Joshua Tree National Park Self-Guided Driving Audio Tour
Description
Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together! Explore the rugged, mystical beauty of Joshua Tree National Park with this narrated driving tour. Discover a desert full of amazing hikes and cartoonishly strange trees, and hear all about the area’s fascinating history, from the greed of the gold rush to the McHaney Gang’s reign of terror. Enjoy all this in any season from the comfort of your own car! • Tour Joshua Tree National Park from the comfort of your own car • As a bonus, this package also includes a tour through Hidden Valley Nature Trail! After booking, check your email/text to download the separate Audio Tour Guide App by Action while connected to WiFi or mobile data. Enter the password, download the tour, and enjoy it offline. Follow the audio instructions and route from the designated starting point. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your tour of Joshua Tree begins at the Joshua Tree Visitor Center. From here, you'll drive through this weird, one-of-a-kind park where two deserts meet. Along the way, get ready to marvel at the bizarre Joshua trees for which the park is named, embark on awe-inspiring hikes, and catch a sunset you'll never forget. Note: The tour is over 66 miles long, with more than 60+ audio stories, and takes about 3-4 hours to complete. New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Before you enter the park, you'll pass through the town of Joshua Tree. It's full of quaint little shops and restaurants and is the perfect place to pick up a snack or a souvenir before or after your trip through the park.
This peculiar landmark can be accessed via a moderate, 3.3-mile trail. Almost 100 years ago, an enigmatic man named John Samuelson etched various musings and declarations onto these rocks. They remain to this day as a strange, almost mystical sight.
A 7-mile trail leads straight to Willow Hole, a seemingly miraculous oasis in the middle of the desert. The oasis is surrounded by willow trees and just has to be seen to be believed. Many visitors at first think it's a mirage!
The Hemingway Buttress is one of the most popular climbing spots in the park. It juts up dramatically from the earth, seeming to dare visitors to scale it. The buttress features a huge pile of boulders which are lots of fun to scramble up, and climbers of all skill levels can find something to enjoy here.
Ever wanted to see the hideout of a Wild West gang? You'll find it on this trail, as well as some seriously stunning desert scenery to boot. The Hidden Valley Nature Trail is an easy trek and only goes for about a mile, making it one of Joshua Tree's must-see hikes. As a bonus, this package also includes a tour through Hidden Valley Nature Trail!
Intersection Rock is considered to be a sort of hub within Joshua Tree. Thanks to its towering size, it can be seen from a great distance and casts a striking silhouette against the blazing desert sky. It's also a hugely popular climbing spot, featuring numerous different climbing routes with names like Knuckle Cracker, Ignorant Photons from Pluto, and Sympathy to the Devil.
Cap Rock is a strange sight, featuring a small boulder almost impossibly perched atop a larger rock formation. Here, you'll find a quick quarter-mile trail chock full of information about the local flora.
Lost Horse Valley is a sweeping desert valley that gets its name from some of the McHaney Gang's misdeeds back in the days of the Wild West. You'll hear all about that as you drive through this valley, including what one overconfident miner did to try to get his stolen horses back!
The Lost Horse Mine Loop Trail leads to a truly unique spot: the remains of one of the most successful gold mines in the region. In addition to these ruins, this four-mile trail also features some magnificent desert flora and more than a few excellent vistas. If you're visiting in the summer, be prepared for a lack of shade on this trail.
Another abandoned mine waits in Queen Valley. The gold found in this mine was the motive behind at least one murder and a whole lot else.
This iconic desert granite formation looks uncannily like a human skull. It's easily accessible from the roadside, and is also the trailhead for an easy 2-mile trail that's among the most popular hiking trails in the whole park.
Sky's The Limit Observatory and Nature Center is a phenomenal spot to learn not just about the flora and fauna of Joshua Tree, but also about the stars above. As a dark sky area, Joshua Tree makes for some seriously impressive stargazing, so try to stick around after dark if you can!
