A visit to Joshua Tree National Park feels like entering into another world filled with desert, rocks, cactus, and alien-looking trees. The Joshua Trees are actually a type of yucca plant, but at the park, they’ve grown to a large size in an amazing variety of shapes.
The park, located in southern California, is approximately a three hour drive from Las Vegas. It is slightly closer to Los Angeles or San Diego if you approach from the east, but the drive from Las Vegas was scenic and easy.
From Las Vegas, the fastest route to Joshua Tree goes through the center of the Mojave Desert National Preserve. Get a full tank of gas before you leave the interstate because services are limited after that, as is phone signal, so bring a map (or don’t pause or exit the Google Maps navigation on your phone). The drive through the Mojave Desert Preserve is impressive in its own right, and there are many amazing views along the way.
We arrived to the north side of the park a little before noon and proceeded to the town of Joshua Tree for an excellent lunch at the Crossroads Cafe, which I would recommend highly. The cafe is very close to the Visitor Center, so you can stop there before going to the park entrance. Take note, there are no services in the park, so be sure to carry water in with you and refuel the car before you leave town.
With only an afternoon to spend, we entered through the park’s West Entrance and proceeded along Park Boulevard, stopping frequently to take photos. I also couldn’t resist a tiny bit of boulder climbing, although I didn’t get up too high!
The 1-mile Hidden Valley Nature Trail was a highlight of our time in the park. A park ranger recommended it as a good option, and I definitely agree. The trail takes you up through a narrow gap in the rocks to an area filled with all manner of desert plants among the picturesque boulders.
After leaving Hidden Valley, we proceeded to Keys View Road and took the 5-mile side trip to the highest point of the park with views of Mount San Jacinto and the Coachella Valley.
Back on Park Boulevard, we continued past more awesome-looking rock formations. There are many great spots in the park for serious rock climbing, and we saw a lot people who’d scaled to the top of impressive rocks throughout the park. Shortly past the Jumbo Rocks campground, we stopped for a photo of the popular and appropriately-named Skull Rock.
Keys View – Mount San Jacinto in background 
Skull Rock
We took a turn toward the south onto Pinto Basin Road and continued for about 10 miles to the Cholla Cactus Garden. The trail through these cactus plants was great, but you don’t want to get too close — I’m pretty sure there’s good reason for the first aid kit at the trail entrance. This area was one of our favorite spots in the park, and it was especially beautiful because late in the day, the sunlight was hitting the spiny cactus at an angle that made them appear to be glowing.
Our last stop in the park was at the Ocotillo Patch to see some unique spindly plants before turning back toward the park’s North Entrance as the sun was setting. We had a huge dinner at The Rib Co. (possibly the best ribs I’ve ever had) and spent the night in the town of Twentynine Palms before returning to Las Vegas the next morning.
In hindsight, there was a lot of the park we skipped, and I wish we’d arranged to spend another day in Joshua Tree rather than hurrying back to Las Vegas to see UK lose to Ohio State. An afternoon at the park was definitely enough for a worthwhile visit, but it was also enough to realize I’d like to see more!