Long Weekend Trip to Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks
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I have a goal to visit all the national parks and had been craving some desert time after a long winter so started researching a trip to either Death Valley National Park or Joshua Tree National Park. I couldn’t decide which I should go to. After hours of research, I decided why pick just one? It seemed doable to see both so that’s what I did!
In case you just want to hit the highlights and get a big picture of this trip, check out my 5-Day Itinerary for Visiting Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks in One Trip post. For a summary just Death Valley, I have a post One Day in Death Valley National Park. For more details on planning your trip, keep reading here.
What’s the Best Way to Visit Death Valley?
The closest major airport to fly into Death Valley National Park is Las Vegas. I flew in from Texas, she flew in from Nebraska. We arrived around 4pm, took the shuttle to the rental car place, got our car and took off. We stopped at Target in Las Vegas to buy a cooler, snacks, drinks and anything else we might need because we weren’t sure what the amenities would be closer to the park. Once we were stocked up, we headed West! I did buy this collapsible cooler to take but since my suitcase is just a carry-on size, it took up too much room. But if you’re going to take a big suitcase, it would be perfect for a trip like this!
How Long Does It Take to Drive to Death Valley from Las Vegas?
If you were driving straight from Las Vegas to Death Valley, it’s about a two-hour drive to the East side of the park near Furnace Creek. Since we weren’t going to the park until the next morning, it was only a one hour drive to our hotel in Pahrump, NV.
Where’s the Best Place to Stay When Visiting Death Valley National Park?
Holiday Inn Express, Pahrump, NV
The best place to stay when visiting Death Valley from Las Vegas is Pahrump, Nevada. It takes about an hour to get there and it’s about an hour outside the park. It turns out, we didn’t need to stop in Las Vegas because Pahrump had a Wal-Mart, Walgreens and full amenities. We ended up stopping at Wal-Mart to get a few things we forgot and it was a really nice store!
There are two options to stay inside the park – The Inn at Death Valley and The Ranch at Death Valley but they had mixed reviews and were pricey. We drove past them, and they look like an oasis in the desert – very pretty and scenic from the outside. So, it’s best to check current reviews and pricing when planning your trip in case things change.
But after tons of research, we ended up staying at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Pahrump and it was perfect! The staff was really friendly, it was updated and clean, the views out the window were great and the free breakfast was a good way to start the day. I highly recommend it!
This hotel is also next door to a Mexican restaurant, El Jefe. We got there around 7:30pm. They closed at 8pm. But they got our food out super quick and were really accommodating – and the food and margaritas were delicious!
One Day in Death Valley National Park
We woke up early since we were on Central Time, ate breakfast at the hotel and ran to Wal-Mart to grab a few things we’d forgotten. Oh – and a very important stop – coffee! The hotel has coffee but one of my favorite things to do when I travel is try local coffee shops.
We stopped at Java Junkies and I got the largest coffee I’ve ever seen in my life – it was a 32oz iced caramel latte, lol! It was delish! Cindy got one of the frappes and loved it too. Then we hit the road.
If you drove straight to the park, it would take about an hour but of course, we had to stop and take pictures. The scenery was incredible and the roads were desolate so that definitely lent itself to some great snapshots!
We came in through the East side of the park so our first stop was Zabriskie Point – and it blew our minds. The landscape is incredible. So many rock colors and formations. Also, since we were there so early, there weren’t many people.
Next up was the Furnace Creek Visitor’s Center. I get stamps at all the parks in my National Park Passport – it makes the visits even more fun to collect the stamps. I highly suggest grabbing one if you don’t have one already. This one is similar to mine. This is the spot with the temperature sign outside, which is a can’t-miss photo op.
Then we followed Highway 190 over to Mesquite Flats Sand Dunes. I’ve been to all the sand dunes national parks and in comparison, I’ll be honest, this wasn’t anything like those so if you’re short on time, you could skip this stop. But it was beautiful none-the-less and we did see a lizard there so that was fun!
