Located in California near Palm Springs, Joshua Tree National Park, is known for its abundant Joshua trees and desert landscapes. Camping at Joshua Tree is popular because being so far from major cities makes it one of the prime spots to stargaze. You’ll be able to see many stars light up the night sky and if you’re lucky – the Milky Way!
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Getting There
Joshua Tree National Park is located in Southern California. If you are driving from Los Angeles, it’s about a 3 hour drive.
Address:
Joshua Tree National Park
74485 National Park Dr.
Twentynine Palms, CA 92277-3597
You’ll pass several cities/towns including Twentynine Palms. Make sure to fill up on gas before driving into the park. Joshua Tree is huge. If you don’t plan ahead, you might find yourself stranded/stuck in the desert … and no one wants that.
We left Friday afternoon and arrived a little after sunset. This made it difficult since we also had to find a campground. If you already have a campground reservation or a hotel/Airbnb, then it doesn’t really matter what time you arrive.
There is a fee per vehicle ($30) and you pay at the entrance.
They will also hand you a map – make sure you don’t lose that! The pass is valid for 7 days so you can come in and out of the park as you wish.
Things to Bring
This was only our second experience camping so we had to make sure we brought everything we could possibly need. Our worst nightmare is to be at Joshua Tree and missing necessities. Here are the essentials you’ll need for your camping trip to Joshua Tree.
Essentials
- Water
Make sure you bring a lot of water. It’s always better to have more than you need than not enough, especially in a desert. We brought about 4 gallons for the both of us (plus a dog) for 2 nights. - A cooler and ice packs
This really helped during the day when it was scorching hot - Food/snacks
Unless you want to go into town, you’ll have to bring your own food to cook. If you are camping, bring something that easy to put on your camping stove/grill. You can always bring backpacking food (freeze dried & dehydrated meals) if you don’t want to cook. Lucky for us, we went with my sister and her fiancé. They cook really good food while camping!
Eggs and bacon for breakfast 
Hot dogs and chicken 
Tacos
- Sunscreen
You’ll need a lot of sunscreen since it can get pretty hot in Joshua Tree. When we went in early October, the high was around 100 degrees and the sun felt like it was burning my skin - Hand sanitizer
- Face masks
- Trash bags
Always pick up after yourselves. They have dumpsters that you can put your trash in
- Sunglasses
- Toiletries
- Sandals
- Speaker
- Board games
You might get bored at the camp hiding from the sun so it helps to bring something to keep yourself entertained! We brought Settlers of Catan.
Catan 
Camping Essentials
- Tent
We got the Portal tent from SlingFin because it is lightweight (only weights 2lbs 13oz) and easy to set up
- Sleeping bag, mattress/pad, pillow
All of our sleeping things were easily inflatable (within seconds)
- Plates, bowls, cup, utensils
We saw these on Amazon and thought they were interesting and a great idea! They can unfold/fold into a bowl, plate or a cup and will snap in place. Because you can unfold them flat they are really easy to clean.
- Headlamps
- Extra lights
The first time we went camping, we didn’t have much light. The second time around we didn’t make the same mistake! We got the Luci Solar Lantern lights as well as the Luci Solar String lights.
- Camping chairs to sit and relax in
- A shovel
- A portable fan
We hung this fan in our tent at night. It can charge our devices and also has a light.
- Blankets or towels
We buy almost all of our things from Amazon. Just to note, as an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases so feel free to help support us!
Photography Essentials
- Cameras
If you plan to take night pictures, you’ll need a really good camera. I also used my iPhone 11 Pro a lot on this trip.
- Tripod
This is absolutely necessary if you want to take any nighttime shots
- Lume Cubes
- Portable chargers
We had 2 portable chargers from Anker and 1 solar-powered charger. We only used up 1 of the portable chargers for the whole weekend.
Camping at Joshua Tree
If you are looking for a campground to reserve, you’ll need to look well in advance.
These campgrounds require a reservation from September – May and costs $25 per night:
Black Rock
Cottonwood
Indian Cove
Jumbo Rocks
Ryan
You can also do the first-come, first-serve option which is what we decided to do. There are only 3 campgrounds that are first-come, first-serve:
Belle
Hiden Valley
White Tank
If you manage to find an open site, you can self-register and pay at the kiosk. The fee is $15 per night.
The first campground we tried was White Tank. When we arrived Friday night (around 7PM), it was already full. However, we did manage to find a small spot for the night. A lot more spots opened up the next morning (Saturday) between 9 to 10AM so we moved to a more secluded site. If you are doing first-come, first-serve it might be better to come in the morning (9 to 10AM) when people are packing up and leaving instead of in the evening. We got pretty lucky to be able to get a spot! White Tank was also our first choice because it is closest to Arch Rock.
All of the campgrounds have restrooms and tables and benches for your use.
There will be little to no cell reception so plan accordingly! We found that if we needed cell service for any reason, we just had to drive closer to the entrance of the park.
Pets are allowed at Joshua Tree National Park but not on any hiking trails.
Most of the time when you’re camping, you won’t really run into or see other people. But if you do, make sure to keep your distance and/or wear a mask. If you are feeling sick, you should postpone your trip. As always, you can visit the CDC for more information regarding COVID-19 and travel.
Things to Do
Like I mentioned previously, Joshua Tree National Park is huge. There are many hiking trails and attractions you can visit while staying here. These were some of the things we did during our camping trip in Joshua Tree.
Joshua Trees
If you visit Joshua Tree, it only makes sense to take some pictures with Joshua trees! They are everywhere! You’ll already see them as you’re driving into the park. Each tree has its own unique look too. We liked how the Joshua trees looked near the entrance. If you see some that you like, just park safely on the shoulder and walk over.
Cholla Cactus Garden
This garden features numerous cacti that all have an unusual shape. It was about a 15 to 20 minute drive from our campground but it was worth the drive! You’ll already start to see some on your drive there. The entrance is right by the parking. You don’t really have to walk much at all.
Keys View
You know that we love our sunset views so we had to visit this prime location. This was also about a 15 to 20 minute drive from our campground (White Tank). We arrived a couple minutes before sunset and the parking lot was already all full. Make sure to arrive earlier to secure a good spot to view the sunset.
You’ll only need to walk a short distance from the parking lot before witnessing the magnificent views of the mountains and Coachella Valley.
Arch Rock
The main reason we wanted to stay at the White Tank campground was so that we had easy access to Arch Rock. From our campground, it was only about a 5 to 10 minute walk. We visited Arch Rock at night to take some night photos of the arch! There were 2 other people that we saw there but we all kept our distance. If you climb on the rocks or the arch, just be careful and bring a headlamp.
We had the Arch to ourselves most of the time that we were there which was great.
If you don’t stay at White Tank campground, you can still visit Arch Rock via the Twin Tanks parking. There is actually a trail. They advise against walking through people’s camps though if you’re actually not staying there. We did see some people walk through our camp but I think they were also camping nearby.
Skull Rock
Skull Rock is literally a giant rock that is shaped like a skull. You can see it right from the street in your car. You can also walk up closer to it too. We stopped by on our drive back to our campground and managed to get a nice shot of the skull.
This was our first real experience with nighttime photography and I think it turned out fantastic. Brea was able to capture the stars and the Milky Way both at the Arch Rock and just near our camp.
I can see why people come to Joshua Tree just to stargaze. The next time we visit, we’ll definitely spend more time taking night shots.
