Joshua Tree Day Trip From Los Angeles: The Two Hour Escape
One hundred and thirty five miles from downtown Los Angeles, two and a half hours without traffic and closer to three and a half if you leave at 8am on a Saturday. The efficient shape is a one way traverse: in at the West Entrance at the town of Joshua Tree, out at Cottonwood onto I-10, which means no backtracking. Hidden Valley, Barker Dam, Ryan Mountain, Keys View, Skull Rock and the Cholla Cactus Garden all sit on that line. October to April only, unless you are happy hiking at dawn and sitting out the afternoon. Our Joshua Tree itinerary has the two day version.
The drive
Two routes, and they are not equal.
- Via I-10 and Highway 62: the standard. Downtown Los Angeles to the town of Joshua Tree is 135 miles. Leave before 6:30am on a weekday or before 7am on a weekend and it is two and a half hours. Leave at 9am and the San Bernardino stretch of I-10 will cost you an extra hour.
- Via I-10 to Cottonwood: 160 miles to the southern entrance, and the better choice if you want the Cholla Cactus Garden and Lost Palms Oasis first and the Joshua trees later.
Either way, do the traverse rather than the out and back. The park road from the West Entrance to Cottonwood is about 50 miles and takes 90 minutes with no stops, so entering one end and leaving the other saves you an hour.
The one day loop, west to east
- Hidden Valley, a one mile loop inside a ring of rock that cattle rustlers reportedly used as a corral. The best introduction to the park and the place to watch climbers.
- Barker Dam, 1.3 miles past petroglyphs to a small reservoir built by ranchers. There is water in it after a wet winter and nothing in it in June.
- Ryan Mountain, 3 miles and 1,000 feet of climbing to the best view in the park. This is the only real hike on the list and it takes about two hours.
- Keys View, a 20 minute detour to a 5,185 foot overlook above the Coachella Valley, with the San Andreas Fault visible as a line below and the Salton Sea beyond on a clear day.
- Skull Rock and Jumbo Rocks, a roadside stop and a 1.7 mile loop, and the place children will want to spend an hour scrambling.
- Cholla Cactus Garden, a quarter mile boardwalk through a dense stand of teddy bear cholla, best in the last hour of light. Do not touch them.
Skip Lost Palms Oasis and the 49 Palms Oasis unless you are dropping something else. Each is a three to seven mile hike and they do not fit alongside Ryan Mountain.
When to go, and when not to
- October to April: the season. Days in the 60s and 70s, cold nights, and the clearest air of the year.
- March and early April: wildflowers, if the winter brought rain. Our wildflower bloom guide covers the timing.
- May to September: highs routinely over 100F and often 110F in July. No shade, no water in the park, and the rock radiates heat until midnight. If you must come, hike before 8am and treat the afternoon as a driving and viewpoint day.
- Any new moon: Joshua Tree is an International Dark Sky Park and the Milky Way is visible to the naked eye from most pullouts. Staying for the stars turns a day trip into a 14 hour one, and it is the best part. See our stargazing guide.
Practical notes
- Entry is $30 per vehicle for seven days, or an America the Beautiful pass. There is no timed entry.
- Bring all your water. There is drinking water at the visitor centres and at Black Rock and Cottonwood, and nowhere in the middle of the park. Plan on a gallon per person for a summer day and two litres in winter.
- No fuel inside the park. Fill up in Yucca Valley, Twentynine Palms or at Chiriaco Summit on I-10.
- Phone signal is poor to nonexistent. Download the map before the entrance station.
- Food: nothing in the park. Pack lunch, or eat in Joshua Tree town and Twentynine Palms.
Making it two days instead
If you can spare a night, Joshua Tree becomes a much better trip. Camp at Jumbo Rocks or Hidden Valley, or take a cabin in Twentynine Palms, and you get the two things a day trip cannot give you: sunrise on the rock and a full night sky. Add the 49 Palms Oasis on the second morning. Campground detail in our Joshua Tree camping guide. Two days also opens the pairing with Palm Springs, or with Death Valley if you are building the California national parks road trip.
Have us plan it
Tell us your date and we will time the loop around the light and the heat and tell you whether the bloom is on. Planning is free, and we earn only if you book through us.
Joshua Tree National Park Day Trip From Los Angeles FAQs
About 135 miles to the West Entrance at the town of Joshua Tree, which is two and a half hours without traffic. Leaving after 8am can add an hour on I-10 through San Bernardino.
Yes, between October and April. A one way traverse from the West Entrance to Cottonwood covers Hidden Valley, Barker Dam, Ryan Mountain, Keys View and the Cholla Cactus Garden in a single day without backtracking.
Ryan Mountain, at 3 miles and 1,000 feet of climbing, gives the widest view in the park and takes about two hours. Hidden Valley at one mile is the best short walk if you would rather spread the day across several stops.
You can, with care. July highs pass 110F, there is no shade and no water in the park interior, and the rock stays hot after dark. Hike before 8am, carry a gallon of water per person, and use the afternoon for viewpoints from the car.
No. Entry is $30 per vehicle for seven days with no timed entry system. Campgrounds are the thing that books out, especially on spring weekends.
The West Entrance at the town of Joshua Tree, then drive east and exit at Cottonwood onto I-10. Doing the park as a traverse rather than an out and back saves about an hour of driving.
