Joshua Tree CA has become a destination for adventurers and sight seekers world wide with over 800,000 acres of beauty in the Joshua Tree National Park and lots of fun places to eat, places to drink, hikes to do, music to see, and activities to try in and around Joshua Tree. Here are some fun things to do in Joshua Tree.

Hikes in Joshua Tree

The first thing you’ll want to do when you get to Joshua Tree is go to the visitor center in downtown Joshua Tree and get a map of the Joshua Tree National Park nature trail hikes. The nature trail hikes are the best hikes to go on in the National Park and you can get a map that will show you all the nature trail hikes in the park. Be sure to ask a Park Ranger at the visitor center about the hikes you’re interested in going on. There are lots of hikes in and around Joshua Tree National Park. Here are a few mentions:

Indian Cove Nature Trail – Really nice area for camping and hiking just outside of Joshua Tree National Park.

Pioneer Town Mountains Preserve – Located in Pioneer Town which is 20 minutes from Joshua Tree, this is a nice long scenic hike that you will love.

Ryan Mountain Hike – Located deep inside the Joshua Tree National Park close to Skull Rock, this hike will take you to the highest peak of the park where you will find 360 views of the National Park. It is a more difficult uphill hike.

Hidden Valley Nature Trail – An amazing 45 min scenic hike in the center of Joshua Tree National Park. Possibly the best hike in Joshua Tree.

Cap Rock Nature Trail – A quick .03 mile loop around Cap Rock, this is an easy hike for anybody and has beautiful scenic landscape.

Activities to do in Joshua Tree

Archery – Experience Archery while in Joshua Tree with a relaxing Archery Experience located on the Coyote Dry Lake Bed just outside of downtown Joshua Tree, CA.

Mountain Biking – A free and open air experience, biking through the national park is scenic and you will get a much more concrete experience of the Joshua Tree National Park by riding a bike through it.

Go Shopping – Fun Vintage shops are located all around the high desert region. Drive around and check out cool clothing and other fun stores.

Mineral Baths – Drive to Desert Hot Springs, about 30 miles from Joshua Tree, and put on your bathing suite. Amazing Mineral Spas such as Azure, Two Bunch Palms, and Mineral Springs Spa are located 30 mins away.

Sound Healing – Now that you’re in the desert it might be time to get in touch with your spiritual side. Get some metal clarity and relaxation with sound healing, offered by healers and guides throughout the region.

Yoga – Of coarse, why not do Yoga while in Joshua Tree. Google Yoga studios in Joshua Tree and a few options will pop up.

Camping – Lot’s of good tent camping in and around Joshua Tree National Park. Popular camping areas include: Indian Cove Campgrounds, Hidden Valley Campgrounds, Jumbo Rocks Campgrounds, and Coyote Dry Lake BLM Land Free Camping.

Stargazing – Joshua Tree Stargazing is incredible, amazing night time stargazing is open to you anywhere you are in Joshua Tree but is extremely special in the national park. The night is dark with no light pollution.

Rock Climbing – Rock climbers from all over the world come to Joshua Tree for their amazing rock formations and routes. Lots of great rocks to climb, Joshua Tree is considered a beginner to intermediate Rock climbing park.

Bars in Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree and the surrounding area has grown and is developing a nice nightlife scene. Although it’s a bit spread out from each other and you’ll have to drive to get to each of these bars/restaurants; they are all amazing and have a good friendly atmosphere.

Pappy and Harriets – Famous and popular music venue restaurant in Pioneer Town, CA. This place gets real busy so make sure to call in advance and ask who’s playing or if there is a wait for the restaurant.

Red Dawg – Right up the road from Pappy and Harriet’s, passed the little shops, is a great place to hangout and have a few brews. Great night life spot filled with magical people.

Mas O Menus – Wine and Spirits with a nice outdoor scene, popular among tourists and locals for music and some drinks.

Giant Rock Meeting Room – A great vibe with great pizza and on many nights they have live music. They have an outside seating area and indoor bar with tables.