We decided to go over to the Stovepipe Wells General Store to check it out and eat our lunch. We had picked up pre-made salads and sandwiches during our Target stop and had some chips, fruit, cheese, etc that we could snack on. One thing I highly recommend is to either pack an electrolyte drink like Propel or Gatorade or bring some packets to add to water bottles – that’s what we did. We got some Drip Drop packets at Wal-Mart. I’d never had them before, but the Fruit Punch was so good! Not too sweet. It was a necessity after sweating in the heat so much.
The heat had really picked up so after lunch, we decided to swing back by the Furnace Creek Visitor’s Center to see what the reading was on the sign and it had risen to 103 on April 28th! We used the bathroom and the cell service – it’s one of the few places in the park that you receive cell service – and then we headed to Badwater Basin.
Badwater Basin is the lowest point in the US at 282ft below sea level – and it’s contrasted by being next to Telescope Peak, which is 11,049ft. The salt is brownish – not the white you see in pictures – maybe it varies at different times of the year. We had to taste it though, haha – it tastes just like a chunk of salt tastes!
Next was the famed Artist’s Drive and the highlight of Artist’s Palette. The colors really are as vibrant and colorful as you see in pictures. And it is stun.ning! I think this was my favorite part of the park. Unfortunately, we were exhausted from the heat or I would have spent more time exploring that area, but do not miss this part of the park!
Our final stop in the park was Twenty Mule Canyon Team Road. It was so fun! It’s definitely bumpy, we didn’t have 4WD but we did have a small SUV – anything close to the ground will likely bottom out. But it twists and turns and around every corner is another beautiful view. It was a great way to end our day in the park!
We drove the hour back to Pahrump – which flies by because the scenery is incredible. But we were exhausted and starving so we decided to try Chatthai Bistro – it was great! I had the Stir Fried Thai Sweet Basil and loved it! Cindy had a fried rice of some sort and it was good but mine was better. Definitely recommend this place though!
We hit the hay early at the Holiday Inn so we could head South early the next day.
Driving Between Death Valley National Park and Joshua Tree National Park
It’s just under four hours to drive from Pahrump, NV to the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor’s Center. We took highway 127 to Interstate 15 and passed through the Mojave Desert, which was really beautiful.
What’s the Best Way to Visit Joshua Tree?
If you are going directly to Joshua Tree National Park, you could fly into Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Las Vegas or LA. We did look into flying into Vegas and out of Palm Desert so we didn’t have to go back to Vegas, but the flights were really limited.
One Day in Joshua Tree National Park
We entered the park thru the West entrance station, stopping at the Park Street Visitors Center first, and then drove along that route through the park. We had done some research but we knew we weren’t really going to have a lot of time to hike, so mainly we just wanted to stop whenever we wanted.
Joshua Tree is a pretty busy park since it’s pretty close to Palm Springs and LA. And it was in the upper 80s when we were there, even on April 30th. After the previous day in Death Valley and dealing with the heat there, we didn’t feel like doing any long hikes.
We did some short hikes, stopped at Hidden Valley, Cap Rock, Keys View – definitely worth it, you can see over the entire valley – Barker Dam, Skull Rock and Cholla Cactus Garden. We exited through the North Entrance Station. The desert flowers were absolutely stunning at this time of year!
If you’re a hiker and plan an entire weekend, there are several hikes you can do and you could probably spend one or two full days in the park doing all the hikes. We knew we weren’t going to have time to do that, we just wanted the highlights. And we felt the four hours we spent in the park were sufficient to get a feel for it and see the highlights. It really is a beautiful park with so many Joshua Trees, cacti and other beautiful desert flowers.
Where’s the Best Place to Stay When Visiting Joshua Tree National Park?
After much research, we ultimately decided to stay at the Campbell House Inn in the Sunrise Cottage. We loved it! It’s a quaint little place at the end of a road in 29 Palms. There’s a main house and then little cottages on the edge of the property.
