What's on in Joshua Tree National Park (Joshua Tree), United States through the year

Peak crowds — Christmas and New Year, Winter / Christmas break in United States

• Rule

  Campsites book six months out

  1 Jan – 31 DecBook early

  Reservable sites are released six months ahead to the day and the cool-season weekends go in minutes. A couple of the campgrounds keep first-come sites, and those are taken by Friday afternoon. Source ↗

Still on: Climbing season (1 Oct – 15 May (usually)), Christmas and New Year (20 Dec – 3 Jan)

Busy — one of its best months for weather

• Nature

  Desert bloom

  15 Feb – 30 Apr · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  The low Colorado desert around Cottonwood flowers first, in late February, and the higher Mojave side follows into April. How much of it there is depends entirely on the winter rain.

Still on: Campsites book six months out (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Climbing season (1 Oct – 15 May (usually))

Peak crowds — Spring break and festival weekends, Spring break in United States

• Holiday

  Spring break and festival weekends

  1 Mar – 25 Apr · usuallySchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  March and April are the park's busiest weeks, and the two Coachella weekends in Indio empty every rental in the high desert. Entrance queues at the west gate run an hour on those Saturdays. Source ↗

• Season

  Spring wind season

  1 Mar – 15 Jun · usuallyRisk

  Afternoon wind funnels in through the pass at the west end all spring, pulling tents out of the ground at Jumbo Rocks and sandblasting anything belayed in the open. Mornings are usually still. Source ↗

Still on: Campsites book six months out (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Desert bloom (15 Feb – 30 Apr (usually)), Climbing season (1 Oct – 15 May (usually))

Busy — Spring break and festival weekends

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Campsites book six months out (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Desert bloom (15 Feb – 30 Apr (usually)), Spring break and festival weekends (1 Mar – 25 Apr (usually)), Spring wind season (1 Mar – 15 Jun (usually)), Climbing season (1 Oct – 15 May (usually))

Busy — Joshua Tree Music Festival

• Festival

  Joshua Tree Music Festival

  8–20 May · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  A small camping festival at the lake north of the park, held twice a year in May and again in October. It books out the high-desert rentals for its weekends without touching the park itself. Source ↗

• Hazard

  Desert summer heat

  25 May – 20 Sep · usuallyExtreme heat

  Afternoons over forty degrees, no shade to speak of and no water anywhere in the park. Rangers do not recommend a summer trip without desert experience, and they are right. Source ↗

Still on: Campsites book six months out (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Spring wind season (1 Mar – 15 Jun (usually)), Climbing season (1 Oct – 15 May (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Campsites book six months out (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Spring wind season (1 Mar – 15 Jun (usually)), Desert summer heat (25 May – 20 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Monsoon flash floods

  1 Jul – 15 Sep · usuallyFlood seasonClosures

  Summer storms drop a season's rain in an hour and wash out the dirt roads and the washes people park in. Pinto Basin Road closes for it more often than anyone expects. Source ↗

• Nature

  Perseids and new-moon nights

  25 Jul – 20 Aug · usuallyDark-sky season

  The park is a designated International Dark Sky Park and August's meteor shower is the busiest night of its year, with the pullouts along Park Boulevard taken by dusk. In summer nobody is out before dark anyway. Source ↗

Still on: Campsites book six months out (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Desert summer heat (25 May – 20 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Campsites book six months out (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Desert summer heat (25 May – 20 Sep (usually)), Monsoon flash floods (1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually)), Perseids and new-moon nights (25 Jul – 20 Aug (usually))

Busy — Summer break in United States

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Campsites book six months out (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Desert summer heat (25 May – 20 Sep (usually)), Monsoon flash floods (1 Jul – 15 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Season

  Climbing season

  1 Oct – 15 May · usuallyTrail season

  Eight thousand routes on monzogranite that is only grippable when it is cool, so the season runs from October to May and stops dead in June. October and November are the best of it. Source ↗

• Festival

  Night Sky Festival

  1–31 Oct · usuallyMajor festivalBook early

  A weekend of telescopes, talks and night photography in the park each autumn, tickets released well in advance. The park is a designated dark-sky place and October gives long nights without the cold. Source ↗

Still on: Campsites book six months out (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Thanksgiving break in United States

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Campsites book six months out (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Climbing season (1 Oct – 15 May (usually))

Peak crowds — Christmas and New Year, Winter / Christmas break in United States

• Holiday

  Christmas and New Year

  20 Dec – 3 JanChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  Los Angeles drives out for the fortnight and every campsite in the park is taken. Nights drop below freezing, which surprises people who packed for a desert. Source ↗

Still on: Campsites book six months out (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Climbing season (1 Oct – 15 May (usually))