Joshua Tree and Death Valley Road Trip: A Mojave Desert Drive
Joshua Tree and Death Valley are California's two big desert parks, and they're closer than most people think: about 260 miles apart, across the open Mojave. A road trip that links them gives you the boulder piles and Joshua trees of the high desert, a long drive through empty country, and then the lowest, hottest, driest park in North America. From Los Angeles to Las Vegas by way of both, it's about 520 miles.
This post is about the drive: the route, the gas stops, the 2026 road closures, where to sleep, and above all when to go, which matters more here than on any other trip I write about. Each park gets a short plan, and the full days are in my guides.
Joshua Tree and Death Valley Road Trip at a Glance
- Parks: Joshua Tree and Death Valley.
- Start and finish: Los Angeles to Las Vegas (one way), or a loop from either city.
- Driving: about 520 miles one way, or about 670 miles as a loop from Los Angeles, plus the driving inside the parks.
- Time behind the wheel: about 9 to 10 hours one way, spread over the trip.
- How many days: 4 at the least, 5 or 6 to enjoy it.
- Best seasons: late October through April; never midsummer.
- Pass: each park charges $30 per vehicle for seven days in 2026. The $80 America the Beautiful pass covers both.
Orientation sketch, not to scale. Check the official park maps for detail. Routes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); state lines from the U.S. Census Bureau.
How Many Days Do You Need?
Five days is the right number, four the minimum. Here's the math. Joshua Tree needs two days to see both its high Mojave side and its lower Colorado Desert side. Death Valley is enormous, the largest National Park in the lower 48, and its main sights are spread over 100 miles of road; two days covers the core. The transfer between the parks takes most of a day. Add an arrival day and you're at five or six.
With four days, give each park a day and a half and drive the transfer in the middle. With a weekend, pick one park. Joshua Tree is the easier weekend from Los Angeles; Death Valley is the easier one from Las Vegas.
Which Direction to Drive It
I'd go Los Angeles to Joshua Tree to Death Valley to Las Vegas. Joshua Tree is about 140 miles from Los Angeles, Death Valley's Furnace Creek is about 120 miles from Las Vegas by way of Pahrump, and the two cities have plenty of flights. The catch is a one-way rental fee between California and Nevada, which can be steep.
If the fee is too much, loop from Los Angeles: out to Joshua Tree, across to Death Valley, and home by California 190 west through Panamint Springs and U.S. 395 south through the Owens Valley, about 270 miles from Furnace Creek. It's a beautiful drive on its own, with the Sierra Nevada on your right the whole way. A loop from Las Vegas works too, at about 215 miles to Joshua Tree.
The Route, Leg By Leg
Los Angeles to Joshua Tree: About 140 Miles, 2.5 to 3 Hours
Interstate 10 east through the San Gorgonio Pass, past the wind farms, then California 62 north through Morongo Valley to Yucca Valley and the town of Joshua Tree. The West Entrance is just south of the town of Joshua Tree, and the North Entrance is at Twentynine Palms. Inside the park, Park Boulevard connects the two through the Joshua tree forests and boulder country. The South (Cottonwood) Entrance is off I-10 east of Indio, which is the better door if you're coming from Palm Springs or Phoenix.
Joshua Tree doesn't need a reservation to enter, and it's open around the clock. It does have long entrance lines on busy weekends and in spring break, so buy your pass online ahead of time. The park warns not to trust GPS directions to or within the park. How to divide your days between the Joshua tree side and the Pinto Basin, and which walks fit your group, is what my Joshua Tree National Park guide lays out.
A short plan for Joshua Tree: Enter at the West Entrance with a packed lunch, a full tank, and a gallon of water each, since the interior sells nothing. Walk the Hidden Valley loop and Barker Dam, picnic at Cap Rock, and drive to Keys View, your turnaround, before heading back through the Joshua trees. On warm days, do the walks first thing. My Joshua Tree National Park guide has the full days.
Joshua Tree National Park. The Coachella Valley and the line of the San Andreas Fault below Keys View, with San Jacinto Peak beyond, February 2014 (NPS/Robb Hannawacker). Photo: Robb Hannawacker, National Park Service, Wikimedia Commons. Public domain (National Park Service).
A Joshua tree silhouetted against the afterglow in the Cap Rock area, November 2008 (NPS/Robb Hannawacker). Photo: Robb Hannawacker, National Park Service, Wikimedia Commons. Public domain (National Park Service).
