Joshua Tree Weekend Itinerary – How to Spend 3 Days in Joshua Tree National Park
As an experienced luxury travel agent who has spent decades crafting detailed travel itineraries for my personal travels, I recently had the opportunity to put my skills to the test during a long weekend trip to Joshua Tree National Park in March 2024.
After extensive research and with my firsthand knowledge, I have created this three-day itinerary that covers all the must-see spots and provides insider tips to make the most of your Joshua Tree adventure.
In this aritcle you will learn about breath-taking sunrises at photogenic locations like Cholla Cactus Garden and Arch Rock and exploring the otherworldly rock formations at Hidden Valley and Keys View.
This guide does not just list the most popular attractions – it is a carefully planned journey that maximises your time, avoids crowds, and ensures you catch the best lighting conditions for unforgettable photos.
I share my insider knowledge, hard-earned lessons, and expert recommendations for an unforgettable Joshua Tree weekend trip.
If you are looking for a Palm Springs and Joshua Tree itinerary that spends most of the time in Joshua Tree, with a day trip to Palm Springs, this is the perfect solution.
When to Visit Joshua Tree?
One of the best times to visit Joshua Tree is over a weekend, as you will find more restaurants, shops, and other establishments open in the area. Weekends are a popular time to visit since Joshua Tree is the perfect three-day getaway.
However, it is important to note that weekends can also be busier, especially at popular viewpoints and trailheads within the national park.
The ideal times of year for your Joshua Tree trip are during spring or fall. These shoulder seasons offer pleasantly mild weather – ideal for hiking and exploring the desert landscape. Summer brings scorching temperatures, so being out in the open desert is unpleasant.
By visiting in spring or autumn, you will be able to comfortably explore the park’s iconic sites without having to battle extreme heat.
3-Day Joshua Tree National Park Itinerary
This comprehensive 3-day itinerary will prove helpful if you are looking for a meticulously planned Joshua Tree trip, complete with step-by-step guidance and optimal timing for each activity.
However, if you prefer a more flexible approach, you may find my article on planning your own Joshua Tree itinerary as a better resource. It provides all the essential information you need to prepare for a Joshua Tree weekend getaway tailored to your preferences.
Day 1: Arrival (Friday)
Morning
Joshua Tree National Park is in the desert, which means it takes several hours to get there from main cities such as Los Angeles (over 2.5 hours) and Las Vegas (nearly 4 hours).
Sunnylands Center and Gardens
If you are arriving at Joshua Tree from the direction of Palm Springs or LA, you can stop at Sunnylands Center and Gardens. These gardens are free to visit, but it is only open from Wednesday to Sunday from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. You can verify this on their website and Instagram page for the most up-to-date information.
If you will be leaving Joshua Tree on a Monday, then it is better to visit these gardens on the first day of your weekend itinerary. I loved visiting Sunnylands at the start of my United States trip because I was excited to see so many cacti in one place.
You can visit Sunnylands for as little or as long as you like, but I imagine you will spend around 30 minutes walking around the gardens and taking photos.
Midday
Continue to your next stop, which is Pioneertown.
Pioneertown
Park at Pappy + Harriet’s for free and go into the restaurant to put your name on the waitlist for lunch. The wait time will likely be 30 – 60 minutes, so, in the meantime, you should explore Pioneertown on foot.
Go into the shops and buy souvenirs, admire the old Western setting, walk around Pioneertown Motel, check out the signs, or get a drink from Red Dog Saloon. Return to Pappy + Harriet’s for your table and order the ribs (they are a classic) and a large side of mac and cheese.
For more details on this location, read my guide to Pioneertown.
Joshua Tree
Drive to your accommodation in the Joshua Tree area.
If your Airbnb is in a rural area, or further east in Twentynine Palms, grab some groceries from the numerous supermarkets such as Vons or Walmart in the Yucca Valley.
You can also visit the Joshua Tree Visitor Centre, which is open until 5:00 PM, to learn some information about the park, ask any questions to the rangers, and purchase your park permit ahead of the early start tomorrow. You can read about various hikes in JTNP and how easy or difficult they are in the visitor centre.
There is a range of souvenirs to buy in the visitor centre too.
If you want to venture into Joshua Tree National Park this evening, you can find a spot to watch the sunset.
Otherwise, get an early night and set your alarm to wake up in the dark before sunrise. Also, make sure you have downloaded offline maps to successfully navigate the park without any mobile service.
Day 2: Full-Day in Joshua Tree (Saturday)
Wake up early and pack your bag with plenty of water, breakfast, and snacks. When I visited in March, I had to set the alarm for 5:30 AM to leave by 6:00 AM.
Morning
Cholla Cactus Garden
Duration: 30 minutes
Sunrise in Joshua Tree was one of my favourite times of the day, so it is worth the early wake-up, even if you return for a mid-morning nap. Cholla Cactus Garden is one of the most popular sunrise views in Joshua Tree.
Arrive at Cholla Cactus Garden at least 30 minutes before sunrise. You can check this on the iPhone weather app or the Timeanddate website. Do not make the mistake we made by aiming to arrive at the time of sunrise because some of the best lighting is before the official sunrise.
