This post is part of Just Ahead’s Joshua Tree Trip Planner—our guide to everything you need to know to plan your trip to Joshua Tree National Park. Click here to see the complete series, and be sure to download our Just Ahead smartphone audio tour of Joshua Tree before you head to the park.
Much as we love camping in Joshua Tree National Park, sometimes a roof and creature comforts are in order. The towns near and adjacent to the park offer everything from inns with character to traditional motels to quirky joints that don’t fall into any category.
We don’t endorse any places in particular, but a few local lodgings are notably famous:
- The Twentynine Palms Inn, right next to the North Entrance in Twentynine Palms, has character-rich cabins and colorful adobe bungalows arrayed around a swimming pool, plus an on-site restaurant.
- The 1950s hacienda-style Joshua Tree Inn is in the town of Joshua Tree near the park’s West Entrance. Fans of alt-country-rock legend Gram Parsons regard it as a pilgrimage site, as it was where the musician spent his last tragic hours back in 1973. We tell you the story in the Just Ahead Joshua Tree tour.
- Then there’s Hicksville, also in the town of Joshua Tree, where you can stay in theme-decorated trailers like The Sweet, a 22-foot Airstream decked out in suitably garish 1970s décor.
You have plenty of nonlegendary options as well.
The towns of Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, and Twentynine Palms are minutes from park entrances and have loads of hotel and restaurant choices:
For something a bit tonier, the towns of Desert Hot Springs, Palm Springs, Palm Desert, La Quinta, and Rancho Mirage are filled with luxury resorts, but are 40 minutes to an hour from the park:
To see our complete Joshua Tree Trip Planner series, click here.