You can make Los Angeles to Joshua Tree National Park in about 2.5 hours, but the people who love this drive never do it in one straight shot. At around 140 miles on I-10 and CA-62, it is short enough to start after breakfast and long enough to earn a night somewhere memorable close to the park gates.
Open this route in XCRSNLeaving Los Angeles
Aim to clear Los Angeles before the morning rush, or after it, never in it. Fill the tank on the edge of town where prices usually drop, set the playlist, and settle in for the first 98 miles to Palm Springs.
The headline stop on this route is Cholla Cactus Garden. Leave real time for it; it sets the tone for the whole trip.
Palm Springs
Palm Springs sits about 98 miles in. It makes a good spot to stretch, eat something that is not from a gas station, and swap drivers.
Nearby, Keys View is worth the short detour if the day is going well.
Yucca Valley, the last stretch
Yucca Valley sits about 119 miles in. It is the natural place to stop for the night: hotels are plentiful, rates beat the big-city ends of the route, and you wake up with the hardest miles already behind you.
Rolling into Joshua Tree National Park
The final 22 miles always go faster than you expect. Save a little energy for Palm Springs mid-century stops; it is a fitting finish.
By the end you will have seen Cholla Cactus Garden, Keys View and Palm Springs mid-century stops, and you will understand why this corridor is a classic.
When to go and how to pace it
One night is the sweet spot. Twentynine Palms or Yucca Valley, CA is where most people stay, so book ahead on summer weekends.
Check live gas prices along I-10 and CA-62 before you go; they can swing a lot from one state or county to the next. XCRSN prices every leg for your exact car.
