A Perfect One Day in Joshua Tree National Park Itinerary

Last updated on May 28th, 2026

We got to spend one day in Joshua Tree National Park and it was absolutely epic! The desert scenery is not typically our favorite type of National Park, but we really fell in love with what Joshua Tree had to offer.

We know that a lot of people include a visit to Joshua Tree National Park as a short stop on a much longer road trip. So whether you’re visiting Palm Springs, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Arizona, or even doing a Southwest National Parks road trip, one day in Joshua Tree National Park makes for a great addition to your adventure.

Because of that, we decided to put together the perfect itinerary for one day in Joshua Tree National Park. It’s great for any type of traveler because the hikes aren’t super hard and there’s a variety of scenery and activities for everyone!

Before embarking on your adventure, please review the Leave No Trace principles to ensure you leave every place better than you found it, so that others can enjoy these beautiful places for many years to come!

These seven principles include planning ahead and preparing, hiking and camping on durable surfaces, disposing of waste properly (pack out what you pack in!), understanding campfire rules and always fully extinguishing your fires, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors. 

About Joshua Tree National Park

Located in southern California, Joshua Tree National Park is east of Palm Springs and about three hours from Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas. California has a total of 9 national parks, with Joshua Tree being the second most visited, only after Yosemite National Park. It’s also the 9th most visited in the country, with about 3 million visitors per year! And we consider it one of the best parks on the west coast!

We admittedly prefer the national parks filled with mountains, lush forests, and lakes. So we were definitely a little skeptical at first as to why this park is so popular. But we quickly understood the draw once we got there ourselves! Joshua Tree National Park is basically one giant playground. You can enjoy the plethora of hiking trails, climb around rocks, spend the evening stargazing, visit old mining ruins, and so much more!

The park is made up of two deserts, the Mojave and Colorado. There’s boulders, mountain peaks, and don’t forget, the Joshua Tree. The Joshua Trees are super unique, with spiky leaves and twisted arms. But despite their name, the Joshua Tree is actually not a tree at all! It is part of the agave family. No matter what they are, they are super unique and really cool to see!

Want to Learn More as you explore?

We highly suggest downloading the Guide Along – Joshua Tree (totally worth the cost!!) audio tours to navigate you on the road. Even when you don’t have service it knows where you are and provides commentary and history about the area. As well as alerts you when to stop for specific sights. These guides are fun to listen to and the narrator feels like a fun friend in the car with you!

One Day in Joshua Tree National Park Map

One Day in Joshua Tree National Park Itinerary

Below is our perfect itinerary if you only have one day in Joshua Tree National Park! But there are so many ways to experience Joshua Tree, so if you’re looking for more ideas or have more time in the park, check out our list with all of the best things to do in Joshua Tree.

Watch the Sunrise at Keys View

Start off your perfect one day in Joshua Tree National Park itinerary by watching the sunrise at Keys View. Keys View is the highest spot in the park that you can drive to, and you are rewarded with stunning 360° views of the park and the area around it. During our visit, we visited Keys View at mid-day and wish we would’ve gone at sunrise!

Getting there is easy since you can drive straight up to the viewpoint. If you are staying in the nearby town of Joshua Tree, CA, then the drive will be about 45 minutes long. Look up the time the sun rises on the day you’ll be there and plan to leave at least an hour and 15 minutes before that. It’s worth the early wake-up call, plus it will give you a super long day to see everything you can in the park.

Hike to the Top of Ryan Mountain

While it’s still nice and early, you should take advantage of the cool air by hiking to the top of Ryan Mountain. This is the second highest peak in the park, and requires a short but steep hike up to it.

The hike is about 3 miles out and back, so in the 1.5 miles it takes to get to the top you will have to go up over a thousand feet in elevation gain. It’s totally doable for most hikers, but will get your heart pumping for sure!

Want to get 30% off an AllTrails Plus membership? Use our code aplusk30 (you must redeem this code on the website, not the app)!

We use AllTrails Plus on every single hike and it is the most helpful hiking tool out there! Some of the features we love are offline maps (so we can navigate even without cell service), wrong-turn alerts, and its 3D maps feature, so we can get a feel for trails before we hike.

Admire the Joshua Trees in Hidden Valley

Visiting the Hidden Valley area is one of the best stops on a one day Joshua Tree National Park itinerary because there’s a huge amount of Joshua trees located here! Hangout at the Hidden Valley picnic area and enjoy a picnic breakfast or lunch, depending on the time to make it here.

After you relax, hit the Hidden Valley Nature Trail for a short but beautiful one-mile walk to enjoy the scenery of this area.

Visit Barker Dam and Wall Street Mill

Next up on your one day in Joshua Tree National Park itinerary is the Barker Dam and Wall Street Mill trails. They are both accessible from the same parking lot so it makes sense to enjoy both of these back to back.

Start off with a one-mile walk on the Barker Dam trail. If you’re lucky (unlike us) the reservoir will be filled with water if there has been rain recently. It’s a pretty cool sight to see in the middle of a desert! You can also continue past the dam for the chance to see some petroglyphs.

