Joshua Tree National Park Scenic Tour
Description
Head out on this a small group tour into Joshua Tree National Park conducted on an exciting air-conditioned H2 Hummer or touring Van. Gawk at the amazing contortions of rock that create an amazing landscape of vibrant colors against the bluest sky in California! Your expert guide will illuminate your understanding about how this landscape was created and share the stories of the Indians and settlers who lived here. See the most iconic and most photographed places in the park as well as stop at a viewpoint where you can see all the way to Mexico! This tour will visit the most iconic locations in the park including it's legendary giant boulders, learn about the forces of the San Andreas Fault that jolt the landscape beneath Joshua Tree itself. SCHEDULE Morning Tours: Palm Desert Mortons Daily. 8 am to 1:30 pm Palm Springs Art Museum Daily 8:30 am to 1:30 pm Yucca Valley Welcome Center Daily 9:30 am to 12:30 pm Note: Park Entrance of $15 pp is NOT included in the price.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We provide you an informative and entertaining tour of Joshua Tree with one of our professional geology guides. You will explore the park with a professional eco guide while you explore the ancient geological landscape that was once the home of the Serrano Indians. We also take you to the most photographed places in the park and take a walk in an area where you can find Indian cave drawings and even an old dam left by cowboys long past.
Explore with your guide enormous rock formations exposed at the Earths surface that were produced by the very forces of the San Andreas Fault miles beneath. Here rocks seem to precariously balance upon one another in a fight between gravity and subterranean forces. A 30 minute optional guided walk is made here.
This iconic rock formation is one of the most popular places in the park for rock climbers. Gawk at the climbers as they challenge the perils of the 3rd dimension.
Take an optional hike with your Wilderness guide on this Trail originally lay down by the Cowboys. This will take you by Indian petroglyphs as well as a water resource that is used by high elevation Bighorn Sheep and deer. This area is surrounded with 20 million year old Miocene rock formations that are the vaunted destination for expert rock climbers all over the world.
Gawk at a view that stretches for hundreds of miles. From this high point in Joshua Tree you can see as far as the Salton Sea and all the way down to Mexico on a clear day. You might even be able to make out your hotel on this escarpment that borders the famous San Andreas Fault. Look below this ledge we will stop at and you will see the fault line itself which stretches for over 800 miles.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Dress in light clothes in the summer and layers in the winter. It is 20 to 30 degrees cooler in the high desert
- Wear comfortable walking shoes
- Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund. There is a 4 person minimum to run this tour.
Reviews(577)
Very knowledgeable guide who was attentive to our needs, the day was extremely pleasant and fun
Our tour guide “Austin” was absolutely amazing!! 5 star tour guide. He was patient & , very knowledgeable. Austin had plenty of fun facts. We loved the open air hummer ride . Felt like the outback. Book this tour you won’t be disappointed! Request Austin😊
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're thrilled you had such a memorable day exploring Joshua Tree with Austin. He truly has a passion for the park and enjoys sharing its fascinating geology, history, and wildlife with our guests. We're especially glad you enjoyed the open-air Hummer experience—it's a unique way to experience the desert and one of our favorite ways to introduce visitors to Joshua Tree National Park. Thank you for your kind recommendation, and we hope to welcome you back for another adventure!
If you don’t have a rental car, this is a convenient—and perhaps one of the only—ways to visit Joshua Tree from Palm Springs, especially on a very hot Independence Day. I appreciated having transportation without worrying about driving in the desert. However, the overall experience didn’t justify the price (around $170). The pickup was stressful. I arrived 15 minutes early, but there was no guide or vehicle. Customer service couldn’t reach the guide and even told me the tour might have been canceled. Thankfully, it eventually departed. The pre-trip instructions also told guests to purchase a National Park entrance pass, but July 4 was a fee-free day, so I unnecessarily spent $15. To their credit, after I contacted the operator, they promptly reimbursed the entrance fee. Finally, the guided experience was disappointing. Because of the van’s noise and air conditioning, passengers in the middle and back could barely hear the guide. As a result, most of the explanations were given only after getting off the van, and the total commentary throughout the tour was probably less than 20 minutes. We spent only about 1.5–2 hours inside the park, with much of the tour spent driving. Overall, it’s a convenient transportation option, but I expected a much richer guided experience and better organization for this price.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. I'm sorry the uncertainty at pickup caused you stress. Although your tour departed on schedule, we understand how unsettling it can be if you don't immediately see your guide on a busy holiday like July 4. You're absolutely correct that National Park entrance fees are waived on Independence Day, and we're glad we were able to promptly reimburse the $15 fee once you contacted us. Regarding the tour itself, our Scenic Van Tour is designed as a comfortable sightseeing experience with a certified National Park guide providing commentary throughout the five-hour journey, both while driving and during stops. While road and air-conditioning noise can occasionally make it more difficult for passengers seated toward the rear of the van to hear every word, we're sorry if that affected your experience. We appreciate your feedback and will use it to continue improving communication before departure and the onboard experience. Thank you for choosing to visit Joshua Tree with us. As to pricing, we are presently the least expensive tour leaving from the Downtown Palm Springs area by almost $100 per person.
