Best Two Days in Joshua Tree National Park

Looking for a great way to spend the perfect two days in Joshua Tree National Park? You’ve come to the right place if you’re looking to explore this unique outdoor landscape. The National Park is located in Southern California, slightly North of Palm Springs. To get to the National Park if you are from out of state, the best airport to fly into is Palm Springs International Airport (PSP), from there the drive should be about 1-hour. There is also a park entrance fee that costs $30, which is good for 7-days.
If you are driving into the park from the West, you will need to take the major Interstate 10 and then branch off North to the 62 highway towards Yucca Valley or Twenty-Nine Palms. If you are coming from the East, you can take the Interstate 10, and exit at Cottonwood Springs Road.

There are two local communities that are both about 30-minutes outside of the National Park to the North of it. Yucca Valley and Twenty-Nine Palms are both bustling little cities full of hotels, inns, shops, restaurants and full-service amenities. But once you enter the official park, there is literally nothing. No gas stations or cell service. Unless you are camping within the park, be prepared to have water, snacks/food, and other amenities with you.

Things to Know before Entering the Park

• Download a Google Offline Map of the area because there is no cell reception at all within the park.
• Arrive early to enter the park on the weekends at least before 10am, Saturdays are the worse with a traffic jam at the ranger station entrance.
• Pack lots of water! Toilet paper, first aid and good shoes!
• Bring food or snacks if you intend on staying in the park for the whole day without exiting back into town.

What are Joshua Trees?

The strange and peculiar Joshua Trees and Cholla Cacti that are indigenous to this region are quite interesting. As soon as you enter the area, you can witness these gnarly trees growing in a strange spaced-out pattern as far as the eye can see into the horizon. Unlike regular trees that grow close together to create “forests”, Joshua Trees grow several dozen feet apart from each other. I can’t figure out why. They have dagger-like leaves and sprawling, zig-zaggy branches. The Joshua trees look like they belong in a Dr. Seuss book or in an alien landscape.

In addition to exploring the Joshua Trees, the region is popular among rock climbers, hikers and campers. There are many rocky outcrops and large rock formations throughout the national park. You can trek through them, climb them, hike around them, and explore them to yours heart’s content. I won’t go too much into the history of the park, but if you are interested, you can check out their Official Website to learn more.

Be a Responsible Traveler during the Covid-19 restrictions. We practiced responsible safety precautions, social distancing, mask-wearing and sanitation during our trip. Due to the 2020 Covid-19 restrictions, some locations’ status may vary. Closures and hours of operation may be different from their regular schedule. Please check websites for any of the listed locations for the most up-to-date information. Stay safe, healthy and Happy Travels!

Things to do in Joshua Tree

Visit the Cholla Cactus Garden

Safety Warning

Let’s start with a quick Warning when you visit the Cholla Cactus Garden. Do NOT wear open-toe shoes like we did. And do NOT bring your dogs. The sharp needle-like spikes can be found all over the surface of the ground, and the wrong step or kick can easily lodge a needle into your foot or toes. And for dogs, it is extremely DANGEROUS for their paws and their nose!!! I accidentally kicked a small bundle of needles without realizing and a needle pricked my big toe. You can’t pull it out slowly either because each needle also has tiny micro barbs, so you have to yank it off quick like a stuck band-aid. Ouch! (I even saw people with tennis shoes that had needles stuck to the rubber soles!)

The Cactus Garden

Other than the above warning, the Cholla Cactus Garden was the highlight of the park for me. We arrived an hour before sunset to check out the cute little cactus plants, also known as teddy-bear cactus or jumping cactus. From far away, the branches of the cactus look like the fuzzy arms and legs of a teddy bear. But of course, as you get closer, you realize it’s a teddy bear from your nightmares! They’re also called Jumping cactus because if one of the needles touch your clothing ever-so-slightly, the whole branch breaks off and gets stuck on you in a blink of an eye like they literally jumped on you.

Did I say I really liked this place? Sounds like a nightmare! Just kidding, this place was really amazing. If you visit for two days in Joshua Tree during Spring time, there are a variety of different desert plants that bloom throughout the garden. Including a species of Desert Lavender that smells divine. I hope to go back and visit during the Spring to witness the desert blooms.

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Best Joshua Tree Hikes & Easy Trails

Arch Rock at White Tanks Campground

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Barker Dam Hiking Trail

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A post shared by Adventures by April (@nomadicpeachy) on Sep 21, 2020 at 11:49pm PDT

For some reason, when we visited the Barker Dam, there was no water present. But the area was beautiful. The Dam is also known as the Big Horn Dam, it is a water-storage facility constructed by early cattlemen, including CO Barker, in 1900.
The hiking trail is a simple hike and reaching the Dam area is an easy 1.5 mile round trip.  You’ll be surrounded by amazing boulders and Joshua Trees the entire time. This is a popular hiking route so it can get crowded. The trail also branches off and leads you to some petroglyphs which we didn’t have time to get to.

