Over Thanksgiving, my family and I stopped by Joshua Tree National Park on our way to Palm Springs. I have always wanted to see Joshua Tree so I was super excited to finally get the chance. I can’t even describe what a beautiful, magical place Joshua Tree is. It looked like a place not out of this world… like Aliens put it there or something lol! We didn’t get to see everything the park had to offer because we were only there for a day but I wanted to share my favorite spots that we did see.

We first drove through the Cholla Cactus Garden and I wish we would have stopped for photos but for some reason I thought we were going to see that all over the park! While you do see some Cholla cacti scattered around the park, that’s the only place you will see them clumped together so I would definitely recommend stopping there.

Jumbo Rocks

The Jumbo Rocks campground area has huge rock formations that you will see randomly scattered around the park, but this area has trails where you can walk in, around, and on top of the rocks. The rocks are so cool and offer amazing views of the park!

Skull Rock

Skull Rock is located in the Jumbo Rocks campground area. It’s a rock formation that literally looks like a skull, pretty obvious lol, but it’s so cool! It is a popular spot so there are always a lot of tourists there taking photos but if you just wait around a bit you can sneak in there and snag a shot 😉

Sheep Pass

We stopped in Sheep Pass on our way to the Hidden Valley. My parents walked some trails in the campground while my sister shot these photos for me. I really wanted to capture some bohemian vibe, desert shots and I love how they turned out! This area had a lot of really cool hills, rock formations, and Joshua Trees scattered around. I just loved the scenery here!

Hidden Valley

Hidden Valley is hands down THE area that you must see in Joshua Tree in my opinion! The scenery there is so gorgeous. I loved the rusty earth tones of the rock formations, the cacti, and sage brush. There are tons of trails to walk in this area! We got there right as the sun was starting to set so we walked around and till it was starting to get dark. My sister captured these photos of me in the desert at sunset and I am obsessed with them! I definitely recommend exploring Hidden Valley around sunset, it was absolutely stunning.

I hope that this brief guide helps give you an idea of what to see and do in Joshua Tree National Park! Don’t forget to check out the Cholla Cactus Garden which I didn’t photograph for this blog post.

If you have ever been to Joshua Tree, feel free to comment your favorite spots below!

XOXO