The Best One Day in Joshua Tree National Park Itinerary
As an experienced luxury travel planner from two years working in the industry and carefully planning my adventures for decades, Joshua Tree National Park has long been on my must-visit list. In March 2024, I finally got the chance to visit, and it exceeded all my expectations.
After thoroughly researching and mapping out an efficient one-day itinerary, I want to share my expertise to help you maximise your time in this incredible national park. This article will outline all the best things to do with one day in Joshua Tree National Park.
You will learn about all the cannot-be-missed spots like Cholla Cactus Garden, Arch Rock, Skull Rock, Hidden Valley, and the best viewpoints for sunrise and sunset. You will also get insider tips on navigating the park, obtaining permits, beating the crowds, and making the most of nearby attractions like the quirky wild west town of Pioneertown.
Whether you only have a day to spend in Joshua Tree or can linger longer, this Joshua Tree one-day itinerary will ensure you experience the highlights. Although, this itinerary makes the most sense as a day trip to Joshua Tree from Palm Springs, given the start and end locations and the number of activities I have included.
How to Visit Joshua Tree National Park in One Day?
Follow these tips to make the most of your one-day visit to Joshua Tree, California.
Start Early
The crowds start to build, meaning parking lots may be full by 10:00 AM. Plus, if you are visiting during summer, the heat will be unbearable in the middle of the day. Therefore, if you can get to Joshua Tree for sunrise, that would be ideal.
Even though the drive is long, if you are going on a day trip to Joshua Tree from Los Angeles, you should still arrive as early as possible to squeeze in as many spots in your one-day Joshua Tree itinerary.
Park Permits
You can purchase a permit upon entry to Joshua Tree National Park at any entrance station. However, if you arrive before 7:00 AM, no staff will be at the gate to assist you, so you must pay for the entrance fee on your way out.
If you arrive after 9:00 AM, there may be a long line, particularly at the west entrance in Joshua Tree. You can run into the visitor centre on Park Boulevard to buy the pass, but you still must wait in line at the gate, no matter if you already have your ticket or not.
The Joshua Tree admission fee is $30 per car.
If you own the National Parks pass, you do not need to buy an additional entrance ticket for Joshua Tree.
Food and Drink
Bring plenty of food and drink with you to spend 1 day in Joshua Tree to maximise your time in the park.
Joshua Tree National Park has no restaurants inside it, so you can save precious time by bringing your lunch. There are plenty of picnic tables that you can use to stop for a quick meal.
Additionally, there are no water refill stations in the park, except at the West Entrance Station. As a result, you should bring at least two full bottles of water per person.
It is possible to leave Joshua Tree for lunch and visit my favourite restaurant in the area, La Copine. I only recommend this lunch stop if you are happy to spare 15 minutes to get there and back from the visitor centre.
At the end of the itinerary, I suggest getting dinner in Pioneertown.
Drive a Loop
There are several entrances you can use to access Joshua Tree National Park. However, the route that makes the most sense logistically is to enter via North Entrance Station in Twentynine Palms and exit from West Entrance Station in Joshua Tree.
The reason for entering and exiting via this route is that the entrance in Twentynine Palms is generally quieter and has a smaller queue to enter than the Joshua Tree entrance. Plus, the order of this itinerary for one day in Joshua Tree National Park makes sense using the entrance and exit in this direction to create a loop.
Access to a Car
This 1-day Joshua Tree itinerary is reliant on having access to a vehicle. Therefore, you may need to rent a car to achieve this.
Make sure you rent a regular car and not an e-vehicle since there are no charging points inside Joshua Tree or the nearby towns. You will have a better choice of car when renting from an airport rather than a local rental shop.
We tried to rent a car in Anaheim, and no suitable cars were available even though we had pre-ordered online. We had better luck when renting from LAX airport.
Prioritise These Must-See Locations
There is an abundance of incredible rock formations and scenic viewpoints in Joshua Tree National Park. If you are wondering what to see in Joshua Tree, you should not skip these spots:
- Cholla Cactus Garden
- Arch Rock
- Skull Rock & Jumbo Rocks
- Hidden Valley Nature Trail
Sunrise and Sunset
If you have read my other Joshua Tree National Park guides, you will know how much I loved watching the sunrise and sunset in the park. Nevertheless, I understand the difficulty of getting up early enough to see the sunrise in Joshua Tree National Park when travelling from places like Los Angeles and San Diego.
