Joshua Tree National Park Information

Named after a strange tree you can't decide to hate or like, the Joshua Tree National Park offers a desert experience with a difference. If you're on vacation in south-eastern California, it would be a good idea to take a detour off the beaten path and include this Park in your travel itinerary. The amount of historical as well as anecdotal information available on this land will make it worth your while. If you're wondering why Joshua tree, why not Moses tree or even Jacob tree, go find at the Park.

The tree is supposed to have been christened so by the Mormons. And chances are high that you will not find a Joshua Tree outside of this National Park, anywhere in the world. Some think it's neo-classical; others swear it looks like the Cracken in the pirate movie, after it was hit by a bomb. It's like no tree you've ever known or imagined, and so you really have to see it for yourself. And yes, there's a lot more than the tree to gawk at.

Sandwiched between the Colorado and Mojave deserts, there is more than one way to access this Park. I-10 runs along the south where there is an entrance to the Park at Cottonwood Spring. If you're driving down from Los Angeles, you need to go about 140 miles east on I-10 and then turn into Indio and continue for another 25 miles to get here. CA 62 passes by on the north from where you have two entrances—the Joshua Tree Village to the west, and Twentynine Palms.

If you're flying in, the closest airport is at Palm Springs which is a convenient drive away from the Park. You would have to depend on rentals as public transport is not available to the Park.