Joshua Tree sits at the boundary between the Mojave and Colorado deserts, and most of what is special about the park comes from that meeting line, the iconic Joshua trees only grow above 3,000 feet on the western (Mojave) side, while creosote and cholla flats roll east into the Pinto Basin. Established as a national monument in 1936 and re-designated as a national park in 1994, today it draws around 3 million visitors a year. From I-10 the South Entrance is uniquely close, Exit 168 leads directly onto Cottonwood Springs Road, with the entrance gate just 7 miles north. The West and North Entrances at Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree (the town) are the more popular access points, both about 30 miles north of I-10 by way of CA-62.
- Spans the boundary between the Mojave and Colorado (Sonoran) deserts
- Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) grow only above ~3,000 ft elevation on the Mojave side
- About 3 million visitors per year
- Designated an International Dark Sky Park (2017), among the best night-sky viewing in southern California
- Most-climbed park in the National Park System (8,000+ established climbing routes)
