The Ultimate 2 Day Joshua Tree National Park Itinerary
Joshua Tree National Park is a beautiful desert wonderland, and one of the most overlooked national parks in the United States.
It spans over 800,000 acres, and has excellent hiking trails, scenic vistas, interesting rock formations, and the perfect dark skies for stargazing. I went on a 2 day trip to Joshua tree to explore some of its natural beauty, and I look forward to returning a second time!
This article will cover how to spend 2 full days in the park, with details on where to stay, the best hikes, where to stargaze, and much more.
Ready to plan a memorable weekend getaway or day trip to Joshua Tree? Let’s dive in!
How To Get To Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree National Park is around a 2.5-3 hour drive from Los Angeles and San Diego, and less than an hour’s drive from Palm Springs. The main entrance to the park is the North entrance in Twentynine Palms.
There is no service in the park, and it takes around an hour to drive from entrance to entrance (north to south).
There’s a $30/vehicle fee (or $15/person walk-ins) to enter the park, and America the Beautiful passes are also accepted.
The speed limit in the park is between 35-45 mph, and there’s signs for all of the attractions, so it’s very easy to get around without maps. However, I recommend downloading the offline google maps for the easiest navigation.
The hiking trails in Joshua Tree are very well-marked, but it can be easy to veer off path on certain hikes. I highly recommend downloading Alltrails, and downloading the offline maps for the hiking trails.
Alltrails has step-by-step directions for the hikes, and offers a 7-day free trial where you can save all of the trails you plan to hike!
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Where To Stay In Joshua Tree
If you want to be close to the park, it’s best to stay in a hotel near the north entrance in Twentynine Palms.
Palm Springs and Palm Desert have many excellent hotels and spa resorts, but they’re around a 45 minute to an hour drive from Joshua Tree.
Here are some of the best places to stay near Joshua Tree.
- Holiday Inn Express Joshua Tree: Hotel with gym, pool, free parking and free breakfast, only 10 minutes from the north entrance
- Fairfield Inn & Suites: Pet-friendly hotel with gym, pool, and free breakfast only 10 minutes from the north entrance, but a parking fee of $10/night
- Pioneertown Motel: Unique wild west style hotel in a ghost town, with outdoor hammocks for stargazing, 30 minutes from the north entrance
Campgrounds in Joshua Tree
To camp overnight in the park, you must make a reservation online, which can be booked 6 months in advance. Camping fees range from $20-30 per night depending on the site.
Here are some of the best campsites within the park:
- Hidden Valley Campground: Popular campsite with large rock formations, beautiful desert vegetation, and 44 camping sites
- Jumbo Rocks Campground: Popular large campsite with unique rock formations and 124 camping sites
- White Tanks Campground: Small campground near Arch Rock in a remote section of the park, with only 15 sites
- Black Rock Campground: Small campground 5 miles from the north entrance with cell service and 99 sites
Joshua Tree Two Day Itinerary
Two days is the ideal amount of time to stay in Joshua tree if you want to see all of the popular attractions, and have one night to watch the sunset and stargaze!
Here’s my suggested itinerary for two full days in Joshua tree.
Day 1: Hiking, Sunset Watching & Stargazing
Visit The Cholla Cactus Garden
A must-see attraction in Joshua tree is the iconic Cholla cactus garden.
This is a short loop trail around hundreds of teddy bear cholla cacti, with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains.
The hike only takes around 15 minutes, and it’s located in the center of the park.
Hike To Arch Rock & Heart Rock
After checking out the Cholla Cactus Garden, hike the Arch Rock nature trail, which is less than a 15 minute drive away.
This is a well-marked trail that leads to a pile of unique rock formations, including the famous arch rock and heart rock.
This was the first hike I did in the park, and it was one of the most memorable!
Keep in mind that it’s easy to venture off of this trail, so I recommend downloading the Alltrails map if you want to locate the different rock formations. This trail also runs right next to the White Tanks campground, which has tables if you want to stop for a picnic.
Visit Skull Rock
Another must-see while in Joshua Tree is the famous skull rock formation. This is the most popular attraction within the park, and it’s very easily accessible.
You can park alongside the road right next to Skull Rock, or hike the Skull Rock Nature Trail or Discovery Trail to see it.
Skull Rock Nature Trail is a popular 1.7 mile loop trail that passes through a campsite, whereas Discovery Trail is a short 0.70 mile loop trail with the trailhead just across the road from Skull Rock. These trails are both very short and only take around 30 minutes.
Hike Hidden Valley Nature Trail
The Hidden Valley Nature Trail is another beautiful hike, with large rock formations and colorful desert vegetation.
The trailhead for the hike is across the street from the Hidden Valley Campground, and it’s a short 1.0 mile loop trail.
