The notebook of Joshua Tree National Park
Discover the summits by their paths.
Joshua trees, rocky chaos and night sky to meet two deserts.
At your own pace
Identity summary
2 to 5 days
Spring · Summer · Autumn · Winter
Recommended car
Desert · Nature
Variable accessibility
Sweet rhythm
General presentation
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua trees, rocky chaos and night sky to meet two deserts.
The discovery of Joshua Tree National Park is based on Keys View, Hidden Valley and Cholla Cactus Garden. The stay thus alternates between desert areas and natural areas, giving a concrete picture of the destination beyond its only best known site.
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For a stay of 2 to 5 days, a quiet rhythm works well. Also to be anticipated: conditions to be checked according to the season. A car is usually the easiest way to connect different sectors. Accessibility varies from site to site and deserves to be checked step by step.
Strengths and constraints
Strengths
- Keys View
- Hidden Valley
- Cholla Cactus Garden
Before you choose
- Car often useful
- Conditions to be checked by season
Places worth visiting
A selection to start dreaming and organizing the stay — not an exhaustive list of everything there is to see.
Place indismissible
Keys View
Keys View At once opens the eye to the Coachella Valley, the San Jacinto Mountains and, in clear weather, to the San Andreas fault drawn in the desert. The road leads easily, but the morning or end-of-day light gives the most relief to the ridges and plains.
Nature and panorama
Hidden Valley
Hidden Valley forms a short loop in the middle of piled granite blocks, yuccas and pine pines, in a bowl long associated with stories of cattle thieves. The walk remains accessible and constantly changes scenery, with often climbers hanging on the walls around the trail.
Culture and heritage
Cholla Cactus Garden
To Cholla Cactus Garden, thousands of cactus cholla cover the valley bottom like a low and spicy forest. The shaving sun makes their blond thorns shine, especially when rising or before setting, but the fragments fallen to the ground require to remain attentive to each step.
Place indismissible
Arch Rock
Arch Rock Condenses Joshua Tree's mineral universe around a natural arch between rounded blocks of granite. The site is joined by a short walk from the White Tank area, and the visit is mainly for game shapes, narrow passages and rocks that color at the end of the day.
Practical tips
This information helps know if the destination matches the planned trip before starting a fuller search.
To go further
More activities
Restaurants, walks, culture, leisure and outings to search without leaving the destination card.
The nearest destinations
The closest ideas on the map, to extend your trip.
Similar destinations
Same landscapes and the same pace of travel, elsewhere in the world.
