In March of 2023, we visited Joshua Tree National Park over the course of three days. Here’s what we learned and what you should know to help plan your visit.

About Joshua Tree National Park (spoiler: it Rocks)

Joshua Tree National Park is sprawling – close to 800,000 acres. Most visitors travel a loop that includes Highway 62, which is outside of the park, and Park Boulevard Road, which is inside the park. There are several roads that jut out from the main loop with various points of interest.

Heart Rock at Joshua Tree National Park (this rock was obvious!)

The eastern side of the park contains fewer Joshua Trees than the western side of the park. However, there are great hike to see some “destination” rocks along the Skull Rock, Split Rock, and Jumbo Rock trails on the eastern side of the park. For those who travel down Pinto Basin Road, they will be rewarded with the popular Arch Rock trail (which also leads to the Heart Rock Trail) and a spectacular cholla garden that seems to come out of nowhere.

Warning #1: Joshua Tree National Park is Busy

The main trails in Joshua Tree National Park are exceptionally busy. Indeed, it was very difficult to get photos of many of the “destination” rocks without other people in the background. Skull Rock was the worst, and we ultimately gave up trying to get a good selfie there.

Warning #2: Rock Names Can Be Confusing

Sometimes we would see a rock, and think it was THE destination rock, only to find a rock later on our hike that could be THE destination rock as well. For example, on the Split Rock trail, there’s a large rock near the trailhead that we thought was Split Rock. Then, later on, we found what we think is the real Split Rock.

If you haven’t figure it out yet, Joshua Tree is ROCKY. Like…there are rocks EVERYWHERE. We had a ton of fun looking at the rocks, and trying to name some of them. Some of the naming winners included:

Grumpy poo rock.

Plumbers butt rock.

Gummy Bear rock.

Manscaping rock.

If you watch the video, you can see that this rock-naming game is a ton of fun!

Pro Tip: When all else failed for a rock name, “Baked Potato Rock” usually worked.

Where is the Best Place to See Joshua Trees in Joshua Tree National Park?

Joshua Trees are not located throughout the park. Indeed, much of the park doesn’t have any Joshua Trees from what we could tell.

For visitors who just want to see Joshua Trees up close, I think that the Cap Rock Trail and the Barker Dam trails are the best.

Oases at Joshua Tree National Park

Walking Cottonwood Spring Oasis in Joshua Tree National Park

I expected to see trees at Joshua Tree National Park. But what kind of trees? Joshua Trees (duh!). But palm trees? In the desert?

Joshua Tree National Park is home to five desert fan palm oases. Only 158 desert fan palm oases exist in North America so the Joshua Tree National Park has some braggin’ rights. Luckily, all but one of the oases are accessible via a hike as well.

1. Oasis of Mara

This 0.5-mile looped hike is located at the old visitor’s center on the northeast side of the park. This very small oasis is located before the park entrance so can be hiked without payment of any park fee.

2. Forty-Nine Palms Oasis

Located in the north-central part of the park just off of Highway 62, Forty-nine Palms Oasis is accessible via a 3-mile round-trip hike. This trailhead and oasis itself are located before the park entrance so can be hiked without payment of any park fee. The park seems to close this trail periodically for maintenance or because of the bighorn sheep nesting. It happened to be closed during our visit to the park.

View of Cottonwood Spring Oasis from the Mastodon Peak Trail at Joshua Tree National Park

3. Lost Palms Oasis

Located in the southern part of the park, Lost Palms Oasis is accessible via a strenuous 7.2-mile round-trip hike. We were not ambitious enough to do this hike.

4. Cottonwood Spring Oasis

Located in the southeastern part of the park, Cottonwood Spring Oasis is accessible via short 0.1-mile trail (yes, really short!) from the parking area.

5. Munsen Canyon / Summit Springs Oasis

Located in the southeastern part of the park, Munsen Canyon Oasis is a very dangerous 11.4-mile round-trip hike up and down a mountain. Unless you are a mountain goat, it’s probably best to skip this one. It’s not advertised or listed on the National Park Service website or on many of the hiking mobile app.