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Joshua Tree to Death Valley: About 260 Miles, 4.5 to 5 Hours
The fast route is mostly two-lane highway through very empty country. From Yucca Valley, take California 247 north about 80 miles across the desert to Barstow, then Interstate 15 northeast about 62 miles to Baker. At Baker, turn north on California 127 for about 56 miles to Shoshone, then either continue on 127 to Death Valley Junction and take California 190 west into the park, or take California 178 west from Shoshone over two low passes and onto Badwater Road. Either way, it's about 60 more miles to Furnace Creek.
Gas is the thing to watch. Fill up in Yucca Valley, again in Barstow or Baker, and treat Shoshone as your last fairly priced gas before the park. Cell service fades north of Baker and is mostly gone inside Death Valley. Carry more water than you think you need, even in winter.
A slower, emptier alternative goes through Mojave National Preserve, a separate park unit with no entrance fee: Amboy Road from Twentynine Palms to Amboy on old Route 66, then Kelbaker Road north through the preserve to Baker. Amboy Road has had closures for storm damage, so check its status with San Bernardino County before you commit.
A panorama from Queen Valley, home to Joshua trees and Park Boulevard, to the pinyon pines around Queen Mountain, March 2022 (NPS). Photo: National Park Service, Wikimedia Commons. Public domain (National Park Service).
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Death Valley's Main Roads: Furnace Creek, Badwater, and Stovepipe Wells
Furnace Creek, near the middle of the park on California 190, is the hub, with the visitor center, lodging, gas, and food. Badwater Road runs south from there to Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America, and California 190 runs northwest to Stovepipe Wells and the sand dunes, then over Towne Pass toward Panamint Springs. My Death Valley National Park guide sorts out the overlooks, canyons, and short walks for one to three days, and which ones are safe in which season.
A short plan for Death Valley: Come in on California 190 and get the road report at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center. See Zabriskie Point, then drive 17 miles south to Badwater Basin, your turnaround. Stop at Devils Golf Course and Artists Drive on the way back (no vehicles over 25 feet), and eat at Furnace Creek. From May through September, skip the walks and stay near the car. My Death Valley National Park guide has the full days.
Several roads were closed as of late October 2026. The paved Bonnie Clare Road to Scotty's Castle was closed for flood recovery work with no reopening date; Titus Canyon Road was closed for flood repairs until an expected reopening in May 2027; the road to Darwin Falls was washed out and likely to stay closed until summer 2027; and Lower Wildrose Road was damaged after an October 22 storm, with vehicles over 25 feet not allowed. Check Death Valley National Park alerts before you plan around any of them. Most rental agreements also limit you to paved roads, so read yours.
Death Valley National Park. Visitors walking on the salt flats of Badwater Basin below the steep wall of the Black Mountains, April 2026. Photo: Christian David, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
Death Valley National Park. Manly Beacon rising above the badlands, with the Badwater salt flats and the Panamint Range beyond, seen from Zabriskie Point, April 2026. Photo: Christian David, Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
Death Valley to Las Vegas: About 120 Miles, 2 Hours
California 190 east from Furnace Creek to Death Valley Junction, California 127 and then Nevada 372 east to Pahrump, and Nevada 160 over the Spring Mountains into Las Vegas. Pahrump has plenty of gas and food. If you're looping back to Los Angeles instead, it's California 190 west over Towne Pass to Panamint Springs and Olancha, then U.S. 395 and California 14 south, about 270 miles.
A Sample 5-Day Driving Schedule
This is the driving skeleton only. The park days themselves are in the guides.
| Day | Drive | Driving Time | Overnight Town |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Los Angeles to the town of Joshua Tree or Twentynine Palms, about 140 miles | 2.5 to 3 hours | Joshua Tree or Twentynine Palms |
| Day 2 | Joshua Tree, driving from Twentynine Palms or Yucca Valley | Local driving | Twentynine Palms or Yucca Valley |
| Day 3 | Joshua Tree to Furnace Creek by way of Barstow, Baker, and Shoshone, about 260 miles | 4.5 to 5 hours | Furnace Creek |
| Day 4 | Death Valley, driving from Furnace Creek or Stovepipe Wells | Local driving | Furnace Creek or Stovepipe Wells |
| Day 5 | Death Valley to Las Vegas by way of Pahrump, about 120 miles | 2 hours | Fly home from Las Vegas |
Where to Stay Along the Way
- Joshua Tree: there's no lodging in the park. Yucca Valley, the town of Joshua Tree, and Twentynine Palms on Highway 62 have rooms, food, and gas, and the Coachella Valley towns along I-10 have more. The park's campgrounds take reservations up to six months ahead.
