Estimating how much time you need in each place you would like to stop at on a road trip is the whole science of road trip planning. When it comes to road tripping the Southwest of the US, Joshua Tree should definitely be on your list. For us, it was the first highlight of our road trip. In this article, we will tell you what you will be able to see and do in one day and why it is enough.
Half a day to one day are enough for you to do a short hike up to Ryan Mountain, stop and climb around Skull Rock and Arch Rock, as well as stop to marvel at the Cholla Cactus Garden. These stops will give you a great feel of the National Park without feeling rushed or feeling like you are missing out.
Curious about how to pack these activities into six hours and what to do with the rest of your day?
Keep on reading as we map out our day with our rented campervan at Joshua Tree. This article covers days 1-2 of our 15-day road trip itinerary through the Southwest of the US and California. Click on the yellow 'Show Entire Route' tab, to view our in-depth guides to each stop for an even greater insight for your own road trip through the Southwest and California.
Where to start your Joshua Tree adventure - West, North, or South Entrance?
Joshua Tree National Park has three entrances, West, North, and South. The park is only 3,000km² (1,236mi²) and, therefore, one of the smaller National Parks in the US.
You should decide which entrance to take, depending on what direction you are coming from. When coming from the East, e.g., Sedona, I recommend entering from the South and exiting at the West entrance. When coming from the West, e.g., Los Angeles, I recommend to do it the other way round. Enter at the West entrance and exit at the South. That way, you keep your natural driving direction.
As we had just picked up our campervan from Lost Campers in Los Angeles at noon, we chose to start at the West entrance the next morning.
The North entrance does not make much sense when road tripping with a campervan as you enter the park in the middle and skip the highlights of one side of the park.
At each entrance, you will find a visitor center (with toilets) and a ranger station, where you can pay the entrance fee of US$30 per vehicle. When road tripping the Southwest, I absolutely recommend you to get the 'America the Beautiful Pass'. It is a one-year entrance pass to all National Parks in the US. It costs US$80 per vehicle, so it is already worth it when doing three National Parks.
What hikes & activities to do during one day in Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree National Park has quite distinct differences in terms of the landscape when you drive through it. There are tons of things do within the park, but we consider the following four highlights will give you a real understanding of this one of a kind National Park.
You can find its namesake, the Joshua Tree, which actually is not a tree, mainly in the northern area. The Joshua Tree belongs to the Yucca plants and is often referred to as the Yucca Palm.
In the heart and middle of the park, you will find its famous round rock formations, which invite you to climb them. The Southern and Eastern part is dominated by the Mojave desert and its Cholla Cactuses.
I recommend you to combine your activities with a hike, climbing the rocks and discovering and learning about this unique landscape and environment.
There are signs with explanations about flora, fauna, and history along the main road. Make sure to take some stops.
Ryan Mountain
Be sure to hike up Ryan Mountain for amazing views. It is a 4,5km (2.8 miles) hike roundtrip and will take you about 2 hours. You will cover 305 meters (1,000 feet) in altitude to reach the second-highest elevation in Joshua Tree National Park.
I recommend you to do the hike in the morning when the sun is not at its highest and therefore the heat, not at its peak. Or, should you have booked a campsite inside the park, do the hike for sunset.
There are parking spaces at the trailhead for easy access. The trail is very well maintained and has quite a few steps in it. Be sure to carry enough water with you whenever leaving your van to explore nature.
My favorite part of the hike was the views that it offers over the desert.
At the summit, you will find a big pile of rocks compiled by hikers who have summited before.
Skull Rock
The rock formations around Skull Rock are somewhat surreal. They are huge and small at the same time. They are round and soft enough for you to climb on them, and they provide one of the best outdoor playgrounds - for adults 😉. Take the time to discover the different perspectives offered by the rocks.
Arch Rock
Next up is Arch Rock. Again a different rock formation further east on the main road that allows you that picture-perfect photo.
Cholla Cactus Garden
The next highlight is about a twenty-minute drive away from Arch Rock. It is the Cholla Cactus Garden, a place that seems to be somewhat from another planet. Be sure to stay on the walkway and do not touch the cactuses. The loop trail is 800 meters (0.5 miles) and takes you about 15-20 minutes.
When to visit Joshua Tree National Park
The park is open all year round and is super popular with locals from California, as well as US travelers, discovering their own country. You will also bump into international travelers, but they are not the majority. High season, with most visitor numbers, is from fall to spring, approximately September to May, as temperatures in summer, are extremely hot. We did our road trip from Mid-April to the beginning of May.
Where to stay in and around Joshua Tree
There are nine campgrounds inside of Joshua Tree National Park; most of them have a particular focus area, e.g., for Equestrian camping (Ryan Campground) or group camping (Sheap Pass Campground).
The campgrounds most interesting to you, when entering from the West, are Black Rock Campground and Indian Cove.
When planning to start at the South entrance, you should choose to stay at the Cottonwood Campground. You can make reservations at all three of them, and I highly advise you to do so.
Should you wish to camp deep inside the National Park, you can make reservations for Jumbo Rocks Campground only. All other campgrounds inside the park are first-come, first-served basis only, and they fill up quite fast, especially on weekends and in the high season.
As we were visiting Joshua Tree, while the Coachella Music Festival was happening just a few miles away, we were not able to pre-book any campsite, as they were already sold out.
Since we only landed in the morning in Los Angeles and picked up our campervan around noon, we only arrived at dusk at the Black Rock Campground and were unlucky to not find empty campsites.
We did, however, experience the first magical moment of this epic road trip, with this crazily illuminated sky.
So we opted to stay outside the park at one of the many free BLM (Bureau Land Management) areas. These are undeveloped public lands in some parts of the United States which allow people to camp there.
We camped in the north BLM area and started our campervanning adventure there.
Are you curious to hear how that first night free camping went? Check out our Digital Campfire Story!
There is one big BLM area north of the park and several areas south of the park.
What to wear for a Joshua Tree visit
Desert nights are chilly, while middays are extremely hot under the sun. The best way to prepare for those different climates is to bring layers. You will be bundled up in long pants and a fleece in the mornings and evenings while wearing a sports shirt and shorts during the day to provide the best circulation and sweat control.
I recommend you to bring hiking shoes, as the terrain is rocky and unstable at times and consider wearing a hat, depending on how sensitive you are to the sun. Absolutely make sure to wear sunscreen and sunglasses. Always carry enough water with you. We prefer to carry our Source water bubble inside of our backpack. This allows us to have an even weight of the backpack and easy and constant access to water while hiking.
Where to eat in and around Joshua Tree
Inside the National Park, there are no real options to eat out or buy food, so we suggest to prepare your own food. After all, you are traveling with a campervan for certain perks. Having your own food and 'kitchen' with you are some of them. We prepared some sandwiches in the morning, which we ate during the day, and had breakfast and dinner at our respective camps.
There are some cool saloons and diners outside of the park, which we passed, so if you prefer to eat out, try out the Joshua Tree Saloon at the West entrance to also experience some Western Saloon feeling with some live music before pulling up to the BLM.
Should you need to buy groceries, there is a Walmart north of the park at Yucca Valley.
Continue to read about our road trip through the Southwest of the US.
Next up - the highlights en route from Joshua Tree to Sedona.
Where to do your business at Joshua Tree National Park
Like in all National Parks in the US, you will find bathrooms at the entrances of the parks. In Joshua Tree, you will also be able to find bathrooms at the main attractions or the campgrounds.
Have you been to Joshua Tree National Park, or is there anything we missed, and you would like to know? Let us know in the comments below 😊.
