Joshua Tree National Park

Visiting Joshua Tree

I have had Joshua Tree on my bucket list for YEARS now. A couple of years ago when I visited San Diego, I was supposed to rent a car and drive out there to check it out. After a series of unfortunate events, I lost my ID and wasn't able to rent the car to go to Joshua Tree! I was so bummed, but I made it a goal to get out there eventually to see it.

A few tips about Joshua Tree:

• Get there early, especially on weekends. I went on a Saturday and while the entrance line was packed, it did move quickly.

  • The quick movement was mainly because most people had bought their passes in advance. There were two lines: one for people with passes on their phones, and another for those purchasing at the gate. Being unprepared, I bought mine at the gate, which took longer.

• Buying tickets at the gate

  • Important note: There is NO cell service in Joshua Tree National Park. Your credit card might not work at the gate if it can't connect with your provider. This didn't happen to me, but when I tried getting passes on the app, nothing loaded and my payment wouldn't go through. Keep this in mind!

• Maps

  • You'll get a physical map at the entrance—it's the most accurate guide available. It's crucial to download a map for offline use too. You can get this from the National Parks Official App. I had mine up on GPS to help navigate while driving and looking around. Having another person navigate would definitely make it easier though—I had to stop frequently to check my direction.

• Roads

  • Park Boulevard is the main road that runs through the entire park. The park is essentially a loop that you can drive around. Coming from Palm Springs, I completed about three-quarters of the loop before heading back to Las Vegas. Park Boulevard made navigation simple since it connected to all the major sightseeing spots.

• Stops - All along Park Blvd

  • Joshua Tree Visitors Center

  • Keys View

  • Hall of Horrors

  • Skull Rock

  • Elephant Rock