Trip Motivation
In October 2024, we took a Fall break trip to Southern California. We visited some family in LA, met up with some Nashville friends for a day of adventuring at Joshua Tree National Park and enjoyed family hotel life at a lovely resort in Palm Desert, CA. For more on our long weekend, see posts here:
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is in southern California. Its an easy drive to LA, Anaheim, and about 2-2.5 to Palm Springs/Joshua Tree. You can also fly to the Palm Springs Airport if that works with your home airport.
Joshua Tree National Park has several entrances. The main entrance for Joshua Tree National Park is the West Entrance Station off of Route 62. Further down Route 62, there is also the North Entrance Station. Both of these stations have little education areas, park rangers, shops, and info about the park. We actually visited both. Going from West to North or North to West is a good way to see lots of different sites and stops in a full day. The drive is around 35 miles. Further south, there’s also the Cottonwood entrance near Route 10.
Tips for Visiting
Cost. A Joshua Tree park pass costs $30 per vehicle. We have a 4th grader and were able to get a free pass at this website. Obama started this program where all 4th graders are eligible to get a national park pass valid for a year good for the whole car. At the website, there’s like 2 questions and then a paper to print out with a unique barcode. So fun!
Water. Be sure to park water and hydration. We had 3 12 oz bottles per person and 4 electrolyte drinks (Gatorades). The only places to get drinking water are at the visitor centers and entrances of the park, so fill up! It may also be worth packing a backpack water carrier if you anticipate long hikes.
Sun protection. Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, and long sleeve clothes are highly recommended out here.
Food. Pack snacks as there are no stores or restaurants in the park! Trail mix is always a fave along with fruit snack bribes
Cell service. There’s no reception so its a good idea to download maps ahead of time. Maybe even walkie-talkies if you get separated from your group. For trips with lots of car time, I always have a car charger.
Be respectful. The vegetation, especially the famed Joshua Trees, are highly fragile. Do not touch or climb on them and don’t attach or hang any sort of ropes off of them, such as those for hammocks. Remember to leave no trace and pack in what you pack out!
Hike to Arch Rock and Heart Rock
Starting off from the North Entrance, we drove 15 minutes to our first stop, Arch Rock trail. This is definitely a must-see. The trail to the rock is half a mile and a little tricky to find. A good idea to download maps ahead of time. Its gorgeous! After our visit to Arch Rock, we found my favorite rock sculpture, shaped like a heart!! There are also signs to the rock and its a quick flat hike. Altogether these hikes took about an hour. We took a water break and headed to our next spot.
Rock Climbing near Split Rock and Skull Rock
While the Joshua trees are obviously the highlight of the park, our kids favorite activity was scrambling up and down the rocks and treating nature like a giant playground. We didn’t do a big hike near this area. Across the main drive, we also made a brief stop at a beautiful old Oak tree. Skull Rock is one of the most famous rock formations in Joshua Tree. It’s found right off Park Boulevard shortly after the Jumbo Rocks parking lot, and can be seen right from the road. There will be plenty of cars and people so it’s impossible to miss. This iconic rock feature attracts a lot of people, so patience is key and you might have to wait a bit to get your picture unless you’re able to get here earlier in the morning or late evening after the crowds have dissipated.
More Family Hikes in Joshua Tree: Hall of Horrors and Discovery Trail
We ended our Joshua Tree visit with a pair of short hikes. The Hall of Horrors is a one mile trail with some slot canyons to explore if you’re feeling brave. We didn’t squeeze into the canyons but just enjoyed the varied landscape of Joshua trees and boulders. We also drove up towards the West Entrance to visit the Hidden Valley Trail. If we had more time/started our day a little earlier, we also had planned to see the Keys overlook. Both hikes were easy with the kids and it was so cool to get close to the trees and rocks.
Final Thoughts
It is a family goal to see more National Parks and Joshua Tree was such a unique adventure. It is not very easy to get to from Nashville, but it was worth it. I’m so glad we went! <3
For more on our long weekend, see posts here:
