Is Visiting Joshua Tree for the day enough or should I spend the night?
 

I will be in LA and wanted to visit Joshua Tree, see the park, see some of the sites in the desert etc. Should I spend the night or is it sufficient if I leave LA early and drive back in the evening?

Joshua Tree NP is, it seems to me, a nice part of a trip to the desert, but a long way to go for a day trip. You might consider also visiting the original palms of Palm Springs in Palm Canyon and maybe an overnight in Desert Hot Springs.

I LOVED Joshua Tree. It's spectacular. But that's an awfully long, tiring day trip. It's do-able, but I'd suggest overnighting in Palm Springs, visiting Indian Canyons and taking the tram up the mountain. The following day, go to Joshua Tree NP and return to L.A. from there.

From where in LA? If anywhere on the west side or in the center, it would be a GAWD awful long day trip.

Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, etc would be a nice 2 day trip.

We always drive out to Joshua Tree NP when we are in Palm Springs, but it is not a dramatic place such as Zion, Yosemite, Bryce, or even Death Valley.

We also sometimes drive from Palm Springs to Las Vegas (or vice versa) through the Mohave Desert. If you like deserts, that's a good thing to do also.

It is also possible to take scenic drives from LA to the Anza-Borrego Desert and from there to Palm Desert.

In any event, a one-day trip to Joshua Tree cannot be recommended.

HTtY

Thanks for the replies! i'll re think things

I loved Joshua Tree--thought it was amazing. We went from Palm Springs though. I don't think I would want to do JT as a day trip from LA.

I went to Joshua Tree as a day trip from San Diego a few years ago. I'm glad I did - so far it's the only chance I've had to see it, and I loved it - but I would have loved to have had more time there. By the time we drove to Palm Springs, ate lunch, and drove to the park, we only had a couple of hours in the park before we had to leave to be back in San Diego for dinner. And it feels like a looooong drive, at least from San Diego.

I don't camp (at all), but I told the friend that I was with that Joshua Tree made me want to camp, just a little. Seeing it at night and early morning would be magical, I bet.

We've also done the trip to Joshua Tree NP in one day -- from San Diego. So it is very doable from LA in one day.

Same as StantonHyde - went to JT from Palm Springs, took a hike, drove back. We loved it, but I think the round-trip from LA would be pretty long. From LAX, it's 147 miles.