Firstly a shout out to Viator for allowing the excursion to go ahead despite the fact that only two of us had booked. Thank you - it felt like a private tour! Austin our tour guide/driver was awesome. He was easy to get on with, and his knowledge was excellent. He was able to share anecdotes, history, geology, and information about the flora and fauna we encountered with ease. Joshua Tree National Park is a ‘must see’! It is a truly spectacular park, and Austin played excerpts from U2’s Joshua Tree album as we arrived in the Park, stirring 40 year old memories for me! We had a number of stops during the tour to stretch our legs and take photographs. The walks are on fairly even ground but you can stay in the minibus if you wish (it was 108 degrees and UV factor 13 when we were there…). Water and granola bars are also freely available on the bus. The tour ended with a spectacular view over Coachella Valley, from the Salish Sea (even Mexico) on the left to Palm Springs laid out below. You could even see evidence of the San Andreas Fault from this high vantage point. I highly recommend this tour - and especially Austin our guide, who was both fun to be with, and kind enough to run the trip with just us two tourists!
Thank you for such a thoughtful and detailed review. It's wonderful to hear that Austin's knowledge of the geology, history, flora, and fauna made the experience so memorable. I especially enjoyed your description of arriving in Joshua Tree to the sounds of U2—it paints a vivid picture and reminds us how travel can awaken old memories. Reviews like yours help future travelers know what to expect, and it's great to hear that you enjoyed your tour as the owner permitted you to go as a private!
It was our first trip to Palm Springs and so glad that we went on this tour to Joshua Tree National Park! Austin, our tour guide was very friendly, knowledgeable about the Park and about Palm Springs in general. That day was a perfect day to do the tour and the weather was great! I highly recommend this tour and would do it again when back in Palm Springs!
Thank you for the wonderful review! We're so glad Austin helped make your first visit to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree memorable. We truly appreciate your recommendation and look forward to welcoming you back on your next visit!
I had an amazing experience. Our tour guide was prompt, knowledgeable, and helpful during the tour.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're delighted you enjoyed your Joshua Tree experience. We appreciate your kind words about your guide and hope to welcome you back for another adventure soon!
Our guide was very knowledgeable about the history and hiking opportunities in the area. Be sure to ask questions about what you see. It made it interesting for the group when the guide would elaborate on topics because a question was asked.
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed learning about the history, geology, and hiking opportunities within Joshua Tree National Park. Our guides love answering questions and tailoring each tour to the interests of the group, so we're especially pleased that those conversations helped make the day more engaging. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for another adventure in the future.
A great way to see the national park if you don’t have your own transport. Great informative guide.
We appreciate your five-star review. Have a great day!
This was a fun tour and we had a great time!
Thanks for sharing the day with us! Come again soon.
We chose the meet option at the Welcome Center. It was a great starting point for buying passes and last bathroom break before the tour began. We meet Eddie and all others for the excursion inside the Welcome Center. Eddie has a great personality and shared interesting facts, history and information before, during and after the tour. Eddie offered to take photos with your phone at each stop. Halfway through the trip if you're in the first two rows of the van, you're asked to move to the back two rows. Everyone switches seats so great seats for all. Bottled water and granola bars snacks are available at each stop. Bathrooms are available at each stop we made, note there is no running water and it is a compost toliet. The park does a fantastic job keeping them clean and Eddie has hand sanitizer able. Tour advice: put sunscreen on before the excursion begins, prior to boarding the van. Two members in the tour group put on sunscreen at one of the stops in Joshua Tree, the bees wanted them from that point on. Wear long sleeve sun shirts, pants, hiking boots or sturdy sneakers. Yes it is 100+ degrees however in the elements it's the best way.
Thank you for taking the time to share such a detailed review. We're delighted you enjoyed exploring Joshua Tree with Eddie. We appreciate your comments about the Welcome Center meeting location, seat rotation, photo opportunities, snacks, and restroom stops. Your practical advice about sunscreen and desert attire will certainly help future guests prepare for a comfortable visit. We hope to welcome you back to Joshua Tree again soon.