Once you’re finished there, head to the Wall Street Mill Trail to see some of the park’s mining history. It’s a super easy 2 mile trail that leads you through the area where the mill was, and you’ll still be able to see building ruins and other things left behind!

Snap a Quick Photo of Skull Rock

A popular sight to see on the one day in Joshua Tree National Park itinerary is Skull Rock! It’s exactly what it sounds like, a huge rock that looks like a skull.

No hiking is required here, as you can drive right up to it. Since it’s so popular though, there will likely be a line to take a photo in front of it.

Hike to Arch Rock and Heart Rock

The Arch Rock trail is a short 1.7 mile hike with very little elevation gain. It’s perfect for the afternoon when you might be a little tired from a long one day in Joshua Tree National Park!

The trail will pass two neat sights in the park, Arch rock and Heart rock! They’re so fun to see and play on, which you should definitely do while you’re hiking this trail.

After visiting Arches National Park, this arch might not seem as impressive, but it is unique to see in this area of the country and still a fun stop!

But be careful when driving to the trailhead, Google Maps will likely lead you to the campground nearby. So be sure to look for signs leading to Arch Rock Nature Trail parking instead!

Watch the Sunset at the Cholla Cactus Garden

The best spot in the park to watch the sunset is the Cholla Cactus Garden. This sunset spot is a little different than the popular overlooks we typically head to to watch the sun dip below the horizon. Instead, you’ll get to watch the Cholla Cacti glow in the afternoon light!

However, it is super important to note that the sun “sets” earlier here than what the sunset time actually is, since the mountains will block the light. So we recommend getting there an hour and a half early to ensure you don’t miss this beautiful sight!

Have Dinner

Take a break from exploring the park before your last activity of the day. Either head back to Joshua Tree and grab dinner at Las Palmas Restaurant or Joshua Tree Saloon, or if you brought dinner or snacks with you, then head back to the Hidden Valley Picnic area and enjoy dinner there.

Enjoy the Night Sky!

To wrap up your perfect one day in Joshua Tree National Park, turn off all the lights and look up to the sky. Joshua Tree National Park is one of the darkest places in southern California and has actually been named an International Dark Sky Park. There’s a great chance you can spot the Milky Way from here.

There’s four places in the park that you can go for stargazing, and Hidden Valley is one of those places. For more information visit the park’s guide to stargazing!

Top Tips for One Day in Joshua Tree National Park

When to Visit

The best time to spend one day in Joshua Tree National Park is between October and April. This is when the temperature is under 80℉ which will make the day a lot more comfortable and safe. There’s no tree coverage so the summers can get dangerously hot and sunny!

Getting To Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is one of the easier parks in the US to access! Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) is only an hour drive from the park, and there are four major airports within a 3.5 hour drive, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego and Phoenix!

Getting Around Joshua Tree National Park

You will definitely need to rent a car in order to experience the Park. They do not have a shuttle, so the only other option would be to book a tour guide instead. But there’s much less flexibility with that, and it is usually much more expensive!

Where to Stay

The closest town to the park is the town of Joshua Tree. Here you will find plenty of vacation rentals to choose from. Here’s a few great options!

Secluded home on 5 acres
Pipe’s Perch
Creative Desert Retreat
Modern Desert Retreat
Luxurious STUDIO 19
Joshua Tree Oasis
Astro Sunsets

There’s also some hotel options in the nearby towns to choose from:

Hampton Inn & Suites Indio
The Wesley Palm Springs
Hilton Palm Springs
Fairfield Inn & Suites Twentynine Palms
Holiday Inn Express Twentynine Palms

But if you prefer camping, there are 8 campgrounds within the park!

Black Rock
Cottonwood
Indian Cove
Jumbo Rocks
Ryan
Belle
Hidden Valley
White Tank

Prefer to camp for free? There are tons of free camping options near Joshua Tree. Learn all of our tips to find epic free campsites.

What to bring to Joshua Tree

Despite the hikes being shorter in Joshua Tree, you’ll still want to bring hiking gear and the 10 essentials. And since the park ranges greatly in elevation, the weather can change pretty quickly. So make sure to pack layers!

As we mentioned, the sun can be brutal in the park since there’s no tree coverage. Be sure to bring sunscreen, hats and sunglasses to protect yourself from the strong rays.

You’ll obviously need lots of water for your one day in Joshua Tree National Park, so we recommend you bring a 3L Camelbak bladder with you to ensure you stay hydrated along the hikes.

And finally, food! Since there are no restaurants within the park, we highly recommend you bring your meals in with you. You’ll save lots of time driving back and forth for meals if you just have a cooler full instead!

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About the Author

This article was written by Tori, one of our Adventures of A+K team members. Learn a bit about her below!

Hi, I’m Tori! I live in Nashville, TN with my husband and two daughters. We travel as much as possible throughout the year, around a 9-5 schedule and with babies in tow! My travel blog, Tori Pines Travels, aims to help people plan action-packed and culture-rich vacations around their busy jobs, fitting in as much exploring as possible. When I’m not working for Adam and Kathryn or entertaining my little ones, I’m writing, cooking, crafting or exploring Music City!