Glamping Joshua Tree

Glamping in Joshua Tree is a must! We spent two beautiful nights glamping in Joshua Tree and loved it so much we wanted to stay longer. Here’s how we had the most perfect glamping experience!

the best camp set up glamping in Joshua Tree

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Where is Joshua Tree?

Joshua Tree is only an hour drive north east from Palm Springs. The town itself is just before the Joshua Tree National Park where you will be glamping. Most people enter from the northern entrance near Joshua Tree town although there are a couple of other entrances to the national park.

Los Angeles to Joshua Tree

Getting from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree is pretty easy if you are driving just follow the I-10E Highway for about 2.5 hours. You can hire a car in Los Angeles and drive straight from the airport.

Alternatively you can do what we did and take public transport! It was so much easier than expected. From LAX we jumped on a bus right at the airport to Union Station, then caught the Flix Bus to Palm Springs. There is a range of buses you could take from Union Station to Palm Springs, Amtrak or Greyhound.

Palm Springs to Joshua Tree

Then from Palm Springs we hired a car and drove ourselves to Joshua Tree so we could get around the national park at our leisure. You can take a tour from Palm Springs to Joshua Tree also if you don’t want to drive yourself, but it is so worth having a car and glamping at Joshua Tree!

Do I need a car for Joshua Tree?

Yes, I would absolutely recommend hiring a car for Joshua Tree. You will want to be able to get around to different hikes and viewpoints and the park is not small. There is over an hours drive from one end to the other so a car will be very useful. We hired ours through Rental Cars and loved our green machine!

Best campsite for Joshua Tree

There are multiple campsites in Joshua Tree National Park to choose from. Each is slightly different but all offer that desert landscape! The most popular are:

Indian Cove- very big with lots of choices, in the northern part of the park.
Black Rock – big with lots of sites, great for kids and accessibility.
Jumbo Rocks- mid sized site. In the centre of the park with lots of…jumbo rocks.
Ryans Campsite – small size, mostly used by rock climbers. This has some really pretty views! In the centre of the park.
Sheep Pass – for groups only.
Cottonwood Campsite – big, flushing toilets and water available, best reached by the southern entry to Joshua Tree.
Belle Campsite – Beautiful! First come first served style, you can’t book sites here. You have to turn up and hope that one is available then go pay for it.

Best Campsites Joshua Tree

My top picks for the best campsites at Joshua Tree are Jumbo Rocks, Ryans Campground and Belle Campground. These are the most beautiful to me. I also think Indian Cove has some really nice spots as well. I can’t stress how important it is to book early. The sites book out weeks or even months in advance. We booked our site about a month early and almost everything was already booked out then. There are cancellations that come up closer to your date but you can’t rely on it.

We really searched all the campsites to find out perfect one for our glamping Joshua Tree experience and I highly recommend Jumbo Rocks campsite number 62! We had a view of the huge rocks and were tucked away in a little alcove. The road was quiet and there was a toilet nearby. There was also a big rock right next to us that we could climb to get views across the park. It was our perfect spot!

When you choose your campsite you really need to look at the size of the site, the glamping set up we had required a large tent space and not all sites are big enough. Some sites are walk in so you would be camping quite a way from your car park. It is important that you find a site that suits you best.

Best glamping set up for Joshua Tree

The most important thing is the glamping set up right? You can not…I repeat CAN NOT go past Camp’d Out. These guys are the best. They have the most incredible glamping tents. Our set up included a 16′ canvas bell tent, chairs and a full double bed with pillows, sheets and rugs! It gets cold at night in the desert so we really appreciated all the comfort and warmth provided. It was honestly the most glamour

We also had a camp coffee set and outdoor chairs and lanterns. Camp’d Out arranged for our firewood and ice as well as an esky.

the best camp coffee set up glamping in Joshua Tree

Honestly it was the best glamping set up we could have hoped for! It really made our time in Joshua Tree special and one we won’t forget…in fact I already want to go back and do it again!

The team at Camp’d Out were so lovely, they came and set our glamping Joshua Tree dream up, showed us how to use everything and left us to enjoy it. When our time was up we just left the set up for them to come and pack down to remove. It was an excellent service and one we really recommend!

What is it like glamping in Joshua Tree?

In a word…dreamy. Glamping at Joshiua Tree National Park was perfect. The landscape was amazing, the glamping set up was a dream and the weather was exceptional. We spent slow mornings waking up to the beautiful rock view straight from our tent, followed by great camp coffee and breakfast.

We went out exploring during the day doing as many hikes as we could, taking lunch with us to enjoy at a picturesque picnic spot. Check out my blog on the best hikes in Joshua Tree to see the must do activities in Joshua Tree.

Returning to camp in the afternoon was our favourite time! The late afternoons were just perfect, a glass of wine with the fire going as the night air crept in was a dream. Cooking dinner over the fire and toasting to a wonderful day is something I will always remember… that and making s’mores over the fire!

Our Joshua Tree glamping set up was so cool that people stopped by to chat about it, when they heard our Australian accent they were shocked thinking we had brought the gear with us. We even had a visit from the ranger who heard whispers of our glamping set up and had to come meet us and check it out! She loved it and thought it was such a cool idea and we totally agreed! Everyone was so nice it was great to chat to locals about Joshua Tree.

Making s'mores over the campfire at Joshua Tree National Park

Need to know for Joshua Tree

All these tips and more are up on our Hikes at Joshua Tree blog, check out all the info for the best activities and hikes in Joshua Tree there!

Joshua Tree National Park Entrance

There is an entry fee to enter Joshua Tree National Park. It is $30USD for a private vehicle which can be used for 7 days. You can purchase it ahead of time, or pay as you pass through the ranger entry booth.

You will also need to book and pay for your campsite in Joshua Tree. The prices vary depending on which site you choose. There are multiple campsites in the park in different areas and each offers different views and experiences.

Facilities at Joshua Tree National Park

There is no water in the national park after entering. You will need to bring your own water or be prepared to drive out to the entrance when it is needed.

Most sites have a fire pit which is very cool! Keep an eye on your fire and make sure to extinguish it complely when it is unattended. Also keep an eye out for fire ban signage as there will be periods you can not light a fire. You will need to bring your own firewood, starters and matches.

There are no flushing toilets in the park except at Black Rock and Cottonwood campsites. The rest have drop toilets which are cleaned very regularly. They are stocked with toilet paper and there is no tap to wash your hands. They also usually have no lights to see inside.

The sites are not electric so come with ice to keep your food fresh and charged batteries. If you have a generator please respect the operating hours.

Much of the park is one way so you will need to keep an eye out for signs indicating this as well as speed limits. There are rangers that patrol the park and will hand out speeding tickets or parking fines as well.