The Ultimate Weekend in Joshua Tree National Park

My friends and I made a stop at Joshua Tree National Park on our southwest trip and BOY did it leave an impact on me! I’ve been dreaming about Joshua Tree for the last couple of years, and for good reason — it’s one of the most famous national parks in the southwest United States for its eerie and otherworldly landscape and topography. In fact, I loved Joshua Tree so much that it’s one of my top-ranked U.S. National Parks.

Even though we weren’t there on a weekend, I call this itinerary the Ultimate Weekend because it fits perfectly into a weekend — get there on a Friday evening and head back Sunday afternoon!

Here’s our speed run of Joshua Tree! You can find the short list at the bottom. 🙂

Friday / Day 1

This itinerary works best if you’re staying along the north rim of the park. There’s a long, very straight highway that runs along the top border, so there’s also plenty of food, grocery, and lodging options that you can’t find within the park itself. We booked an Airbnb just outside the north edge.

On this first day, focus on getting to your Airbnb. We headed to Joshua Tree from Los Angeles, after lunchtime, and still were able to make it. Just make sure you’ve allocated enough time to actually enjoy the park before the sun goes down!

After you’ve found your accommodation, head out to the amazing Barker Dam for a sunset hike. Barker Dam is one of the most popular places in the park, and the hike is a half-hour loop. You’ll be able to soak in plenty of Joshua Tree’s most famous sights, including the weird, spiky trees the park is named after and the huge rock formations that look like they were dropped here from the heavens. The name “Barker Dam” stems from the reservoir that you’ll pass around the midpoint of the hike, also one of the best places to see that stunning sunset.

If you’re lucky, you’ll be treated to a gorgeous sky along the whole length of the hike! The day that we were here, the sky turned the most incredible purple and pink color — it felt like I was on Mars or something. And best of all, we had the trail all to ourselves! Just make sure you keep an eye on the trail markings — we made a wrong turn and ended up making an hour or so trek in the dark, which was a little spooky at night. Lol whoops!

If you’re not too tired this night, I would recommend going stargazing — perhaps at Skull Rock, a popular landmark not too far from the park entrance. Joshua Tree is recognized as an International Dark Sky Park, which makes it the perfect stargazing option. You can even see the Milky Way, which will be the brightest if you come in the summer!

Saturday / Day 2

You’ll want to get up nice and early on your full day — the midday heat of the park is glaring and unforgiving between noon and 3PM, and the first hike of the day isn’t nearly as easy as the one last night! I also recommending packing a lunch for this day — it takes time to get in and out of the park, and it’s just not worth it with such limited time.

Today is leg day. Ryan Mountain is an hour and a half hike upwards, and it’s a decently steep incline as well, ascending 1050 ft (320 m). You’ll be treated to views of Joshua Tree’s enormous rock piles from all angles and a winding trail dotted with cacti, Joshua trees, and often many lizards as well! I recommend heading out as early as you can — we climbed up around 11AM, and the surrounding scenery was somewhat washed out due to the harsh lighting. There’s also no shade at the top of the mountain, and if you’re prone to sunburning, you might be in for a rough day.

After you’ve descended back into the heat, it’s time to shelter under one of the ungodly-sized boulders and eat your lunch! The sun should feel pretty awful right about now, so it’s the perfect time to hide out for a bit and re-energize.

If you’re not drained afterwards, head out to the Cap Rock trail. It’s super short — just a 0.3-mile hike, so it won’t be hard even in the sun. Best of all, it’s full of more large, weird boulder formations to climb or hide under! Personally, I thought this one was a little underwhelming — it’s just too short, and the scenery reminded me of a less pretty version of Barker Dam — but come on, it only takes like ten minutes.

Before evening starts, make sure to make a stop at Skull Rock if you didn’t the night before. I didn’t think the rock itself was very exciting, but there are a couple short and very easy trails that lead around the back of the rock. (I say trails, but it’s really just taking a walk, which is nice after Ryan Mountain that morning!)

Then it’s off to chase some more sunsets! Keys Viewpoint is probably THE most popular place in the park to watch the sunset — when we were here, we ran into almost no one the entire trip, except for when we went to watch the sunset at Keys. This is not a hike — you merely drive up to the high point, which is extremely windy and actually kind of cold. I made the mistake of wearing a short, sleeveless dress and was fighting against upskirt winds the entire time. Don’t be like me, it’s not fun.

The vista is 360 degrees, so if you want to alter the itinerary and make this a sunrise viewpoint instead, I heard that it is just as beautiful!

Time to head home and eat some well-deserved dinner.

Sunday / Day 3

This is the earliest day of all. You’ll need to get up before sunrise, and if you’re in the park during summer, sunrise is EARLY. But trust me, the Cholla Cactus Garden is going to be worth it!

If you’ve been keeping a sharp eye, you’ll notice that you passed by the signs for this garden several times already on your weekend getaway. But this garden is best appreciated at sunrise, where the endless patches of cholla cacti literally glow in the rays of the rising sun. Take some time wandering peacefully in the huge cactus fields, and see the landscape transform as the sky turns from dark to light.

You’ve seen these cacti before on this trip — they look veritably fuzzy from a distance, but don’t get too close. The cholla cactus has incredibly sharp and thin spines that are guaranteed to make your day a lot less fun. One of my friends accidentally bumped into one, and I had to spend the afternoon picking the spines out of her leg with a pair of tweezers. *shudder*

Injuries aside, this was one of my favorite parts of our entire southwest trip. Just make sure you get here before the sun is up, because once it is, the magic is gone.

You should still have plenty of time in your morning, so make a stop at the Arch Rock trail. This one is another easy 30 minute hike, though it can be kind of hard to find the actual trailhead — the directions on Google Maps are honestly all over the place. The trail is pretty but nothing special, except for the rock arch you’ll find along the way! If your trip includes Arches National Park, however, you’ll have much better rock formations to see than here.

If you have time before you leave the park, I would suggest hiking the 49 Palms Oasis Trail. This was one activity we had to cut out of our itinerary — the trail is all the way on the southeast end of the park, making it at least an hour drive one-way. The hike is also a 3-mile ambitious hike that takes 2 to 3 times longer than expected, so if you’re putting this into your itinerary, make sure you’re not bound by any timeframes! However, I’ve read that the palm-ringed oasis at the end is well worth it.

Looks like Sunday is almost over, and if you’re like us, you’ll have to head out before it gets too late. I hope you enjoy Joshua Tree National Park as much as we did!

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I wear/pack?

Joshua Tree’s climate is dry heat, so pack light, layered clothing, a reusable water bottle, and a hat for midday! You shouldn’t need a jacket in summer unless you’re headed up to Keys Viewpoint, in which case it definitely won’t hurt.

What was your favorite thing about the park?

Either the sunset at Barker Dam or the Cholla Cactus Garden. Joshua Tree really just comes alive most when the light is just barely there and not glaring overhead! The glowing cholla cacti were honestly an absolute dream, and the purple and pink sky at Barker Dam really did make me feel like I was on another planet.

Do I have to pay to get into the park?

If you enter the park before sunrise or after sunset, there’s a good chance no one will be at the entry station. However, all national parks do have an entry fee, so if you’re planning on visiting multiple of them, I recommend getting the annual National Parks Pass!