If you want to go rock climbing in Joshua tree, this is the place to go. This area is surrounded by Joshua Trees, and it’s one of the best places to watch the sunset.
Drive To Keys View At Sunset
To watch the sunset, drive up to Keys View. This is an incredible overlook of the mountains, Coachella Valley, and Salton Sea, at an elevation of 5,185 feet!
It’s a short walk to the overlook, where you’ll have an amazing panoramic view, especially during sunset.
Go Stargazing
If you’re staying outside of the park, I recommend returning at night to go stargazing. The park is open 24 hours, and all of the trailhead parking lots are open for stargazing.
Some of the best places to go stargazing in Joshua Tree are Hidden Valley, Cap Rock, Ryan Mountain, and Pinto Basin Road.
Day 2: Morning Hike, Museums & Pioneertown
Hike Ryan Mountain
Start your day off by climbing to the top of Ryan Mountain. This is one of Joshua Tree’s more difficult hikes, but you’ll have a spectacular view at the mountain summit.
It’s a 3 mile round trip hike, with an elevation gain of 1,050 feet. The trail has stairs, and it winds up on the mountain on a gradual incline until you reach the summit (elevation of 5,457 feet).
It took me around an hour and 45 minutes to hike this trail, and it was one of my favorite hikes in the park!
Hike To The Barker Dam and Wall Street Mill
If you’re looking for another great hike in the park, head to Barker Dam.
This is a short 1.1 mile loop trail to an ancient dried up dam, petroglyphs, and a bunch of interesting rock formations. The dam was built in 1900, and has been dried up since 2022, but it’s surrounded by beautiful desert plants.
After this hike, you can check out Wall Street Mill, which shares the same parking lot for Barker Dam!
The Wall Street Mill hike is an easy 1.8 mile round trip hike to an abandoned pink brick house, rusted antique car, and lots of interesting rock formations.
Visit Museums Outside Of The Park
After exiting Joshua Tree, check out the World Famous Crochet Museum, which is less than a 10 minute drive from the north entrance.
This is a unique tiny museum filled with crochet items, from toys to animals, and other interesting artwork. It’s completely free to visit, and the crochet items in the museum are available for purchase.
Another cool museum worth checking out is the Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum, which is less than a 20 minute drive from the park’s entrance.
This is an outdoor museum with a bunch of abstract art pieces, made out of reused materials. It’s in the middle of the desert, and it’s completely free to visit!
Shop And Dine In Pioneertown
One place you won’t want to miss while in Joshua Tree is Pioneertown, a small wild west ghost town created to film cowboy movies in 1946!
It’s less than a half hour drive from Joshua Tree, and has a variety of little gift shops, a petting zoo for kids, and a restaurant and bar. You can stop by Pappy + Harriet’s for dinner to enjoy live music and their famous barbecue.
And if you’re looking for somewhere unique to stay, you can stay a night at the Pioneertown Motel. This is a charming wild west style hotel with outdoor hammocks for stargazing!
Joshua Tree One Day Itinerary
If you’re visiting Joshua Tree for a day trip, you still have plenty of time to see the top attractions within the park.
Here’s my suggested one day Joshua tree itinerary:
- Visit the Cholla Cactus Garden
- Hike To Arch & Heart Rock
- Check Out Skull Rock
- Hike Wall Street Mill & Barker Dam
- Visit Keys View At Sunset
- Go Stargazing
Joshua Tree Attractions Map
How To Go Stargazing In Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree National Park is open 24 hours, and you can easily return to the park to go stargazing.
The park has four designated stargazing areas at the Hidden Valley, Cap Rock, Ryan Mountain, and the Quail Springs Picnic Area parking lots.
However, some of the best stargazing is on the eastern side of the park along Pinto Basin Road, where there’s even less light pollution.
A good area here is the White Tanks Campground. This campground has picnic tables, vault toilets, and is right next to the Arch Rock and Heart Rock formations.
The best time to go stargazing is during or around a new moon, when there’s no moon in the sky. You can check this Joshua Tree lunar calendar to see the current moon phases.
Best Time To Visit Joshua Tree
The best time to visit Joshua Tree is the spring (March-May) and fall (October-November), for the nicest weather. However, this also happens to be the most crowded time of year.
If you want to avoid crowds, it’s best to visit during the weekday, outside of spring break and major holidays.
Conclusion
Joshua Tree is surrounded by beautiful desert scenery and one of the most overlooked national parks in the United States!
Whether you want to go hiking, camping, stargazing, or simply unwind in nature without service, it’s well worth a visit.
I recommend spending at least 2 days in the park, so you can hike multiple trails, and have one full night to go stargazing.
And if you have more time, I recommend checking out the Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum, and dining out at Pappy + Harriet’s in Pioneertown!
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