Joshua Tree is a small town located in San Bernardino County. Nestled in the California desert, Joshua Tree draws visitors to Joshua Tree National Park, a protected area known for its beautiful rock formations. The region is named after “Joshua trees”, the Yucca brevifolia plants that can be found in the area. The National Park is popular for hiking and camping, while the town of Joshua Tree is small and quiet with a laid back, artsy vibe. It was the perfect stop on our trip through Southern California, and we cannot recommend it enough. Keep reading for our full lesbian travel guide to Joshua Tree, California!
What To Do
Explore the Town
Visiting the small town of Joshua Tree almost feels like you’re stepping back in time. It feels beautifully nostalgic and is a must visit. The “downtown” is small and has a simple general store and other locally owned shops. Be sure to stop by and know that your spendings will go directly back to the merchants and residents! Our favourite spot in town was definitely Joshua Tree Coffee Co. If you happen to visit over a weekend, swing by the Joshua Tree Farmer’s Market for locally grown produce and handmade goods.
Visit the National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is an incredibly unique region where the Colorado and Mojave deserts come together. It is stunningly beautiful and unlike anything we’ve ever seen! You can visit the park year round, and it spans about 800,000 acres. Admission for one vehicle is $30 and that gives you a 7 day permit to the park. You can also get individual passes if you enter the park on foot or bike. There is no cell service inside the park so be sure to plan accordingly, but there is wifi at the visitors centres if you need it! The park is huge and even during high season you will have plenty of room to hike, camp, explore, and enjoy. (If you do plan on camping be sure to book in advance). Some of the most popular landmarks in the park include Hidden Valley, the Barker Dam, Skull Rock, Arch Rock, Cholla Cactus Garden, Keys View, and the 49 Palms Canyon Trail. We also recommend doing your own exploring outside of the big attractions, because every inch of the park is truly gorgeous!
Attend an Annual Festival
Joshua Tree hosts a lot of different festivals each year including arts expos, film festivals, music festivals, and more. Check out the local event calendar to plan your visit!
Where to Stay
Camping is very popular in Joshua Tree! Aside from that, Airbnb is the best option, in our opinion. There aren’t a lot of hotels or inns in the area, and it’s really the kind of place that you want to experience like a local. Airbnb has tons of cool and unique listings in the area that will give you comfortable accommodations close to the town and the national park. We opted for a cozy little house close to an entrance of the park, and we had a full kitchen, laundry, and a big backyard. There was also a hot tub, which was perfect for relaxing and stargazing in the evenings! We highly recommend checking out which houses are available when you’re planning your trip. Especially if you’re travelling with a bigger group, this is a perfect option. If you’ve never used Airbnb before, click here to set up a profile and save on your first stay!
Where to Eat & Drink
The food scene in Joshua Tree is definitely quite limited, but there are a few great spots to check out in town. Natural Sisters Cafe is a great locally owned restaurant that offers healthy, organic food with plenty of plant-based options. For something a little more lively, there’s the restaurant at 29 Palms Inn. They offer lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch, along with a full bar menu and live music some nights! The inn has been a Joshua Tree staple for more than 90 years. Aside from the limited selection of restaurants and cafes in the area, the best thing to do for food, in our opinion, is to come prepared! We did a big grocery shop at Trader Joe’s before we arrived in town, and we prepared most of our meals at our Airbnb. It was great to be able to make breakfast in the mornings, and pack ourselves a lunch to bring into the park. We also brought a bottle of wine to enjoy in the hot tub! We highly recommend planning to prepare some of your own food in Joshua Tree, especially if you are planning a longer stay.
Lesbian Friendly
Southern California is very welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community, and has many popular destinations for same-sex couples and gay travellers. Unlike cities like LA, San Francisco, and Palm Springs, which are overflowing with gay culture, Joshua Tree is a small town with no specific gaybourhood. That being said, the area certainly has a laid back, hipster, artist feel, and is certainly progressive and safe. The locals we came across in the town were all very kind and friendly, and we had no issues at all being open with our relationship in the park around other travellers. The state of California is very liberal when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights, and they have been leaders in the equality movement for a number of years. The state legally bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, and same-sex couples have equal legal rights. We would definitely consider California to be a progressive state that is welcoming to LGBTQ+ travellers, and we can certainly recommend Joshua Tree as an inclusive travel destination. A couple of years ago, Joshua Tree National Park shared a photo of a same-sex couple on their Instagram account to celebrate Pride, and of course there were plenty of angry comments (because the internet is full of homophobes). Park officials combatted the backlash by reminding everyone that “national parks are a safe space for all”, and asserting that “hateful comments would not be tolerated”. We love seeing support like that! If you’re looking for a unique getaway in Southern California that is lesbian friendly and incredibly beautiful, be sure to add Joshua Tree to your list!
How to Get Around
Rent a Vehicle
The best way to get around Joshua Tree is to rent a vehicle and drive! The national park is huge and very easy to access by car. There are main roads that take you through the park and plenty of pull offs. For popular attractions and hiking spots there are well maintained parking lots, and for smaller attractions there is lots of room to pull off on the side of the road. Having your own vehicle to get around the national park and the town of Joshua Tree is definitely going to be the easiest way to get around. It also gives you the option of exploring other parts of Southern California on the same trip! Joshua Tree is only a couple of hours away from LA or San Diego, and less than an hour from Palm Springs. We rented our car from Hertz, which is the company we almost always use. They have a great loyalty program that allows us to earn points toward free rentals!
Has anyone else fallen in love with Joshua Tree? Let us know in the comments!
2 comments
Love watching Sun !
We love the sunshine too!