Joshua Tree Trip Overview
Explore the rugged, mystical beauty of Joshua Tree National Park with this narrated driving tour. Discover a desert full of amazing hikes and cartoonishly strange trees, and hear all about the area’s fascinating history, from the greed of the gold rush to the McHaney Gang’s reign of terror. Enjoy all this in any season from the comfort of your own car! As a bonus, this package also includes a tour through Palm Springs!
Purchase only one tour per car. Everyone can listen at the same time!
Here’s how it works: Within 30 min, we’ll send you two things: a unique password and an app. Download the app onto your phone, enter the password, and download the tour. When you arrive, go to the first stop, launch the app, and follow the instructions! Stick to our recommended route and speed limit for the best experience.
NO EXPIRATION — THE TOUR IS AVAILABLE FROM THE MINUTE YOU BOOK UNTIL FOREVER!
THIS IS NOT AN ENTRANCE TICKET. CHECK OPENING HOURS AND PANDEMIC RULES BEFORE YOUR VISIT.
Additional Info
Duration: 3 to 4 hours
Starts: Joshua Tree, United States
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Joshua Tree Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Joshua Tree, California, United States
Explore the rugged, mystical beauty of Joshua Tree National Park with this narrated driving tour. Discover a desert full of amazing hikes and cartoonishly strange trees, and hear all about the area’s fascinating history, from the greed of the gold rush to the McHaney Gang’s reign of terror. Enjoy all this in any season from the comfort of your own car! As a bonus, this package also includes a tour through Palm Springs!
Purchase only one tour per car. Everyone can listen at the same time!
Here’s how it works: Within 30 min, we’ll send you two things: a unique password and an app. Download the app onto your phone, enter the password, and download the tour. When you arrive, go to the first stop, launch the app, and follow the instructions! Stick to our recommended route and speed limit for the best experience.
NO EXPIRATION — THE TOUR IS AVAILABLE FROM THE MINUTE YOU BOOK UNTIL FOREVER!
THIS IS NOT AN ENTRANCE TICKET. CHECK OPENING HOURS AND PANDEMIC RULES BEFORE YOUR VISIT.
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Joshua Tree Visitor Center, 6554 Park Blvd, Joshua Tree, CA 92252-2500
Small park visitor facility with maps, exhibits, books, souvenirs & info on guided hikes.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Quail Mountain, California, USA
Quail Mountain, at 5,816 feet, is the highest mountain in Joshua Tree National Park and the highest point in the Little San Bernardino Mountains of the very southern reach of the Mojave Desert.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Samuelsons Rock, California 92252, USA
Samuelsons Rocks Trail is a 5.3 kilometer moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Twentynine Palms, California that offers scenic views and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking and is accessible year-round.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Willow Hole, California 92277, USA
Willow Hole Trail is a 10.9 kilometer heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Joshua Tree, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Lost Horse Valley, California, USA
Lost Horse Valley is a valley in Joshua Tree National Park. It has been called “the centerpiece of the park” because of the quality of its stands of Joshua trees and its geological formations. It contains the Lost Horse Mine, of significant historic importance in the park.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Hidden Valley Nature Trail, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277, USA
Hidden Valley is a self-guiding, one-mile loop trail that winds among massive boulders through what was believed to be a legendary cattle rustlers’ hideout. It is one of the most popular and scenic hiking trails in Joshua Tree National Park. The area is also a popular rock-climbing area.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Intersection Rock, California 92277, USA
Intersection Rock lies at the crossroads of Quail Springs Road and Hidden Valley Campground. Note that the road has been re-routed to the south side of the formation, which has led to some confusion with first-time visitors trying to mesh guidebook descriptions to locate the routes.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Lost Horse Mine, California, USA
Lost Horse Mine is a historic gold and silver mine in the Lost Horse Valley of Joshua Tree National Park. Between 1894 and 1931, it produced 10,000 ounces of gold and 16,000 ounces of silver. It was first developed by Johnny Lang, then by J.D. Ryan
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Cap Rock Nature Trail, Keys View Road 33.98995527500128, -116.16362299537136, Joshua Tree National Park, CA 92277
Cap Rock and Gram Parsons Nature Trail is a 1.1 kilometer moderately trafficked loop trail located near Twentynine Palms, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until November.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Queen Mountain, California 92277, USA
Queen Mountain is a 10.0 kilometer moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Twentynine Palms, California that features a river and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking and nature trips and is best used from October until May.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Skull Rock, California, USA
Skull-shaped desert granite rock formation with 2 depressions like eye sockets created by erosion.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Split Rock Loop Trail, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277, USA
Split Rock Loop Trail is a 3.1 kilometer heavily trafficked loop trail located near Twentynine Palms, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Arch Rock Nature Trail, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277, USA
Arch Rock Nature Trail is a 1.9 kilometer heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Twentynine Palms, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking and walking and is accessible year-round.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Ocotillo Patch, California, USA
A 30-minute drive from Cottonwood Campground is the Ocotillo Patch, a roadside stand of cacti that put on a dramatic floral display after even a light rainstorm. The ocotillo, a Colorado Desert plant, can grow to over 15 feet tall, and its bright orange-red tubular flowers appear each spring. The Ocotillo Patch is on Pinto Basin Road