It takes 30 minutes to get from Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Centre on the outskirts of the park to Cholla Cactus Garden, plus the distance from your accommodation. Our Airbnb was 15 minutes from the park entrance in 29 Palms, which does not seem like much, but it adds up when you travel to and from the park several times a day.
Whereas, Holiday Inn Express in 29 Palms is only 3 minutes from the park entrance, which can help save precious time in the early hours.
Even though Cholla Cactus Garden is one of the most loved spots for watching the sunrise in Joshua Tree National Park, there should be enough parking spaces at this hour. There is a car park immediately next to it, so you can set your GPS to Cholla Cactus Garden.
Take plenty of photos and videos while at Cholla Cactus Garden. I imagine it will be unlike anything you have ever seen before. Capture photographs of the early colours just as the sun pops above the hills to create a glow around the cactus.
Shortly after the sun has risen above the horizon, you can take your last photos and continue to the next stop.
Drive from Cholla to Arch Rock: 15 minutes
Arch Rock
Duration: 60 minutes
Drive to Arch Rock, which is about 15 minutes down the road. Park at Twin Tanks and Arch Rock Trailhead and walk along the trail to Arch Rock. There were only two other cars in the car park at Twin Tanks/Arch Rock when we arrived just after 7:00 AM (10 minutes after sunrise).
My watch tracked the entire walk (including a detour to Heart Rock and some rock scrambling) as 3.12 km – the walk with exploration took 45 minutes. However, the next time we returned, we stayed 1 hour to explore the slots and take more photos without people in them.
Arriving at Arch Rock shortly after sunrise is beneficial for superior lighting and encountering fewer people. Take the photo of Arch Rock with someone standing underneath because it makes for a remarkable image.
Allow for time to explore the magnificent rock formations around Arch Rock, which I found very fun. Arch Rock is one of the priority spots on your itinerary to visit even if you only have a day in Joshua Tree.
Drive from Arch Rock to Hidden Valley: 25 minutes
Hidden Valley Nature Trail
Duration: 60 minutes
The final morning activity is at Hidden Valley Nature Trail, where you will experience an impressive but easy hike. There is bountiful parking at Hidden Valley Trailhead, although there was a sign when we pulled up at 9:00 AM that the parking lot was full.
However, as we drove further in, it was practically empty. Although many cars had filled the car park by 10:00 AM once we were finished – so do not arrive too late at Hidden Valley.
Advice from the National Park Service is that most car parks are full by 10:00 AM. So, it is advantageous to arrive in the park at sunrise (for crowd control and to avoid the heat in warmer months) and see as much as possible before 10:00 AM.
By the end of your hike, you will be ready for a rest since you likely ate breakfast on the go in the car. You can return to your accommodation for a break or go into Joshua Tree town to grab a coffee and explore the shops.
Lunch
Drive to Flamingo Heights, where you will find La Copine, a restaurant that is open from Thursday to Sunday. You can send a text (or iMessage if you are international) to reserve a table at La Copine.
The shrimp roll from this restaurant was one of the best things I ate during my trip to California; therefore, I suggest you ensure you fit this restaurant into your Joshua Tree itinerary based on its limited opening hours.
La Copine is approximately 20 minutes by car from Joshua Tree Visitor Centre.
Afternoon
After lunch, it is time to return to Joshua Tree National Park. I suggest always leaving your walking boots and some extra layers in the car so you can head straight into the park. Otherwise, it will add time if your Airbnb is out of the way.
It gets cold in the evenings, particularly from October to May. When we visited in March, we needed a long-sleeve top, a sweatshirt, and a thicker jacket in the evenings.
Hall of Horrors
Duration: 60 minutes
Your first stop of the afternoon will be at the Hall of Horrors.
Do not be alarmed by the strange name as the area is beautiful and has some adrenaline-fuelled slots you can explore. Even if you are claustrophobic, like me, you can still peek your head into some of the slots to get an idea and take some cool photos.
Golden hour will start soon, so start travelling to the location where you wish to watch the sunset.
Drive from Hall of Horrors to Keys View: 15 minutes
Keys View
Duration: 60 minutes
Keys View is a 15-minute drive from Hall of Horrors, so you can watch the sunset from there. Nonetheless, the Keys View parking lot is relatively small, so you need to arrive 1 hour before the sunset time.
It is windy and chilly at Keys View in the evening, so ensure you have several layers. You may even want to sit in the car for a bit until the sunset starts to progress. I wish had brought a book while I waited as there is no mobile service in the car park.
You must arrive earlier than 30 minutes before sunset because there was a long line of cars looking for a spot at this time.
Evening
Watch the sunset and then it is time to head out of the park.
If you want to wait a bit longer, you can head to a stargazing spot or you can see if there is a guided star viewing at Sky’s The Limit Observatory and Nature Center.
Otherwise, return home to eat at your Airbnb, or visit a restaurant if you are staying in a hotel.
Day 3: Full-Day in Joshua Tree or Half-Day Trip to Palm Springs (Sunday)
Morning
This morning, you have the choice of returning to some spots for sunrise, such as Cholla Cactus Garden, Arch Rock, Hidden Valley, or Keys View.