The Saloon Bar – Located in downtown Joshua Tree, this is a friendly relaxing bar scene with a combination of tourists and locals hanging out. Live music on most nights with an outdoor area to hangout in.

The Tortoise Rock Casino – A must mention to the area. The local Tortoise Rock Casino offers a nice bar to have some drinks at as you can play video keno or poker as you drink. The food isn’t bad either.

Tiny Pony – A nice spot for younger teens, has a nice bar vibe and social scene. Good place for drinks and food.

Places to Hangout

Looking for somewhere to hangout in Joshua Tree, here are a few ideas:

Frontier Cafe Coffee Shop – Nice scene here, very upbeat and friendly coffee shop with food and coffee options. Frontier Coffee offers tables for socializing or working, and a few couches to sit on. Nice vibe.

Hidden Valley Campgrounds – Drive into the National Park and go to Hidden Valley, there you will find rock climbers and campers. You can relax and sit on a rock and watch as rock climbers achieve incredible feats.

The Saloon Bar – The Saloon has a nice outdoor area where you can relax and have a drink or eat some food.

Sights to Visit in Joshua Tree

Noah Purifoy Outdoor Museum – Created by an African American artist, Mr. Purifoy, who helped create the Watts Tower, created a marvel of junk art where he put together lot’s of pieces of free materials that he found in the desert and made art pieces from them.

Joshua Tree National Park – An Amazing surreal place, a must see if driving through the area. Full of Joshua Trees and enormous rock formations which you can access by driving through or by hiking.

Giant Rock – A stand alone rock that became popular for UFO sightings, located north of Landers, CA above the Integratron.

Pioneer Town – An old west town built for films and TV shows in the 1940s has become a modest little town where around 300 souls live.

Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center – A history of Joshua tree National Park, this place is a museum of facts and history with park rangers available to answer your questions.

Keys View Sunset – Epic and inspiring, the best place in Joshua Tree to see the sunset with views overlooking the park and palm springs.

Places to Eat in Joshua Tree

Lots of restaurant options around the area make for great meals in cool atmospheres. Fun vibes at different locations around Joshua Tree National Park making visiting Joshua Tree more appealing than ever. Here are a few mentions of some nice places to eat out when in town.

Crossroads Cafe – Healthy food in a comfortable environment located right in downtown Joshua Tree, you’ll find good options here for some good food.

Sky High Pie – Pizza at it’s best, Sky High Pie has cornered the pizza market in downtown Joshua Tree providing great tasting pizza with great service.

The DEZ – Not just a coffee shop, The Dez in Joshua Tree offers a variety of breakfast meals from LOX Bagels to Panini’s. Great place to get breakfast or lunch.

Pappy and Harriet’s – A fun restaurant and music venue located 20 minutes away from Joshua Tree in close by Pioneer Town. Fun lively environment with good food.

Kitchen of the Desert – Located in Twenty Nine Palms, about 20 minutes away from Joshua Tree, Kitchen of the Desert offers great tasting food in a unique desert setting.

La Copine – Delicious French Cuisine located up the 247 HWY in Landers, about 20 minutes from Joshua Tree. Very unique French food in a surprisingly unique location. Delicious!

Giant Rock Meeting Room – Great Pizza and nice outdoor desert vibes, lively bar scene with music most nights. Located up the 247 HWY in Landers about 20 minutes from Joshua Tree, next to La Copine Restaurant.

Sam’s Indian Cuisine – Possibly the best Indian food you will find anywhere. A Joshua Tree gem located in a strip mall by Sam’s liquor in Joshua Tree, CA.

Ahi Sushi – Located in Yucca Valley, CA, this is good sushi, I know you’ve eaten good sushi before somewhere else, so you will appreciate the prices and selection at Ahi Sushi in Yucca Valley.

These are some of the things to do in Joshua Tree but there are more. Let us know in the comments below of some cool things you’ve done in Joshua Tree. Thanks for reading.