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Mastodon Peak, California, USA
Mastodon Peak Loop Trail is a 4.2 kilometer heavily trafficked loop trail located near Mecca, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking, camping, nature trips, and bird watching and is best used from April until October.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Cottonwood Spring, California, USA
Cottonwood Spring Nature Trail is a 2.4 kilometer moderately trafficked loop trail located near Mecca, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until October.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Cottonwood Visitor Center, Pinto Basin Rd, Joshua Tree National Park, CA 92277
A gateway to trails in Cottonwood Spring, this small center has a gift shop & park displays.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Keys Ranch Road, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
The Keys Ranch is the prime example of early settlement in the Joshua Tree National Park area. Bill Keys was the area’s leading character, and his ranch is a symbol of the resourcefulness of early settlers. The ranch is an extensive complex of small frame buildings built between 1910 and Keys’ death in 1969.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Barker Dam Trail, North of Barker Dam parking area, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Barker Dam, also known as the Big Horn Dam, is a dam with water-storage reservoir located in Joshua Tree National Park in California. The dam was constructed by early cattlemen, including C. O. Barker, in 1900. It was raised in 1949 by rancher William F. Keys.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Wall Street Mill, Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Wall Street Mill Trail is a 3.9 kilometer heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Twentynine Palms, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until October.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Sky’s The Limit Observatory and Nature Center, 9697 Utah Trail Near the North Entrance to Joshua Tree National Park, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
Sky’s The Limit Observatory & Nature Center campus is open for individuals and families to walk the Nature and Wilderness Trails, explore the Orrery, and experience the Meditation Garden.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Oasis Visitor Center, 74485 National Park Dr, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277-3533
The Oasis Visitor Center is one of the most historically significant visitor centers representing Joshua Tree National Park. Featuring the beautiful Oasis of Mara, the visitor center was established in 1950 when the park was a still a National Monument. Along the nature trail and surrounding the unique visitor center building, visitors can find many of the plants native to the area as well as plants established by the Serrano tribes. The park store is also the perfect place for a special keepsake.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Desert Queen Mine, Joshua Tree National Park, Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree National Park, CA 92277
The Desert Queen Mine in the Colorado Desert was one of the more long-lived gold mines of Southern California’s high desert region. The abandoned mine is located in Riverside County, California within the boundaries of the Joshua Tree National Park and is included on the National Register of Historic Places.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Pine City, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277, USA
Pine City Trail is a 6.6 kilometer moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Twentynine Palms, California that features beautiful wildflowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Palm Springs Visitor Center, 2901 N Palm Canyon Dr, Palm Springs, Greater Palm Springs, CA 92262-1864
The Tramway Gas Station is a landmark former Enco service station in Palm Springs, California, United States, so named because of its location at the foot of Tramway Road, the lone road leading to the base of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, 1 Tram Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262, USA
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway in Palm Springs, California, is the largest rotating aerial tramway in the world. It was opened in September 1963 as a way of getting from the floor of the Coachella Valley to near the top of San Jacinto Peak and was constructed in rugged Chino Canyon.
Duration: 10 minutes
Pass By: Palm Springs Art Museum, 101 N Museum Dr, Palm Springs, Greater Palm Springs, CA 92262-5659
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway in Palm Springs, California, is the largest rotating aerial tramway in the world. It was opened in September 1963 as a way of getting from the floor of the Coachella Valley to near the top of San Jacinto Peak and was constructed in rugged Chino Canyon.
Stop At: Palm Springs Walk of Stars, 10 N. Palm Cayon Drive, Palm Springs, Greater Palm Springs, CA 92262
The Palm Springs Walk of Stars is a walk of fame in downtown Palm Springs, California, where “Golden Palm Stars”, honoring various people who have lived in the greater Palm Springs area, are embedded in the sidewalk pavement.
Duration: 10 minutes
Pass By: Palm Springs Air Museum, 745 N Gene Autry Trl, Palm Springs, Greater Palm Springs, CA 92262-5464
The Palm Springs Air Museum, is a non-profit educational institution in Palm Springs, Riverside County, California. The Museum’s mission is to exhibit, educate and eternalize the role of the World War II combat aircraft and the role the pilots and American citizens had in winning the war.
Stop At: Coachella Valley Preserve, 29200 Thousand Palms Canyon Road, Palm Springs, Greater Palm Springs, CA
Coachella Valley National Wildlife Refuge is a 3,709-acre protected area in the Coachella Valley, located east of Palm Springs near Palm Desert, California.
Duration: 5 minutes
Pass By: General Patton Memorial Museum, 62510 Chiriaco Rd, Chiriaco Summit, CA 92201, USA
The General George S. Patton Memorial Museum, in Chiriaco Summit, California, is a museum erected in tribute to General George S. Patton on the site of the entrance of Camp Young, part of the Desert Training Center of World War II.
Stop At: Coxcomb Mountains, California, USA
The Coxcomb Mountains are a mountain range located in eastern Riverside County, Southern California.
Duration: 5 minutes