You could also take a slower morning, go for breakfast in Joshua Tree, and explore the shops if you did not get the chance to already.
Alternatively, you could opt for a more challenging hike such as the Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail, Ryan Mountain, or Barker Dam (the latter is only advised if it has rained recently). If you fancy visiting Key’s Ranch, you must book a guided tour (lasting 90 minutes). It costs $10 per person and tours are offered from October to May (not in the hot months). You can book on the recreation.gov website.
Palm Springs
Otherwise, you can visit Palm Springs in the morning, which is what we did. The drive is around 45 minutes each way, so you can easily spend the morning in the area before returning to Joshua Tree National Park.
If you opt for the Palm Springs option, you should aim to arrive at Andreas Canyon Trailhead at 8:30 AM because it is a popular hike and gets busier as the day goes on. This easy trail will take around 25 minutes with stops for photos and the park entrance fee costs $12 per person.
After the hike, you can drive around the Andreas Canyon neighbourhood and look at the remarkable architecture of the homes and admire the pristine landscaping.
After, you can explore Palm Springs, with a stop for coffee at Ernest Coffee before continuing to Palm Springs Art Museum or another museum of your choice, such as the Air Museum or the Architecture Museum.
Make sure you check out the Marilyn Monroe statue and walk around Palm Springs downtown – there is a mix of eclectic (some are tacky) and regular fashion or home decor stores.
Stop for lunch in Palm Springs before returning to back to the Joshua Tree desert. We ate at Clandestino, which is a Mexican restaurant, and some dishes were great, such as Tacos al Pastor and the chips with guacamole, but other dishes were not as good.
Afternoon
Return to Joshua Tree National Park to enjoy some more extraordinary viewpoints and gentle hikes.
Skull Rock
Duration: 60 minutes
Start at Skull Rock and figure out which is the famous rock formation and how it got its name. There is convenient parking on the side of the road close to Skull Rock, so the walk is brief. However, there is the option to extend the walk on the Discovery Trail that crosses from Jumbo Rocks to Split Rock in a loop.
Drive from Skull Rock to Cap Rock: 15 minutes
Cap Rock
Then, it is time to decide where you want to be for golden hour again. We went to Intersection Rock and got some cool pictures of rock climbers, but ultimately it is not the best for the actual sunset as there is a large mountain that blocks your view.
Therefore, we headed to Cap Rock to watch the sunset. You can also choose any layby or viewpoint with an abundance of Joshua Trees as it makes for a beautiful viewpoint at sunset.
At Cap Rock, you can climb on the rocks to watch the sun go down over the vast area of Joshua Trees. One of my favourite photos we took at Cap Rock at sunset was of me walking along the middle of the road with the pink sky and Joshua Trees surrounding me.
Again, you will have the chance to do some stargazing, or you can return to your accommodation or start the journey to your onward destination.
How Long Should You Spend in Joshua Tree National Park?
This article is centred around a weekend in Joshua Tree, which fortunately happens to be the perfect amount of time to spend in the area. While it is possible to visit Joshua Tree National Park in one day and see most of the highlights, dedicating three full days to Joshua Tree allows you to become truly acquainted with the park at a more leisurely pace.
A 3-day Joshua Tree itinerary not only provides plenty of time to thoroughly experience Joshua Tree’s beautiful landscapes and hiking trails, but it also gives you time to rest, dine at local restaurants, and browse the shops in the surrounding towns.
Where to Stay in Joshua Tree?
When visiting Joshua Tree National Park, the nearby towns of Joshua Tree and 29 Palms are the best locations for exploring the park. Twentynine Palms, located closer to the park’s quieter north entrance, can reduce driving times to many key sites and viewpoints.
As for hotels, the Holiday Inn Express Twentynine Palms and Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Twentynine Palms offer comfortable accommodations and easy access to the park. If you are looking for something more unique, you may prefer the Michelin Guide-approved AutoCamp Joshua Tree.
Vacation rentals like the stylish homes and themed bungalows dotting Joshua Tree and 29 Palms are good for those looking to cook meals at home.
- One-bedroom cabin with pool on border of JTNP
- Large and stylish home with mountain view and hot tub
- 2-bedroom Moroccan-themed bungalow located in 29 Palms town
Or find a wide variety of luxurious accommodations in the Joshua Tree area on Plum Guide that have been carefully picked.
Conclusion: Joshua Tree Weekend Itinerary
A long weekend in Joshua Tree National Park offers the perfect amount of time to immerse yourself in its otherworldly desert landscapes.
By following this three-day itinerary, you will be able to experience the most photogenic sunrise and sunset viewpoints, explore rock formations and hiking trails, and even squeeze in a half-day excursion to nearby Palm Springs.
From witnessing the glow at Cholla Cactus Garden during first light to admiring the Joshua trees at golden hour, this itinerary ensures you catch the park’s most stunning sights in their prime lighting.
You will have the opportunity to hit all the major highlights like Arch Rock, Hidden Valley, Keys View, and Cap Rock while avoiding crowds by arriving at strategic times.
