How many days do you need?
One full day covers the highlights along Park Boulevard, the main road between the West and North Entrances. The park calls that drive a way to see a lot of it in a couple of hours, and the stops along it fill a day.
Two days lets you add Pinto Basin Road down to the Cholla Cactus Garden and Cottonwood, a longer hike like Ryan Mountain, and a sunset and a night of stars without rushing.
Morning
Start early at the West Entrance, 5 miles south of Highway 62 on Park Boulevard in the town of Joshua Tree. Stop at the visitor center in town first for a pass, a map and a bottle refill.
- Hidden Valley, 14 miles from the visitor center: a one mile loop through a rock-enclosed valley once said to hide cattle rustlers
- Barker Dam, nearby: a 1.1 mile loop to the dam. Watch for bighorn sheep. Parking runs short from September to May, so come early
Midday
- Keys View, a 20 minute drive off Park Boulevard: the ridge drops nearly a mile to the Coachella Valley and the San Andreas Fault runs below
- Cap Rock, where Keys View Road meets Park Boulevard: an easy 0.4 mile loop among the boulders
- Lunch: the picnic you brought, since there is no food to buy in the park
- If you are fit and it is cool, Ryan Mountain: 3 miles out and back with 1,050 feet of climb, about one and a half to two and a half hours. The park says not to try it in the heat
Afternoon
- Skull Rock, a popular stop right beside Park Boulevard near Jumbo Rocks, with a 1.7 mile loop through the boulder fields if you want to walk
- Then a choice. For the Cholla Cactus Garden, take Pinto Basin Road south: a quarter mile loop through a dense stand of cholla, whose segments break off and attach to anyone who brushes them, so wear closed shoes. Or carry on along Park Boulevard and leave by the North Entrance, about 45 minutes of driving from the West
Evening
- Sunset at Keys View or the Cholla Cactus Garden, with a warm layer
- Or leave by the West Entrance before dark and drive 15 minutes west on Highway 62 to Morongo Valley for a Gamelatron session, on the hour until 7 PM
- Dinner in the town of Joshua Tree, in Yucca Valley, or at Pappy and Harriet's in Pioneertown
- Stars after dark from the parking lots the park names for stargazing: Quail Springs, Hidden Valley, Cap Rock and Ryan Mountain
Where Kaleidoscope Desert fits
Our sanctuary is in Morongo Valley on Highway 62, 15 minutes west of the town of Joshua Tree. 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.
In a day like this one it fits in one of two places. The Sanctuary Tour, a guided walk of about 90 minutes that runs daily, works before you go into the park if you are coming up Highway 62 from Palm Springs, Los Angeles or San Diego. A Gamelatron session, one full hour of fifteen bronze gongs played by robotic mallets, works at the end of the day, with sessions on the hour from 1 to 7 PM. The Day Pass, 12 to 6 PM with the tour, a Gamelatron session, the pool and the hot tub, is a whole afternoon, so it is a day of its own. 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.
If you only have a few hours
Drive Park Boulevard from the West Entrance and stop at Hidden Valley, Cap Rock and Skull Rock, with the detour to Keys View if you have the time. That is the park's own short list for the drive.
Before you go
- You need an entrance pass. Buy it ahead on Recreation.gov and save it to your phone, or pay at the entrance station by card. Check the park's site for the current fee.
- No reservation is needed to enter, and the park is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
- There is no gas, food or drinking water inside the park. Fill the tank before you go in and carry at least a gallon of water per person for the day.
- Cell service in the park is very limited. Download offline maps before you leave town.
- The park is busiest on weekends and holidays from October to May and over spring break. On those days, get to the trailheads early.
- Check the park's current alerts at nps.gov/jotr for roads or trails closed after a storm.