How Many Days Does it Take to Visit Joshua Tree National Park?

Our FREE campsite on BLM land just south of Joshua Tree National Park

While most visitors can probably see most of the main attractions in a single day, we opted to spend three days exploring the park.

For those who want to spend more time in the park, there are several campgrounds inside the park, but none of the sites have electricity, water, or sewer. As such, when we decided explore Joshua Tree National Park further, we opted to dry-camp on some BLM land just south of the park for free. This land is right off of I-10, and we could see and hear the traffic on most evenings.

Which Joshua Tree National Park Entrance is Best?

In our opinion, for most visitors, the best place to enter Joshua Tree National Park is from the northeast near the Oasis Visitor Center. We found that the line at the Oasis Visitor Center was about 1/5 as long as the Joshua Tree Visitor Center. The Cottonwood Entrance is too far from the main park loop (at least 45 minutes).

What is a Joshua Tree?

Large Joshua Tree at Joshua Tree National Park

Although called a “tree,” the Joshua Tree lacks many tree-like features. At the Visitor’s Centers at Joshua Tree National Park, we learned that the Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia) is a tree-like succulent plant that belongs to the genus Yucca and it is actually in the agave subfamily and asparagus family. The “tree” has a thick, fibrous trunk and branches that form a distinctive, spiky crown. It can grow up to 15-40 feet tall and can live for hundreds of years. Because the Joshua Tree does not have annual growth rings like most trees, scientists usually estimate a Joshua Tree’s age by its height.

The Joshua Tree is native to the Mojave Desert in the southwestern United States, primarily in California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. The only place I’ve seen them is within Joshua Tree National Park and some of the areas surrounding the park.

How is the Joshua Tree Different than a Yucca Plant?

Joshua Tree National Park is close to Yucca Valley. And, as noted above, the Joshua Tree is a species of the yucca plant. It was hard for me to tell the difference at first, but I got the hang of it after doing a little research. While many yucca species have a similar appearance to the Joshua Tree, there are some differences.

Joshua Trees and yucca plants at Joshua Tree National Park. Can you tell the difference?

1. Size

Joshua Trees are taller and have a more distinct, branching trunk, while yucca plants are usually smaller and have a single stem with a rosette of leaves.

2. Leaves

The yucca plant has longer, wider leaves compared to the Joshua Tree (up to 4 times longer). Joshua Tree leaves are typically less than a foot and are a little more concave.

The yucca plant has with fibrous threads that curl along the leaf edges, while the Joshua Tree does not.

The spiky leaves of the Joshua Tree grow in clusters at the end of each branch. The leaves of most yucca species usually grow all along the stem rather than just at the end of the branches.

3. Habitat

Joshua Trees are native to the southwestern United States, primarily in the Mojave Desert, while yucca plants are found throughout the Americas, including in desert, grassland, and woodland habitats.

4. Flowers

Both yuccas and Joshua Trees produce white, bell-shaped flowers, but the flowers of Joshua Trees are larger and grow in clusters at the ends of the branches, while yucca flowers are typically smaller and grow on a single stem.

5. Fruit

Joshua Trees produce creamy or greenish fruit that is shaped like a small egg, while yucca plants produce a variety of fruit shapes and colors, depending on the species.

How did Joshua Trees Get Their Name?

Joshua Trees were likely named by Mormons (according to a display at Joshua Tree National Park)

The Joshua Tree was likely named by a group of Mormon settlers who crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century. The tree's unusual shape reminded them of a biblical story in which Joshua reaches his hands up to the sky in prayer. The branches of the tree, with their gnarled and twisted appearance, seemed to the settlers to resemble Joshua's outstretched arms. As a result, they named the tree after him.

I think the tree looks more like a Franklin. Or maybe Sam. (Don’t ask me why).

Joshua Tree National Park - How to Visit