Joshua Tree National Park
add photosEach season adds its personality to the desert’s character.
Three entrances to the park—Oasis Visitor Center, open all year 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.; Cottonwood Visitor Center, open all year 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.; and Black
Rock Nature Center, open October through May, Saturday through Thursday 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. and Friday noon to 8:00 P.M.
The Joshua Tree National Park charges a $15 fee per car entering the park and allows unlimited entry and exits for seven days. Persons with a Joshua Tree National Park card or a Golden Eagle Pass can enter the park without paying the fee. The JTNP card is $30 per year and is only valid at this park. The Golden Eagle Pass is $50 per year and is valid at all U.S. national parks.
Motels, stores, restaurants, and auto services are located in the nearby towns of Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree Village, and Twentynine Palms.
3 Reviews for Joshua Tree National Park
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"Kids love climbing on the rocks"
There are three visitor centers at the park entrances; be sure to have your kids do the junior ranger program while you're in the park and then stop to be sworn in and get their badges as you leave. It's a great way to keep kids interested in what they're seeing.
Find a place to stop and climb on the big piles of rocks. I was glad we were there in winter (early February), so the ranger told us it was too cold for the snakes to be out yet.
The Joshua trees are unique and beautiful. The park is only about 2 hours from Disneyland, and shows such a different side of California.
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"Jtree - get your climbing shoes on!"
This is a great, great park! So unique, excellent campsites. A must see! If you're up for it, get some rock climbing in. There are plenty of guides to get you started if you're a beginner. If you're not a beginner, you probably already know about jtree climbing. :)
Even if you don't climb, this is a spectacular park and everyday is beautiful :) Hike the rock formations, enjoy the unique campsites and just settle in and enjoy. Can't think of a better place to kick back and enjoy nature in a laidback and natural environment.
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"Fun with the Family"
Even if your kids have never been to Joshua Tree National Park before, they will probably recognize the short, bristly, and oddly contorted trees that thrive here from the cover of the popular U2 album The Joshua Tree. It was actually Mormon settlers who named the trees. They thought their thick branches, which protrude toward the sky, resembled the biblical Joshua praying.
Try to schedule your visit to Joshua Tree around a sunset. The photographic opportunities here are unparalleled, especially when the shadows dance on the colossal rock formations and the cholla cacti and Joshuas seem to glow in the fading sunlight. The whole place has the feel of a rather eerie lunar landscape, a boundless place in which to take time out and wonder. It’s not a geographical experience anyone in your family will soon forget.
Visitor centers and wayside exhibits, providing opportunities to acquaint you with park resources, are located along main roads leading into and through the park. Park rangers are here to help you have an enjoyable, safe visit. Detailed information on weather, road conditions, backcountry use, campgrounds, and regulations may be obtained at visitor centers and entrance stations. Walks, hikes, and campfire talks are conducted chiefly in the spring and fall; information is posted on campground bulletin boards, at ranger stations, and at visitor centers. Ranger-conducted activities can increase your enjoyment and understanding of the park.
There are nine campgrounds with tables, fireplaces, and toilets. You must bring your own water and firewood. Several picnic areas for day use are available. Ask about the Junior Ranger Program.
Less than an hour’s drive north of the Coachella Valley, and worth at least a halfday detour, Joshua Tree is where the southern Colorado Desert (elevation less than 3,000 feet) meets the vast expanse of the Mojave (high desert). The park, formerly a national monument, covers 794,000 acres and in some places affords unobstructed views of more than 50 miles. The highlight for many kids will be scrambling about the lower portions of giant quartz-monzonite boulders and monoliths in the Mojave Desert portion of the park. Be sure to check out the inspiring Junior Ranger program here.
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