The Oasis Visitor Center is the last stop along the main tour route. It sits in the town of Twenty-Nine Palms, not far from where you began your tour. If you'd prefer to continue journeying through Joshua Tree, you can also follow the detour route, which proceeds south through the rest of the park and exits out the southern gate.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- How To Access: After booking, you’ll get an email and text with setup instructions and password (search “audio tour” in emails and texts). • Download the separate tour app by Action • Enter the password sent by email and text. • MUST download the tour while in strong wifi/cellular. • Works offline after download.
- How to start touring: Open Action’s separate audio tour guide app once onsite. • If there is just one tour, launch it. • If multiple tour versions exist, launch the one with your planned starting point and direction.
- Go to the starting point No one will meet you at the start. This tour is self-guided Enter the first story’s point and the audio will begin automatically Follow the audio cues to the next story, which will also play automatically. Enjoy hands-free exploring. If you face audio issues, contact support. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
- Travel worry-free: Use the tour app anytime, on any day, and over multiple days. Start and pause the tour whenever you like, taking breaks and exploring side excursions at your own pace. Skip anything you don’t care about or explore bonus content for everything that interests you
- Savings tips: Driving tours: purchase just one tour for everyone in the car
- New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
- Please download the app and tour in advance, as network signal on-site can be very poor. An entrance pass is required to visit Joshua Tree National Park and is not included with this tour. For entrance tickets and to learn more about popular hikes and trails, please refer to the relevant resources ahead of your visit.
- Audio Setup: Connect your phone to your car's stereo system using Bluetooth, USB, or AUX. For the best experience, consider using headphones for walking tours. Audio playback is compatible with Apple CarPlay, with navigation features coming soon. Support for Android Auto is also on the way.
- The tour requires a supported mobile device for navigation. Please use an iPhone with iOS 15 or later, an Android device with Android 9 or later, or an iPad/tablet with GPS and cellular service.
- Self-guided audio tour via app; no in-person guide provided and no entrance fee included.
Reviews(800)
This tour has really well done narration of the park that follows along with your driving via GPS on your phone. It's well worth the nominal ~$16.
Mark, I’m really happy to hear you found my Joshua Tree National Park GPS Driving Audio Tour well done and worth it. It’s great to hear the narration followed your drive smoothly through the park and enhanced your visit. If you’d like to explore more nearby destinations, my Southern California Self-Guided Driving & Walking Bundle Tour includes Hollywood Celebrity & Star Homes, Famous Filming Locations in Los Angeles, La Jolla Cove, Death Valley National Park, and more. Happy exploring!
Fantastic way to go through the park. The app matched the locations beautifully. Please make sure you download for best experience as the signal does go out completely go out within minutes inside the park. Loved the stories to accompany the markers, we learned things we wouldn’t have learned otherwise. The kids found it engaging and followed well which is especially helpful in the summer where hikes may be prohibitive due to the heat.
Doris, I’m so glad to hear you loved my Joshua Tree National Park GPS Driving Audio Tour. It’s wonderful to know the app matched the locations beautifully and that the stories helped your family learn things you might have missed otherwise. I’m especially happy the kids found it engaging and easy to follow, especially during the summer when the heat can make hiking more difficult. If you enjoyed Joshua Tree, you might want to explore more with my Southern California Self-Guided Driving & Walking Bundle Tour. It features some of the region's top experiences, including Hollywood Celebrity & Star Homes, Famous Filming Locations in Los Angeles, La Jolla Cove, and Death Valley National Park. Happy exploring!
Easy to follow (it follows you!) app. The stories are a wonderful addition to driving the route. It was especially helpful to have several starting points to choose from. I really enjoyed this tour and would certainly use this app another National Parks.
Sue, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed my Joshua Tree GPS Driving Audio Tour. It’s wonderful to know you found the app easy to follow and enjoyed the stories along the route. I’m also happy the multiple starting points made the experience more convenient for your trip. If you enjoyed Joshua Tree, you might want to explore more with my Southern California Self-Guided Driving & Walking Bundle Tour. It features some of the region's top experiences, including Hollywood Celebrity & Star Homes, Famous Filming Locations in Los Angeles, La Jolla Cove, and Death Valley National Park. Happy exploring!
This was very easy to use and very knowledgeable. We truly enjoyed the park and seeing all of its beauty. This is a must see.
