Road-trip guide · California

Joshua Tree National Park

A road-trip stop through California.

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Photo via Wikipedia — Joshua Tree National Park

The air out here smells like dust and something faintly sweet from the chollas, and the rocks sit stacked in ways that look like someone left them there on purpose. Most people who pass through make at least one stop at Skull Rock — it's right off the road and the short trail around it gives you a real feel for how strange this landscape is up close. A lot of travelers also drive up to Keys View, where you can look out over the Coachella Valley and the Salton Sea on a clear day. The Cholla Cactus Garden is another quick pull-off that's worth ten minutes of your time, especially in the late afternoon when the light catches the spines. For food, people tend to eat at the Crossroads Café in Joshua Tree town before heading in, or make the detour to La Copine out in Flamingo Heights, which has a loyal following for good reason. Nights often end at Jumbo Rocks Campground inside the park, or at a place like Spin and Margie's Desert Hideaway if you want a real bed. If you've got a road trip coming up that takes you anywhere near the high desert, building a day or two around Joshua Tree is one of those decisions you won't second-guess once you're standing in it.

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What travelers do here

Things to do in Joshua Tree National Park

Skull Rock Nature Trail & Cholla Cactus Garden

Keys View Summit

Joshua Tree National Park — Skull Rock & Hidden Valley Trail

Keys View Overlook

Skull Rock Nature Trail, Joshua Tree NP

Keys View, Joshua Tree NP

Cholla Cactus Garden

Skull Rock Nature Trail

Overnight

Where travelers stay

Lodging 1

Spin and Margie's Desert Hideaway or Sunrock Inn, Joshua Tree

Lodging 2

Spin and Margie's Desert Hideaway, Twentynine Palms

Lodging 3

Jumbo Rocks Campground, Joshua Tree NP

Lodging 4

Sacred Sands (Joshua Tree)

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West Coast

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Other cities in California

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