Your Joshua Tree National Park CME conference.

Joshua Tree after your study day

Study days finish at 2:00 PM local time. The National Park Service lists five short walks that suit an afternoon. Hidden Valley is a 1-mile loop through a rock-enclosed valley, Barker Dam is a 1.1-mile loop with ranching history where bighorn sheep are sometimes seen, and Skull Rock is an easy 1.7-mile loop past boulder piles and desert washes. The Cholla Cactus Garden loop is a quarter mile, and Keys View is a paved quarter-mile loop with views of the San Andreas Fault, nearby mountains and the Salton Sea. Check daylight before you start, and check current closures and trail conditions.

Travel, lodging and park entry are arranged separately from your study day. The park has no gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores or hotels, and no water in the interior, so bring food, water and supplies, and save an offline map because cell reception is very limited.

Boulders, climbers and Joshua trees

The park page describes two desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado, shaped by strong winds and occasional heavy rain. Its boulder terrain draws climbers and scramblers, with Jumbo Rocks Campground noted as a place to explore the bouldered landscape. The Park Service counts roughly 8,000 established climbing routes and 2,000 bouldering problems, about 300 miles of trails and nine developed campgrounds. It also reports more than 250 recorded bird species, ranger-led programs and special events, and dirt and paved roads for mountain biking, though bicycles and vehicles must stay on designated roads. Nearly 85 percent of the 500-plus campsites are reservation-only and can be booked up to six months ahead.

Joshua trees stand against rock outcrops in Lost Horse Valley. Keys Ranch, a historic site, can be visited only on a ranger-guided tour, so plan ahead if you want it.

Longer trails when you have more daylight

Ryan Mountain is a 3-mile out-and-back hike with about 1,050 feet of climbing, which the Park Service estimates at 1.5 to 2.5 hours. Fortynine Palms Oasis is also 3 miles out and back, over a ridge with barrel cactus to a fan palm oasis, with about 300 feet of climbing and an estimated 2 to 3 hours. Both are listed as strenuous and should be avoided in hot weather. Pets are not allowed on trails except the paved Oasis of Mara Trail, and flying drones is prohibited.

Night skies

Joshua Tree is an International Dark Sky Park designated by DarkSky International, and it hosts an annual Night Sky Festival. The Park Service names the parking lots at Quail Springs, Hidden Valley, Cap Rock and Ryan Mountain as stargazing areas, where you stay within 20 feet of your vehicle. It also says Cottonwood Campground has the darkest skies, and Pinto Basin Road between Cholla Cactus Garden and Cottonwood has the least traffic.

Use red light only, because white light delays your eyes’ adjustment to the dark by 20 to 30 minutes. Dress warmly, since temperatures drop quickly in the evening, and check the moon phase, because bright moonlight reduces the number of visible stars. Day Use Only areas close from dusk to dawn. Stars are visible from almost anywhere in the park on a clear, moonless night, though light from nearby communities makes some areas darker than others.

When to visit Joshua Tree

The Park Service says fall and spring are the most comfortable seasons, with highs of about 70–85 degrees Fahrenheit and lows around 50. Winter highs are around 60 with nights near or below freezing, and it occasionally snows at higher elevations. Summer highs are around 100 with lows near 75, and the park calls summer heat extremely dangerous. The park is busiest in spring and on holidays, crowded on weekends from October through May and during spring break from March to mid-April. Wildflowers follow winter rains. Elevation runs from 536 feet to 5,814 feet, so conditions can vary within the park.

Entrances, towns and getting around

The park has no lodging inside, apart from campgrounds. The West Entrance is at Joshua Tree Village, about 5 miles south of the Highway 62 and Park Boulevard junction. The North Entrance is in Twentynine Palms, about 3 miles south of the Highway 62 and Utah Trail junction, and the South Entrance is near Cottonwood Spring off Interstate 10, about 25 miles east of Indio. Visitor centers are in Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree, at Cottonwood, and at the Black Rock Nature Center. The Joshua Tree Visitor Center has a cafe, and the Twentynine Palms visitor center has EV charging stations. The Park Service warns not to rely on GPS directions, which can send vehicles onto soft sand or rutted backcountry roads. Public transportation is limited, and the Park Service points to the Morongo Basin Transit Authority for bus information. A national park guide places Yucca Valley about 10 miles from the West Entrance and Palm Springs about 20 miles west of Yucca Valley.

Getting to Joshua Tree and your study setting

The Park Service names Palm Springs as the nearest airport. Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) is at 3400 East Tahquitz Canyon Way. The park describes itself as about 140 miles east of Los Angeles, 175 miles northeast of San Diego, 215 miles southwest of Las Vegas and 222 miles west of Phoenix.

The map shows straight-line distances from Shift’s designated center. These are orientation distances, not driving distances or travel-time estimates. Check your exact address against the conference’s check-in area before booking.