Roseann, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed my Joshua Tree GPS Driving Audio Tour. It’s wonderful to know you found it easy to use and informative while exploring the park’s beauty. If you enjoyed Joshua Tree, you might want to explore more with my Southern California Self-Guided Driving & Walking Bundle Tour. It features some of the region's top experiences, including Hollywood Celebrity & Star Homes, Famous Filming Locations in Los Angeles, La Jolla Cove, and Death Valley National Park. Happy exploring!
On our way to Joshua Tree National Park, we purchased a self-guided audio tour, and it was perfect for our drive. It guided us along the route, pointed out where to stop, and shared great information about the area. I highly recommend it!
Vinnie, I’m really glad to hear that my Joshua Tree GPS Driving Audio Tour worked perfectly for your drive and helped guide you along the route with great stops and information. It means a lot that you’d highly recommend it. If you enjoyed Joshua Tree, you might want to explore more with my Southern California Self-Guided Driving & Walking Bundle Tour. It features some of the region's top experiences, including Hollywood Celebrity & Star Homes, Famous Filming Locations in Los Angeles, La Jolla Cove, and Death Valley National Park. Happy exploring!
This ap was easy to use, and you can use Bluetooth to play on car speakers. Made our trip much more enjoyable. Can pause the tour to get out of the car if photos or small hikes are wanted. Good price. Will look into other national parks! Our tour took us completely through Joshua Tree National Park, 63 mile tour.
Tiffany, I’m really glad to hear that my Palm Springs GPS Driving Audio Tour was fun, easy to use, and helped you discover the history and celebrity stories you hadn’t known before. It’s great that even after visiting many times, the tour added something new—that’s exactly what I aim for. I truly appreciate the recommendation and you sharing your experience. If you enjoyed Joshua Tree, you might want to explore more with my Southern California Self-Guided Driving & Walking Bundle Tour. It features some of the region's top experiences, including Hollywood Celebrity & Star Homes, Famous Filming Locations in Los Angeles, La Jolla Cove, and Death Valley National Park. Happy exploring!
Very easy to use and informative. We enjoyed it
Denise, I’m glad to hear my Joshua Tree GPS Driving Audio Tour was easy to use and informative, and that you enjoyed the experience. If you enjoyed Joshua Tree, you might want to explore more with my Southern California Self-Guided Driving & Walking Bundle Tour. It features some of the region's top experiences, including Hollywood Celebrity & Star Homes, Famous Filming Locations in Los Angeles, La Jolla Cove, and Death Valley National Park. Happy exploring!
Audio was great. Knew exactly where we were and would react accordingly. Information provided was good too. The drive through would have been so much less enjoyable without the audio tour. Loved hearing all the tidbits of information
Kim, I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed my Joshua Tree GPS Driving Audio Tour. I’m thrilled to know that the audio was helpful and made your drive even more enjoyable. It’s always great to hear that the information and guidance were useful during your experience. If you enjoyed Joshua Tree, you might want to explore more with my Southern California Self-Guided Driving & Walking Bundle Tour. It features some of the region's top experiences, including Hollywood Celebrity & Star Homes, Famous Filming Locations in Los Angeles, La Jolla Cove, and Death Valley National Park. Happy exploring!
Too many glitches not worth the money. Issues every step in the process. I don't recommend at all waste of time and money !
Mace, I’d love to understand the issues you encountered. I can see it took 6 minutes from purchase to access — did the confirmation email take a long time to arrive? I try to ensure everything runs smoothly, so any feedback would be helpful. I’m available daily from 9 AM to 6 PM EST, and I’d be happy to offer a replacement or refund.
We enjoyed the driving tour, but had some difficulty getting synced with the recording at the beginning.
Catherine, I’m really glad to hear you enjoyed my Joshua Tree GPS Driving Audio Tour and found it fun and interesting. I’m sorry to hear about the syncing issue at the beginning. Starting from the recommended starting point and ensuring the tour is fully downloaded usually helps everything align smoothly. I’d love to understand more—did it sync properly after starting, or did it continue causing issues? Please feel free to reach out—I’m available daily from 9 AM to 6 PM EST.