Our cottage was clean, quiet and comfortable. There was a kitchenette but we didn’t use it. The grounds are gorgeous, with huge old trees, palm trees, and a fountain with a patio where we ate our dinner. They serve a home cooked breakfast in the main house and we ate it on the patio also. It was delicious.
Joshua Tree National Park is in the middle of the desert and spans the towns of Joshua Tree and 29 Palms. 29 Palms has a Marine Corps base there. Due to the base and the popularity of the park, a lot of businesses have sprung up but it doesn’t have a large infrastructure of hotels and lodging.
Many of the places we found were “eclectic” as they like to say, but that is not my style. I prefer something updated, that feels clean, not junky and is comfortable. I’m not saying those places aren’t, but the pictures gave off a cheap, thrown together vibe, vs what I wanted.
There are a lot of short-term rentals but again, not all of them looked as maintained or appointed as I was looking for. And because of the demand and limited supply, the costs are pretty high. And for only staying one night, with the cleaning fee on top, it just wasn’t the most affordable option.
There are some chain hotels there but they weren’t available when we looked. We’re really happy with our choice to stay at the Campbell House, it worked out great!
Where’s Should You Eat When Visiting Joshua Tree National Park?
We happened to be there on a Saturday night and we didn’t make any reservations. Many places don’t take them anyway. We tried to eat at the Joshua Tree Saloon but it was packed and everywhere else we tried was also super busy. We were tired and hungry so we just got Jack in the Box and ate it back at the inn. It wasn’t good. Do not recommend, haha!
After breakfast at the inn the next morning, we did go to The Dez for coffee and it was great coffee. They had some grab & go food and you could order, it all looked really good. Since the area is so popular, new places are popping up all the time, so it’s probably best to just do some research before you go so you have the newest, up-to-date reviewed options.
Driving to Las Vegas from Joshua Tree National Park
If we had known half a day was going to be enough for us in Joshua Tree, we could have flown home that morning, but we weren’t sure so this was kind of a buffer day. We got up, ate breakfast, got coffee and drove back to Vegas.
It’s about 3.5 hours from Joshua Tree to the Las Vegas airport where we were dropping off the rental car. On the way back, we stopped at Roy’s in Amboy, it’s a little outdoor hotdog stand, convenience store and motel. It has a 50s vibe and was a fun way to break up the trip. We had some chili dogs, took our pic with the giant Route 66 sign on the highway and listened to some old tunes. Definitely recommend the stop!
There is actually a section of road on Highway XX that has more Joshua Trees than I’ve ever seen on one place – even more than Joshua Tree National Park! It was crazy. We stopped and got out and took pics and videos. Of course the pictures don’t do it justice. There were Joshua Trees as far as the eye could see.
Since we had time, when we got close to Vegas, we stopped at Seven Magic Mountains – I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of the colorful art installation that juts out of the desert. It was crowded and you could skip it if you don’t have time but it was a fun photo opp.
Then we drove over to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. It was such a beautiful drive! We did some short hikes and even happened to be there when a Native American group was having a worship and playing native music. It’s really hard to believe this place is literally on the outskirts of Vegas. It feels a world away. There is an area that you can pay to go into but since we didn’t have that much time, we skipped that. It was still worth the drive and I will go back for sure.
It was time to take the car back – we wanted to drop it off the night before to save on one night’s rate, not have to pay to park and save time in the morning. We dropped it off and took an Uber back to the hotel.
Cindy found a great deal for only $50 at the Horseshoe hotel. I’d stayed there the year before when it was Bally’s and knew it was nice. The check in line was soooooo long, which was ridiculous, but our room was clean and comfy.
We checked in, ate dinner at M.Y. Asia in the hotel, which was good, and then walked the area with the shops. Our flight left the next morning at 7am so we hit the hay early and took an Uber to the airport the next morning.
We both made it home by 4pm, which was nice. This was an awesome girls’ trip and the perfect amount of activities and downtime. To see more pics and videos – including how much this trip cost – check out my Instagram. I hope this was helpful in planning your trip – let me know if you have any questions!