You can get to Joshua Tree for sunrise if you are doing a day trip from Palm Springs to Joshua Tree, particularly from October to March when daylight is shorter. Sunrise in Joshua Tree will be worth the early alarm, so make the effort to be up in the dark.
Sunset may be easier to achieve when you only have 1 day in Joshua Tree National Park. It is worth hanging around in the park until at least golden hour, as the lighting is spectacular for photos.
Some of my favourite photographs taken in Joshua Tree National Park were during sunrise and sunset.
Make the Most of Nearby Attractions
Pioneertown is a great place to visit after your time in Joshua Tree National Park because it is on your way back to Palm Springs or LA. Pioneertown in the evenings on weekends can be lively with musical performances at Pappy & Harriet’s and Red Dog Saloon.
Find out more about what to expect when visiting Pioneertown.
One Day Joshua Tree Itinerary
You may need to adjust this Joshua Tree National Park itinerary based on your starting location and whether you are spending the night nearby or if you have a long onward journey.
It is easy to remove items from the itinerary if you need to make up time, or you can read my longer weekend itinerary for visiting Joshua Tree if you think you can get more done during the day.
Cholla Cactus Garden
One of the best places to start when you have one day in Joshua Tree is the Cholla Cactus Garden. You can enter the park from the Twentynine Palms entrance, which is typically quieter than the entrance in Joshua Tree town.
Plus Cholla Cactus Garden has excellent morning light, so if you can get an early start, you will benefit from a magnificent golden glow around the cacti.
There is a short walking trail through the distinctive cholla cacti where you can see a variety of shapes and sizes. However, be careful when walking close to these fuzzy-looking plants because they have sharp spikes that are difficult and extremely painful to extract.
I cannot say this from personal experience, thankfully. But if you want to know how bad it is, search for a video of cholla cactus extraction.
There is a convenient car park immediately in front of the trail.
Drive from Cholla to Arch Rock: 15 minutes
Arch Rock
Next, head over to Arch Rock, which you will have passed by briefly when driving along Pinto Basin Road this morning (unless you entered Joshua Tree from the Cottonwood Visitor Center at the south of the park). Although, it is not possible to see from the road or car park.
Arch Rock is an iconic natural arch formation and one of the most photographed spots in Joshua Tree National Park. Be prepared for a small crowd at this spot because it is popular.
Arch Rock has unique rock formations to climb on and scramble around. Walk a little further from Arch Rock Trail and you will find cool slots and views.
There is an option to walk to Heart Rock, a short distance from Arch Rock. You likely will not spend long looking at this rock, but it is still cool to see it knowing that it is a natural rock formation. Heart Rock is a couple minutes further on foot from Arch Rock, and there is a sign pointing in the right direction, or you can ask someone to point you in the right direction.
Arch Rock Nature Trail is an easy 1.1 miles/1.9 km out-and-back trail that leads you right to the base of the arch, where you can walk underneath and around. However, my smart watch calculated the distance as 3.12 km because I also did a detour to Heart Rock and some rock scrambling next to Arch Rock.
Drive from Arch Rock to Skull Rock: 10 minutes
Skull Rocks & Jumbo Rocks
The following stop is Skull Rock, where you can enjoy another of the park’s most famous rock formations. The skull-like rock, formed by millions of years of erosion, makes an iconic photo opportunity.
I think it is easy to tell it is a skull, but many people struggled to realise and could not identify which is the skull-shaped rock formation.
Skull Rock is easy to visit as it is a few strides from the side of the road. There is no car park to see Skull Rock – it only has parking on the side of the road. So, in peak periods, it would be challenging to find parking. But in March, outside of holidays, we had no trouble finding parking and could get pictures without people.
The Skull Rock Trail is approximately 1.6 miles/2.7 km loop, and it gives you access to the Discovery Trail, which loops around Jumbo Rocks Campground. It is fun to scramble around Jumbo Rocks and learn some facts from the signboards along the discovery trail.
Drive from Skull Rocks to Hidden Valley: 15 minutes
Hidden Valley Nature Trail
Now it is time to stretch your legs again on this enjoyable hike. The Hidden Valley Trail has incredible scenery, is suitable for all people without any accessibility requirements, and is an ideal length.
This hike took me around 60 minutes to complete, including many stops to take photographs. However, it is only 1 mile/1.6 km, although my watch tracked nearer to 2km including the walk from the parking lot.
