Joshua Tree Village

The town of Joshua Tree, often called Joshua Tree Village, sits where Park Boulevard leaves Highway 62 and runs five miles south to the park's West Entrance, the busiest of its gates. That puts the visitor center, the diners, the climbing shop and a run of galleries right on your way in. It's about seven miles east of Yucca Valley, and the West Entrance is about 25 minutes from the house.

The visitor center

The Joshua Tree Visitor Center is at 6554 Park Boulevard in town. The park lists it as open 7:30am to 5pm, with a bookstore, a cafe and flush toilets. It's a good first stop for maps, a question about current road and trail conditions, and the free Junior Ranger booklet, which kids work through to earn a badge. You can buy your pass at the entrance station or ahead of time in Yucca Valley; prices and options are in our entrances and fees guide.

Use the village to fill up. There are no gas stations, restaurants or grocery stores inside the park, and no drinking water in its interior, so top off the tank, the water bottles and the cooler before you head south. The park suggests at least a gallon of water per person per day.

The World Famous Crochet Museum

A popular roadside stop in town is one tiny, bright green room. Artist Shari Elf opened the World Famous Crochet Museum in 2006 inside an old fiberglass one-hour photo hut she found in Yucca Valley, painted it acid green and lined it with shelves of crocheted things, including the crocheted poodles she started collecting in the mid-1990s. Entry is free. It's at 61855 Highway 62 in the Art Queen complex of galleries and shops. Listings show it open during the day most days; check before you make a special trip.

Galleries and art

Art Queen also holds Coyote Little, a contemporary gallery of local and regional artists. Juniper Arts Gallery, at 61732 Highway 62, shows local, regional and national artists. The Hi-Desert Cultural Center, a nonprofit arts center that has served the area since 1964, puts on theater, concerts and exhibitions at 61231 Highway 62. For shopping between galleries, Sun of the Desert at 61729 Highway 62 is a general store with clothing, vintage workwear, jewelry, apothecary goods and books.

Two larger art outings are in Joshua Tree too. Noah Purifoy's Outdoor Desert Art Museum spreads more than 100 assemblage sculptures made from found materials across several acres on Blair Lane, and it's free; see our Noah Purifoy guide. And each October the Hwy 62 Open Studio Art Tours open artists' studios across the area for free, self-guided visits. In 2026, the tours' 25th year, they run the weekends of October 3 and 4, 10 and 11, and 17 and 18, from 10am to 5pm. Our high-desert art trail strings the art stops together.

Food and drink

• JT Country Kitchen. A diner serving Joshua Tree since 1977. Breakfast and lunch served all day, 7am to 3pm daily at last check, with a dog-friendly patio for leashed dogs.
• Crossroads Cafe. A classic diner downtown with made-from-scratch comfort food and beer and wine. Its site lists 7:30am to 2:30pm daily.
• Joshua Tree Coffee Company. An organic, small-batch coffee roaster with a cafe counter. Posted hours vary by source, so check before you go.
• Galaxy Pies. Pies and hand pies in rotating seasonal flavors, baked in a licensed home kitchen with a shop downtown.
• Joshua Tree Saloon. Open since 1984 and every day of the year, with burgers (the half-pound Mineshaft Burger is a signature), a full bar and live music on the patio Friday through Sunday. The kitchen closes at 10pm, and the saloon serves all ages.
• Joshua Tree Bottle Shop. Wine, beer, spirits and non-alcoholic drinks from small producers, open since 2020.

For more on where to eat around the basin, see eating and drinking in the high desert.

Gear and climbing

Nomad Ventures, at 61795 Highway 62, is the town's climbing, hiking and camping shop, known for its gear, staff who know the park, and printouts of climbing routes. At last check it opens at 8am every day and stays open later on Fridays and Saturdays. If you've come to climb or boulder, our rock climbing guide is the place to start.

The Saturday farmers market

The Joshua Tree Certified Farmers Market sets up every Saturday from 8am to 1pm, year-round, on Highway 62 just east of Park Boulevard. Expect local produce, baked goods, cheeses and crafts. The market says its vendors may only sell things grown or made locally. It's an easy first stop on a Saturday park day: shop early, put the cold things in the cooler, then head south. Yucca Valley now has a Wednesday market from the same manager.

A little history

The Joshua Tree Inn on Highway 62, a Spanish Colonial-style inn built in 1949, still takes guests. It's also where the country-rock musician Gram Parsons died, in Room 8, in September 1973. The Country Kitchen (since 1977) and the Saloon (since 1984) are two more long-running names in town, and both still feed people on their way to and from the park.

Know before you go

• Getting there. Take Highway 62 east to Joshua Tree, then turn south on Park Boulevard. Allow about 25 minutes from the house to the West Entrance.
• Busy times. Spring and holidays are the park's busiest periods, and the West Entrance is its busiest gate. Go early.
• Fees. A 7-day vehicle pass is around $30, and as of 2026 there's no timed-entry reservation to drive in. Check current fees with the park.
• Hours. Several of the diners and cafes close by mid-afternoon, and small galleries keep their own days. Check before you go.
• Dogs. Not allowed on park trails (apart from two short paved walks) or in park buildings. Some patios in town take them, including the Country Kitchen's.

A good first walk inside the park is the Hidden Valley Nature Trail, an easy loop of about a mile. For a day off from the park, see things to do in Yucca Valley, or check dates at the house.