Joshua Tree National Park Scenic Tour

Overview

Head out on this a small group tour into Joshua Tree National Park conducted on an exciting air-conditioned H2 Hummer or touring Van. Gawk at the amazing contortions of rock that create an amazing landscape of vibrant colors against the bluest sky in California!

Your expert guide will illuminate your understanding about how this landscape was created and share the stories of the Indians and settlers who lived here.

See the most iconic and most photographed places in the park as well as stop at a viewpoint where you can see all the way to Mexico!

This tour will visit the most iconic locations in the park including it's legendary giant boulders, learn about the forces of the San Andreas Fault that jolt the landscape beneath Joshua Tree itself.

SCHEDULE

Morning Tours:

Palm Desert Mortons
Daily. 8 am to 1:30 pm

Palm Springs Art Museum
Daily 8:30 am to 1:30 pm

Yucca Valley Welcome Center
Daily 9:30 am to 12:30 pm

Note: Park Entrance of $15 pp is NOT included in the price.

City: Palm Springs

Tue 23 Dec

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $159.00

Make a reservation

Tue 23 Dec

Starting at $159.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

General Admission

Bottled water

Expert national park guide

Snacks

Air-conditioned vehicle

Fuel surcharge

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Dress in light clothes in the summer and layers in the winter. It is 20 to 30 degrees cooler in the high desert
Wear comfortable walking shoes
Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund. There is a 4 person minimum to run this tour.

What To Expect

Joshua Tree National Park

We provide you an informative and entertaining tour of Joshua Tree with one of our professional geology guides. You will explore the park with a professional eco guide while you explore the ancient geological landscape that was once the home of the Serrano Indians. We also take you to the most photographed places in the park and take a walk in an area where you can find Indian cave drawings and even an old dam left by cowboys long past.

Cap Rock Trail

Explore with your guide enormous rock formations exposed at the Earths surface that were produced by the very forces of the San Andreas Fault miles beneath. Here rocks seem to precariously balance upon one another in a fight between gravity and subterranean forces. A 30 minute optional guided walk is made here.

Intersection Rock

This iconic rock formation is one of the most popular places in the park for rock climbers. Gawk at the climbers as they challenge the perils of the 3rd dimension.

Barker Dam Trail

Take an optional hike with your Wilderness guide on this Trail originally lay down by the Cowboys. This will take you by Indian petroglyphs as well as a water resource that is used by high elevation Bighorn Sheep and deer. This area is surrounded with 20 million year old Miocene rock formations that are the vaunted destination for expert rock climbers all over the world.

Keys View

Gawk at a view that stretches for hundreds of miles. From this high point in Joshua Tree you can see as far as the Salton Sea and all the way down to Mexico on a clear day. You might even be able to make out your hotel on this escarpment that borders the famous San Andreas Fault. Look below this ledge we will stop at and you will see the fault line itself which stretches for over 800 miles.

Show 2 more stops

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (364)

glencoewanderer

Dec 2017

Our family of 7 was looking for an adventure during our week-long holiday visit to Palm Springs. And we got one! We were picked up at our rental house at 12:30 for an afternoon trip that would end with an incredible sunset watch from one of the highest peaks at Joshua Tree. Our guide, Patrick, was knowledgeable, affable, and entertaining throughout the trip. He regaled us with stories, folklore, and history that made the trip so much more fruitful than if we had simply driven to the park on our own and wandered around. First we stopped at the 1000 Palms Oasis for a stroll through the trees and a bit of history, including a lesson on the area's relationship to the San Andreas Fault. Beautiful, and so interesting - we may go back for further exploration. Then back in the van to Yucca, where we transferred into the Hummer that would be our chariot for the backroad entry into the Park and the fun really began. We stopped a couple of times to hear about various types of cacti, the history of the Park, some of the prominent characters who played roles in the preservation of the vast acreage and its plant materials, and then we stopped for a short hike. After the hike we piled back into the Hummer and headed up to a peak for the sunset. It was magnificent. Wow. As breathtaking as anything we've seen - and as awe-inspiring as moments in the Grand Canyon. We really felt we were having an experience we couldn't possibly have had on our own - a unique and irreplaceable opportunity to explore areas of the park you can't access in a car from the main entrance. Wow. Would highly recommend to anyone visiting the area. Fabulous!

MrMovie500

Dec 2017

What a great tour. Joshua Tree National Park was incredible. Tour guide Louis was very knowledgeable about the area and made the trip informative and fun. He was constantly checking with the group to make sure that he was stopping in the places that we wanted to see. Only bummer was that there was a haze over valley so we were not able to see much from the lookout. He said on a clear day could see to Salton Sea and Mexico. As a first time visitor to Joshua Tree was glad to do it with a tour guide.

Terry S

Nov 2017

Patrick, our guide was fantastic - really knows his stuff, both culturally and geographically within the park itself. He really is the person to show you the park and surrounds - highly recommended. No problems at all with Patrick or the tour company.
However, the Hummer is not the best vehicle to use for such a tour in my opinion. Why? Well, when you think Hummer you think big right? They are big on the outside but fairly cramped on the inside. Especially if you are put in the back seats like we were for half the tour. It was cramped and with restricted visibility. Not good when you are paying that sort of money. In my opinion, a van with easy access and good window viewing for everyone would be a better option.