Joshua Tree, California

Terrain // Dirt Field | Cost // Free | Boondocking Rating // 7 | Park Rating // 7

Overview

Joshua Tree National park is 140 miles (225 km) east of Los Angeles, California. Most of the hiking trails and featured spots are located on the northwestern side of the park. There are nearly 558,000 acres of wilderness away from the road corridors. If you plan to venture into these areas, you must be familiar with special rules and regulations governing wilderness use. Joshua Tree has hiking trails, campgrounds, and climbing areas. Off-road driving and pets on trails are prohibited.

Deserts don’t have firm boundaries, and much of the park lies in the overlap between the Colorado and Mojave deserts. We spent about a week in the western half of the park, which includes the Mojave Desert and the wild-armed Joshua tree. Which really isn’t a tree but a species of yucca that grows about an inch a year.

Boondocking

Joshua Tree North Dispersed Camping // This BLM land is essentially a dried-up lake bed. There's a vast amount of open area, so people can spread out pretty easily. There are a few rough spots that make it a bit difficult to drive on the further back you go. However, it's a great spot decently close to the park.

Hiking

North Canyon, Burro Loop, West Access, & North Side Loop

On our first day in Joshua Tree, we hiked a 3.4-mile loop trail. It was a bit anti-climactic as we hoped to see a ton of Joshua Trees. We spotted a few, but mostly it was flat with views of the stacked boulders. It was also incredibly windy; we were over it after 2.5 miles.

Skull Rock + Jumbo Rock

The name for this one says it all! The resemblance to a skull was uncanny. This was a nice 1.8-mile loop to check out more stacked boulders and walk through one of the park’s campgrounds. And of course, more Joshua Trees!

Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail

This was our favorite hike in Joshua Tree! It was about a 4.5-mile in-and-out hike up and down the mountains in the desert. Seeing all of the palm trees at the end of the trail was simply magical! This is a must-do hike on your visit to the park. However, note that it is currently being repaired due to fire damage, so it’s only open on certain days. Be sure to check the status before planning your hike.

Barker Dam

This was a bit of a disappointment. The dam was actually completely dried up (January 2023). However, we did get to see a vagina rock and a decent amount of Joshua trees, so I guess it was worth the easy 1.35-mile loop walk.

Keys View

Not technically a hike, but you drive up to about 5,100 ft. It’s a cool overlook of the park. However, it was so dang windy we only stayed up there for 2 minutes before running back to the truck.

Food + Shops

Joshua Tree Saloon // They had a decent sangria. Loved the outdoor seating area.

Murphy’s Sports Bar // When you share names with a bar, you have to have at least one drink, right?

Art Queen // Shari Elf’s quirky hideaway art gallery was a fun and unexpected find in downtown Joshua Tree. It also features the World Famous Crochet Museum.

Coyote Corner // Cute little shop packed full of stickers, apparel, and fun knick-knacks.

Pie for the People // We ended up eating here several times because their food was so good. Make sure you try out their Bowie Fries. OMG, to die for.

Kitchen in the Desert // This place had one of the coolest outdoor vibes. We’d love to come back here when it’s warmer outside. The jerk chicken was worth the hype. Overall, a bit too pricey for us.

Tip:

Water is a bit hard to find in this area. We ended up filling up a few times at the Joshua Tree Visitor Center. We weren’t able to find any public shower places in the area, so we had to shower in our camper. Outdoor showering was nice in the sun, so we didn’t fill up our gray tank too quickly.