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Hall of Horrors Hiking & Rock Climbing

I only learned about this unique crevice in the rock when someone told me about it on Instagram only two days before our trip! So I had minimal time to research how to find it. However, there is signage for the main hiking area and you can locate it on your google maps. Plus a small parking lot. The Hall of Horrors location is great for hiking, rock climbing and exploring. But if you want to find the actual HALL specifically, then here are some easy directions. (Don’t worry, it’s only minor climbing on rocks to reach, no gear necessary besides good hiking shoes.)

How to Find the Hall of Horrors Passageway

Once inside the Hall of Horrors, the narrow space is about a meter wide and probably about 100ft long to the end. I believe you can squeeze out from the other end but the spacing is quite narrow. Also, to the left of the Hall of Horrors is a mini passageway that I dubbed the Hall of Wimps. It’s more open and lit up and easier to get to. The rest of the area is great for climbing, hiking and exploring. We came across some rock climbers and asked them for directions. They were super helpful.

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Jumbo Rock Campground Hikes

During your two days in Joshua Tree, whether you’re camping or staying at a hotel, make sure you stop at this particular campground. The Jumbo Rocks campground is beautiful and one of the largest campgrounds in the area. The area is riddled with incredible rock formations intermingled with hiking trails. It is also the location to find the below rocks that people love taking photos with. (See below.)

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Skull Rock, Penguin Rock & Juniper Tree

The Skull Rock formation is the most popular and most instagrammable inside Joshua Tree. Frankly, to me, it looks like Cthulu, the fictional monster created by H.P. Lovecraft. The Skull Rock is also the easiest to find because it is literally right off the road and is quite visible. Simply pass the sign for Jumbo Rock Campground and you’ll notice it on the right hand side of the road less than a minute away.

The Penguin & Juniper Tree is a bit deeper within the campground. You will need to park your vehicle and enter the campground by foot, then follow the road about 5-7 minutes in to find camping lots 18 and 19. When you locate the two lots, hike up behind them and you’ll immediately see the Penguin Rock with the little Juniper tree in front of it.

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Keys View

During your two days in Joshua Tree, an easy and quick stop is the Keys View summit. It’s located a bit out of the way but it gives an incredible view of the Coachella Valley below. There are also some hiking trails in the area if you want to spend a bit more time there.

Rock Climbing in Joshua Tree

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Stop & Go Sight-Seeing

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Go Back in Time at Pioneertown

A little hidden jewel outside of the National Park is a small town called Pioneertown. It’s located about 10-15 minutes Northwest of the Joshua Tree park. It is a super quick and fun place to visit.

An actor started the town back in the late 1940s as an Old West themed motion-picture set. The town was designed to provide a place for film production companies to enjoy while also using the businesses and homes for their films. Hundreds of early Western movies and tv-shows were filmed in Pioneertown. The buildings are rustic and truly give off a Old West vibe. Many of the buildings are functioning and serve as modern day shops. There also actual private homes on the property where people live.

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Grab a Bite at Pappy & Harriet’s

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A post shared by Pappy & Harriet’s (@pappyandharriets) on Apr 20, 2020 at 8:01pm PDT

As a cornerstone of Pioneertown, Pappy & Harriet’s is a rustic restaurant, music venue and a popular stop in the Old West town. It originally was created as a Saloon/Cantina setting for the Pioneertown film set. In the 1970s, it was purchased by a couple that turned it into a Burrito Bar for Biker Clubs, then transitioned into a BBQ Tex-Mex family dining in the 80s. It exchanged ownership a few more times and then fell into disrepair.
Today, it is owned by two New York ladies who loved P&H and wanted to see it returned to its glory days. “The girls bought the club in 2003 and have done just that. Musicians from Robert Plant to Vampire Weekend to Leon Russell to Sean Lennon and many more have graced the P&H stage. The legendary bar has become an indie rock favorite with a vibe that can’t be matched.”

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Where to Stay for Two days in Joshua Tree

Local Hotels & Inns

During our two days in Joshua Tree, we chose to stay at a local Best Western Hotel. We paid with our credit card points which made it essentially free, but the rates are still quite reasonable. It was clean, not crowded at all, and we booked a Deluxe King room that had a full kitchenette. It was also a great location, less than 10-minutes away from the National Park West Entrance.

OTHER RECOMMENDED HOTELS & INNS

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Best Joshua Tree AirBNBs

I’ve favorited these four Joshua Tree AirBNB locations for my own personal Stays when I visit the park again, but I thought I’d share them with you as well. All locations are in the Yucca Valley area and within 10-20 minutes of the West park entrance. Pricing is also great if you avoid the Peak Season.

Camping in Joshua Tree

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IF YOU LIKE JOSHUA TREE, THEN YOU MIGHT ENJOY THIS AS WELL!

If you enjoy the desert and unique landscape, then you’ll definitely love Death Valley National Park in Southern California. Hop on over to my Death Valley Bucket List to learn more about it. Find out why it’s my favorite place of 2020! Honestly, before 2020, I didn’t even know where Death Valley was! I thought it was in Africa! HAHAHA But now I know it’s one of the United States best hidden jewels. Plus, it’s got lots of secret Star Wars film sites.

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