A Day Trip to Joshua Tree National Park in California

2025-03-01 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Prices in parentheses are approximate conversions. Read the original Korean post →

Joshua Tree National Park... I couldn't get a picture of the entrance, so I took one of the visitor center instead.

Today's destination is Joshua Tree National Park. "Joshua" sounds like a person's name, but the park is actually named after the Joshua trees that are widely distributed in this area. To us, it just looks like a desert, but because it's where the Mojave Desert and Colorado Desert ecosystems meet, they say you can see a wider variety of flora and fauna here than in other deserts. However, as you can tell from the photos, there isn't a single plant or animal in sight other than the Joshua trees. But judging by the coyote howls echoing all around at night, it seems they aren't completely absent.

When I searched before coming, I read that rather than flora and fauna, it's a great place for its various trekking courses and for stargazing while camping. It's common to bring an RV and camp, and it's supposedly an amazing spot to see the stars at night. That makes perfect sense—since it's a desert, there's absolutely no light pollution at night, so the starry sky must be spectacular.

Maps are distributed for free in pamphlet form.

These are the Joshua trees.

The route we decided on was to do a big loop around the park, skipping the camping areas. Our first stop was Hidden Valley. It's a short trekking course where massive boulders form a valley. It's marked on the map, and places marked like this have parking lots, making it easy to park.

Walking through Hidden Valley feels a bit like rock climbing. Since it's a rocky mountain, it can be a little tough to navigate without using your hands. So, if you have trouble walking, I recommend not pushing yourself and just enjoying the view from the entrance.

The scenery where Hidden Valley begins.

Hidden Valley

Next up was Keys View Trail. It sounds like it could be called "Kiss View," but it's "Keys View." From a Korean perspective, I feel like "Kiss" would have a nicer ring to it. It's a spot high up on the mountain where you can look out over the Palm Springs area and the entire national park. Unlike Korea, the horizon is easily visible everywhere in California, so even going up just a little bit gives you a far-reaching view. Keys View was an easy walk, and since you can drive almost all the way to the viewpoint, it's accessible for people of all ages.

The only slight disappointment was that the sunset from here is supposed to be stunning, but since we had to do our loop as a day trip, we couldn't stay to see that gorgeous view. If you're planning a visit to Joshua Tree National Park, I highly recommend bringing an RV and staying overnight.

Skull Rock. It really looks like a skull.

This road has pretty fast-moving traffic, so we had people stand in front and back to check for cars, and quickly snapped this signature Joshua Tree pose photo in under 5 seconds.

Driving inside Joshua Tree National Park was so easy that I took turns at the wheel too. It's a two-lane road and the route is straightforward, so you just need to manage your speed. It feels like a place even beginner drivers could handle, so if you've driven in Korea, you can drive here with peace of mind.

The last place we visited was the Cholla Cactus Garden. The cholla cactus is just as famous as the Joshua tree, and seeing them grow in clusters like a farm is almost a bit creepy. They look like they would hurt a lot if you got pricked, so I didn't even dare touch them. Babies sometimes touch them and end up crying their eyes out, so you have to be especially careful if you're with children.

I'm not sure why these are so famous, but when I think about how there isn't much else to show off in the desert, it makes sense. I heard there are animals that eat cacti to survive, but I didn't see a single one.

The entrance to Joshua Tree National Park, which gives off a bit of a disaster movie vibe.

Since we headed out early in the morning and stayed until sunset, and because it's quite far from San Diego, it was an exhausting itinerary for both adults and kids. If someone asked me for the best way to travel here, my number one recommendation would absolutely be to rent an RV and stay for a day. My second choice would be to stay for two nights at a hotel inside the park or a nearby Airbnb.

It's especially a shame to come to such a great stargazing spot and leave without seeing the stars. It's the strange beauty and regret of traveling—feeling like you have a lot of time, yet not enough.