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)
