The town of Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, on Highway 62, the Twentynine Palms Highway, at between about 2,500 and 3,500 feet. The county calls it a gateway community to the national park, and the park's West Entrance is five miles south of the highway down Park Boulevard. Downtown is the short stretch of shops and cafes on the highway on either side of Park Boulevard.
The Joshua Tree farmers market
The Joshua Tree Certified Farmers' Market is on Saturday mornings on Highway 62 downtown, just west of Park Boulevard. It is a state certified farmers market, where growers sell what they grow. Go early in the morning, then walk to the shops and cafes on the same stretch of the highway.
Shops in downtown Joshua Tree
Most of the shops are on Highway 62 within a few blocks of Park Boulevard, close enough to walk between:
- Coyote Corner, a gift shop on Park Boulevard
- The Station, for souvenirs
- Nomad Ventures, for outdoor and climbing gear before the park
- Ricochet Vintage Wears and Time Echo Vintage, for vintage
- The Joshua Tree Trading Post, for gifts
- The Joshua Tree Rock Shop
- Space Cowboy Books, a used bookstore in the Sun Alley shops
- Boutiques like Sun of the Desert, Roaming Travelers, Love Earth Designs and Rooted
- Joshua Tree Health Foods, for picnic supplies before the park
Yucca Valley, the next town west on Highway 62, has more, including Hoof and the Horn and The End.
Art and places to walk
- The World Famous Crochet Museum, crocheted animals and other creations in a converted drive-up photo booth on the Art Queen lot, beside the Art Queen gallery
- Hey There Projects and Juniper Arts, two more art spaces on the highway
- The Joshua Tree Visitor Center, run by the park on Park Boulevard downtown, with exhibits, a bookstore and maps, for a pass and a ranger's read on conditions before you go in
- The Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum, a few miles north of downtown, where the artist's assemblage sculptures stand out on the open desert. It is free and open every day, and the last stretch is a dirt road that can be rough after storms.
Where to eat in downtown Joshua Tree
- Crossroads Cafe, a diner on the highway
- JT Country Kitchen, for breakfast and lunch
- Joshua Tree Coffee Company, for coffee
- The Joshua Tree Saloon, for burgers, steaks and sandwiches
- Royal Siam, for Thai food
- Sky High Pie, for pizza
- The DEZ Fine Food, for sandwiches
- Castañeda's Mexican Food
- The Roadrunner Grab and Go, a deli inside the visitor center
A Saturday in Joshua Tree
- Morning: the farmers market, then coffee downtown
- Late morning: the shops on the highway and the Crochet Museum
- Midday: lunch downtown, then the visitor center for a map and a pass
- Afternoon: into the park by the West Entrance, five miles south, or west on Highway 62 to Morongo Valley for the Sanctuary Tour or a Gamelatron session
Fifteen minutes west, in Morongo Valley
Kaleidoscope Desert, our nonprofit art and animal sanctuary, is in Morongo Valley, 15 minutes west of downtown Joshua Tree on Highway 62 and 20 minutes from Palm Springs. More than 100 rescued animals roam free among the art, Rubs the zebra, mini horses, mini cows, goats, pigs and giant tortoises among them, and they come over to meet you.
The Sanctuary Tour is a guided walk with someone who knows every resident by name, about 90 minutes, and it runs daily. The Gamelatron is one full hour of fifteen bronze gongs played by robotic mallets, with sessions on the hour from 1 to 7 PM. The Day Pass is the whole afternoon, 12 to 6 PM, with the tour, a Gamelatron session, the pool and the hot tub. Every visit is for adults, 18 and over.
100% of proceeds go to the animals: their rescue, their care, and the sanctuary they live in. Kaleidoscope Desert Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.