- Death Valley: The Inn at Death Valley and The Ranch at Death Valley in Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells Village, and Panamint Springs Resort, all open all year. Outside the park, Beatty and Pahrump in Nevada and Shoshone in California.
- Between the parks: Barstow and Baker have chain motels if you want to break the transfer in two.
Rooms inside Death Valley are limited and book up for the cool season, especially holidays and spring wildflower weeks.
Best Time of Year to Drive It
Late October through April is the season, full stop. Joshua Tree's spring and fall highs run in the 70s to mid-80s, and Death Valley's winter highs run in the 60s and 70s. It's also the busy season at both parks, so book early. In a wet winter, wildflowers bloom on the low desert from about February into April.
Summer is a different and dangerous trip. Death Valley's July highs average 116°F, nights often stay in the 90s, and the park says not to hike at low elevations at all in summer. Joshua Tree regularly passes 100°F. A breakdown on the Baker-to-Shoshone stretch in July is a real emergency. If you must go in summer, drive in the early morning, stay on paved roads, carry gallons of water, and keep your time outside the car short.
Monsoon season (roughly July into October) brings flash floods that close roads in both parks without warning; much of Death Valley's 2026 closure list traces back to storms. Check Joshua Tree National Park alerts and the Death Valley alerts the morning of each leg.
Road Trip Tips for the Mojave
- Treat half a tank as empty. Gas stops are far apart between Barstow and Furnace Creek, and the gas inside Death Valley is expensive.
- Carry a gallon of water per person per day in the car. More in summer.
- Download maps and the guides. Cell service is weak or absent in both parks and along California 127.
- Don't follow GPS onto dirt roads. Both parks warn about apps that route drivers onto backcountry tracks.
- Stay on pavement in a rental. Most rental contracts don't cover gravel or dirt roads.
- Watch for flash floods. Never drive into water running across a road; dips fill fast in a storm.
Plan Your Days Inside Each Park
This post gets you from park to park, with a short plan for each stop. The full days are what my guides are for: each one has nine itineraries for one, two, or three days at easy, moderate, and strenuous effort, each with a backup plan for bad weather or a closure, plus orientation maps, the park's history, and the animals you're likely to see. You get an EPUB and a printable PDF, so the day's plan can ride in the car with you.
- Joshua Tree National Park: nine itineraries, 14 animals to look for, 6 maps, and 36 photographs
- Death Valley National Park: nine itineraries, 14 animals to look for, 6 maps, and 34 photographs
For This Route
The California National Parks Collection covers all 2 parks on this route (Joshua Tree and Death Valley) in one download. It also includes Channel Islands, Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic, Pinnacles, Redwood, Sequoia, and Yosemite, which this route doesn't reach.
Short on time at one stop? Just an Afternoon is my free four-hour plan for every U.S. National Park.
Joshua Tree and Death Valley Road Trip FAQ
How far is Joshua Tree from Death Valley? About 260 miles, or 4.5 to 5 hours, from the town of Joshua Tree to Furnace Creek by way of Barstow, Baker, and Shoshone.
Can I do both parks in a weekend? Not well. You'd spend most of it driving. Pick one for a weekend, and save the pair for four or five days.
Do I need reservations to enter either park? No. Neither park requires an entry reservation in 2026. Campgrounds and in-park lodging are another story, especially from November through April.
Is it safe to drive to Death Valley in summer? It can be, on paved roads with a reliable car, plenty of water, and air conditioning, but it's not the trip I'd recommend. Heat illness is a real risk, even at trailheads near the car.
More Road Trips and Park Pages
Before you go: roads, campgrounds, and visitor centers close for snow, fire, and repairs, so check each park's alerts and current conditions, updated daily: Joshua Tree, Death Valley. For every park at a glance, see the park conditions dashboard.
Planning a different route? See all my National Park road trips.
This is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service. Driving times are estimates without stops, and conditions change; check each park's current alerts before you go.