaders followed (leaving sites like Keys Ranch). The activist Minerva Hoyt championed protection of the desert, and the area became a national monument in 1936 and a national park in 1994. The park preserves the Joshua trees, the boulders and the desert heritage, a treasured California landscape.

Joshua Tree’s spectacular granite boulder piles formed underground, where molten rock cooled into granite (monzogranite) that was fractured into blocks; groundwater then weathered and rounded the blocks beneath the surface, and as the overlying material eroded away, the rounded boulders were left stacked and piled in the fantastic formations seen today. The park spans the meeting of the higher Mojave Desert (home of the Joshua trees) and the lower, hotter Colorado Desert, with mountains, fault-fed oases and washes. The weathered, piled granite and the meeting of two deserts created Joshua Tree’s surreal landscape of rocks and trees.

Joshua Tree’s desert hosts desert bighorn sheep, coyotes, bobcats, kit foxes, jackrabbits, kangaroo rats, the desert tortoise (a protected species), and a community of birds, including roadrunners, hawks and the birds drawn to the fan-palm oases, along with reptiles like rattlesnakes and lizards, many active at night to escape the heat. The Joshua trees and the oases provide vital habitat. The park is a fine place for wildlife watching and birding, especially at the oases and in the cooler hours, with the desert tortoise, the bighorn and the desert birds among the wildlife of this surreal landscape.

Joshua Tree National Park protects the meeting of two desert ecosystems — the higher, cooler Mojave Desert, home of the Joshua tree (a giant yucca dependent on a specific moth for pollination), and the lower, hotter Colorado Desert of creosote, ocotillo and cholla — along with fan-palm oases fed by faults, granite habitats, and a surprising diversity of desert life. The Joshua trees, threatened by climate change, are an icon and a keystone. The dark skies are exceptional. Protecting the Joshua trees, the two deserts, the oases and the wildlife sustains a biodiverse and globally significant California desert ecosystem.

Joshua Tree National Park, with its whimsical namesake trees and its spectacular boulders, holds a beloved and almost mythic place in California and American culture, cherished by hikers, climbers, artists, musicians and stargazers drawn to its surreal beauty and its sense of otherworldly wonder. From the Native peoples and homesteaders of the desert to its modern fame as a creative and spiritual haven (and the inspiration for art and music), Joshua Tree embodies the stark, surreal beauty of the California desert. The park is a treasured icon, a landscape of strange and beautiful wonder under brilliant skies.

Joshua Tree National Park is in Southern California, reached via park entrances near the towns of Joshua Tree, Twentynine Palms (north) and the Coachella Valley/Interstate 10 (south), about 2.5 hours east of Los Angeles and 45 minutes from Palm Springs. An entrance fee applies. The park offers scenic roads, trailheads, climbing areas, campgrounds, the Keys Ranch (by tour), oases and visitor centers, but little water and few services inside — carry your own. The desert is hot in summer. Check the National Park Service for conditions, campground reservations and access before visiting.

The National Park Service protects the Joshua trees, the granite formations, the two deserts, the oases, the wildlife (including the desert tortoise) and the dark skies of Joshua Tree National Park. Visitors help by staying on trails and roads (protecting the fragile desert soil and plants), not climbing on or damaging the Joshua trees, climbing the rocks responsibly, never disturbing the desert tortoise or other wildlife, carrying and conserving water, packing out everything, preserving the dark skies, and following Leave No Trace. Protecting the Joshua trees, the deserts, the oases and the wildlife sustains this biodiverse and treasured California desert ecosystem.

Joshua Tree’s desert demands care — carry plenty of water (there is almost none in the park, and the heat is dangerous, especially in summer when it exceeds 100°F), hike in the cooler hours, and avoid midday summer exertion. Watch for rattlesnakes and give the desert tortoise space (never handle it). On the boulders, scramble and climb carefully (falls are a hazard, and it’s easy to get up but hard to get down). Beware of flash floods in washes after rain, and the easy disorientation in the maze of rocks and desert — carry a map. Wear sun protection, and respect the heat and the lack of water.

An entrance fee applies. Stay on trails and roads; protect the fragile desert and do not damage the Joshua trees or plants. Rock climbing is allowed; climb responsibly. Never disturb or handle the desert tortoise or other wildlife. Camp only in designated campgrounds (reservations recommended) or with a backcountry permit. Carry and conserve water. Pets are restricted (not allowed on trails). Drones are prohibited. Collecting is prohibited. Pack out all trash; preserve the dark skies. Check the National Park Service for reservations and current rules before visiting.

The towns of Joshua Tree, Twentynine Palms and Yucca Valley lie at the north entrances, with the resort city of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley to the south, the Mojave and Colorado deserts, the Mojave National Preserve, and the Salton Sea in the broader region, and Los Angeles about 2.5 hours west. The California deserts define the region. Joshua Tree National Park anchors a surreal and beloved desert region of Southern California, a centerpiece of a desert, climbing and stargazing adventure, easily reached from Los Angeles and Palm Springs.

Hike among the Joshua trees and the spectacular boulder piles (Hidden Valley, Barker Dam, and Ryan Mountain for views), and scramble or climb the granite (world-class for climbers) — coming in the cool fall-through-spring season and carrying plenty of water, as there is almost none in the park. Catch the Joshua trees and boulders glowing at sunset, then stay for the brilliant dark-sky stargazing. See the Cholla Cactus Garden and a fan-palm oasis, give the desert tortoise space, avoid the deadly summer midday heat, and pair the park with nearby Palm Springs.