The routes
There are three usual ways down, and map apps switch between them with traffic.
- US 95 south, Interstate 40 west, then south on Kelbaker Road and Amboy Road to Highway 62 in Twentynine Palms. Utah Trail runs 3 miles south from there to the North Entrance. This is often the fastest.
- Interstate 15 south to Barstow, then Highway 247 through Lucerne Valley to Yucca Valley, and Highway 62 east to the town of Joshua Tree and the West Entrance.
- US 95 south all the way to Highway 62, then west on Highway 62 to Twentynine Palms.
Some map apps send Las Vegas drivers through Mojave National Preserve on Kelbaker Road from Interstate 15 at Baker. From November 16, 2026, the preserve is closing South Kelbaker Road between Kelso and Interstate 40 for roadwork planned to run for years, so do not count on that way. Check nps.gov/moja for the state of its roads.
How long it takes
The park puts itself about 215 miles southwest of Las Vegas. Morongo Valley, on the far west side of the park, is about 4 hours from Las Vegas.
Much of the way is open desert with long gaps between towns, and gas is not sold in Mojave National Preserve. Fill the tank before you leave the interstate and carry water.
Which entrance to use
On the routes through Twentynine Palms, the North Entrance is the first one you reach. The park has a visitor center in downtown Twentynine Palms for maps and passes. If you come down Highway 247 instead, you meet Highway 62 in Yucca Valley, and the West Entrance, 5 miles south of the highway on Park Boulevard in the town of Joshua Tree, is the closer one.
Park Boulevard runs between the North and West Entrances in about 45 minutes of driving, so you can come in one way and leave the other.
Kaleidoscope Desert, a stop past the park
From Las Vegas, our sanctuary is not on the way in. It is in Morongo Valley, about 15 minutes west of the town of Joshua Tree, so it is a stop past the park: come in at the North Entrance, drive Park Boulevard through the park, leave by the West Entrance and keep going west on Highway 62. It fits best on the way out, especially if you are going on to Palm Springs, 20 minutes beyond it.
Kaleidoscope Desert is a nonprofit art and animal sanctuary on 7.5 acres. 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.
A simple day plan
Morongo Valley is about 4 hours from Las Vegas, so the park and back in one day is a long day, and the park rewards more time. If the day is what you have:
- Early: leave Las Vegas at first light with food and water for the day, and fill the tank.
- Late morning: in at the North Entrance, then along Park Boulevard to Skull Rock, a popular stop right beside the road.
- Midday: a picnic you brought, then on past Cap Rock to Keys View, where the ridge drops nearly a mile to the Coachella Valley.
- Afternoon: Hidden Valley, a one mile loop through a valley ringed by boulders, then out the West Entrance.
- Late afternoon: 15 minutes west on Highway 62 to Morongo Valley for a Gamelatron session, on the hour until 7 PM, before the drive back or on to Palm Springs.
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.