The car park was empty when we arrived at 9:00 AM, but it had filled up quickly by the time we left at 10:00 AM. The Hidden Valley trailhead has toilets (outhouses) with no running water, so bring hand sanitiser.
Drive from Hidden Valley to Hall of Horrors: 7 minutes
Hall Of Horrors
If you still have time or you are waiting until golden hour/sunset, visit the Hall of Horrors to see the slot canyons. The rock formations are a great backdrop for photographs, but if you go to the left around the main, large rock formation, there is another large rock formation with some slots you can climb through.
It gets quite narrow, so if you want you can go part-way through and then turn back.
There were many crows when I visited the Hall of Horrors, which gave it a spooky feeling.
Drive from Hall of Horrors to Keys View: 12 minutes
Keys View
As the day winds down, travel to Keys View for a panoramic viewpoint. This famous viewpoint offers sweeping views of the Coachella Valley below.
If you are flexible on time, aim to arrive about an hour before sunset to experience the golden hour light washing over the valley and mountain ranges in the distance. Keys View is one of the most popular sunset viewing spots in Joshua Tree, so arrive early to grab one of the few spots in the car park.
The view at sunset from Keys View is special but it is worth leaving just before the sun has fully set to go to Cap Rock to catch the end of the sunset.
Drive from Keys View to Cap Rock: 10 minutes
Cap Rock
The photographs we took at Cap Rock at sunset are some of our favourites from the entire trip. While Cap Rock is an interesting feature, the main attraction is the sheer number of iconic Joshua Trees in this desert area.
You can climb up onto Cap Rock, a large rock formation with a giant boulder that looks like it is precariously balancing on top. However, I would suggest watching the sunset from the ground so you can walk around and capture the moment from amongst the cluster of Joshua Trees in the opposite field.
Drive out of the Joshua Tree gate, and then you will have completed a complete loop of Joshua Tree National Park.
Drive from Cap Rock to Pioneertown: 40 minutes
Pioneertown
On your way out of Joshua Tree, if you are continuing in the direction of Palm Springs or Los Angeles, you could stop for an evening in Pioneertown. If you have time, Pioneertown is well worth a visit, even in the evening.
You can visit the iconic Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown, but make sure you have checked the opening hours as it is only open from Thursday to Monday (not open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Grab dinner here and find out if any live performances are going on. You could also check out Red Dog Saloon for food, drinks, or musical performances.
How Long Do You Need in Joshua Tree National Park?
If you only want to see the main sights of Joshua Tree and are limited on time, it is possible to create a Joshua Tree one-day itinerary. However, I would strongly recommend spending one night in the Joshua Tree area so that you can get up early to see the sunset and stay late to watch the sunset.
The ideal amount of time to see most of Joshua Tree National Park’s best sights, and explore the surrounding areas including Pioneertown and local shops and restaurants, is three days. Hence, I created a weekend guide to Joshua Tree.
If you decide to spend the night, I suggest Holiday Inn Express Twentynine Palms for convenient access, or one of the following vacation rentals:
- 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
Can You Visit Joshua Tree in One Day?
Yes, you can visit Joshua Tree National Park in one day. However, you will need to move quickly and in a logical order to make the most of your time. You cannot see everything in the park, but you can see many of the highlights in one day.
What Not to Miss in Joshua Tree National Park?
Cholla Cactus Garden, Arch Rock, Skull Rock & Jumbo Rocks, and Hidden Valley Nature Trail are the locations within Joshua Tree that you need to include in your visit to Joshua Tree.
You should also make sure you stop to enjoy and photograph the Joshua Trees throughout the park – Cap Rock has a convenient car park to do this.
What Is the Most Scenic Part of Joshua Tree National Park?
The drive along Park Boulevard from Cap Rock to Skull Rock is a particularly scenic route within Joshua Tree National Park due to the number of Joshua Trees. Whereas, Arch Rock is one of the most impressive rock formations in the entire park.
Conclusion: One Day in Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park has a unique landscape that will leave you in awe. While it is possible to experience some of the park’s highlights in a day by following this carefully planned itinerary, I highly recommend taking your time and spending a few days in the area if you can.
A one-day visit is just a taste of what Joshua Tree can offer. By dedicating more time, you will have the opportunity to see more of the park’s diverse landscapes, embark on longer hikes, and witness a sunrise and sunset, which is an unforgettable experience.
Planning is essential to making the most of your time in Joshua Tree. Start your day early to beat the crowds and the heat.
