Joshua Tree Visitor Center

Very helpful! Its a must stop at, if you want to skip the line for the entrance. We got the entrance ticket from the Visitor center so we went on the fast pass lane into the park. They also provide you with a map and lots of helpful information and points out all the more interesting hiking locations.

Never actually saw the visitor center but it was the only thing I could check in to.
Beautiful park, great for star gazing. $ 20 for a 7 day pass though was a little much I thought.

Nice place to stop before heading into the park. Staff are very friendly and nice and will guide you on must see points and what to see based on how much time you have.
Small but nice gift shop also for Joshua Tree park souvenirs. Also have bathrooms and small café.

Great Place to get information before entering the park

Ok. so technically this is a short review based upon a few hours in the park not the visitor centre itself.
Paid $ 20 to enter, and oh my… oh my… well, we just don’t have scenery like this in Europe… this, in parts, was reminiscent of the African Savannah and other times just other worldly…
Truly astonishing. Worth the extra drive up to Keys View also for what were some of the nicest views I’ve seen anywhere.
Loved how the park is treasured, cared for and simply beautiful… just wish I’d had more time to explore it on foot and I will return one day to do that.

The best place to stop and get info before entering the park. Pick up a map, use the restroom, purchase souveniers. The rangers are very helpful.

Wenn man in der Gegend um Palm Springs unterwegs ist, sollte man es nicht versäumen den Joshua Tree National Park zu besuchen. Der Park verfügt über drei Eingänge und drei Besucherzentren für erste Informationen.
Wir hatten uns für das Visitor Center in Twentynine Palms entschieden, das über den gleichnamigen Highway zu erreichen ist. Auf dem Gelände sind ausreichend Parkplätze vorhanden und die Außenanlage ist dem Wetter entsprechend gestaltet mit Pflanzen, die die sengende Hitze ertragen können.
In dem eher kleineren Visitor Center kann man sich über den Park und dessen Tier– und Pflanzenwelt informieren, sowie über geologische Formationen und über die ersten Menschen, die diese Gegend früher bewohnten. Ein Film wird im spartanisch gestalteten Kino für die Besucher angeboten.
Die anwesenden Ranger sind behilflich bei der Planung von Freizeitaktivitäten, wie Wandern, Camping, Radfahren und Klettern. Darüber hinaus kann man sich hier mit Wasser versorgen, das man in ausreichender Menge bei sich führen sollte. Empfohlen werden mindestens eine Gallone Wasser pro Person und pro Tag. Aufgrund der extremen Hitze sollte man seine Haut mit Sonnencreme schützen und idealerweise eine Sonnenbrille und einen Hut tragen.
Das Visitor Center ist täglich von 08:30 Uhr bis 17:00 Uhr geöffnet. Der Eintrittspreis für den Nationalpark beträgt 20 Dollar pro Fahrzeug und gilt für 7 Tage. Beim Besuch von mehr als 4 Nationalparks lohnt sich der Kauf des «America the Beautiful Annual Pass» (80 Dollar). An mehreren Tagen im Jahr (z.B. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day und Veterans Day) ist der Eintritt frei.
Ein überaus informativer Besuch. Allerdings ist das Besucherzentrum schon ein wenig in die Jahre gekommen.

Before venturing off into the Joshua Tree abyss stop by the Joshua Tree Visitor Center for some quick facts, FAQs, maps, souvenirs and some cool stuff.
The rangers at the visitor center helped show us the day time activities we can do at the park included guided hikes and other adventures. Even the park is pretty user friendly, they gave us some helpful hints on how to navigate the park. The bathrooms were clean/​
We bought some magnets, maps and a little Joshua Tree to take home with us. They have great gift idea.
Then we went straight to the park for a day full of hiking, eating, photography and fun! Thanks Joshua Tree!

Great visitor center. Discuss their recommendations for driving or hiking ! Great souvenirs! Love it! Friendly service!

It is your average visitor center but if your want to buy a pass or anything like that make sure you do not come near lunch time as if there is not a ranger at the counter you will not be able to buy it. Kind of strange but this is government. I love Joshua Tree national park.

This is a nice visitor’s center not far from the west entrance to the national park. It is smaller than most NP centers, but still well worth the stop. Plan to spend a few minutes watching the film that runs continuously.

Allie was so helpful every time I called with random, specific questions about availability and suggestions within the park!

My dad had a great time seeing all the sites, but he was most excited to get the lifetime national park pass. He made a joke about being older than the dirt, and the guy didn’t laugh, probably because the joke isn’t that funny and the guy knows exactly how old the dirt is, but he should have laughed and maybe given my dad one of those nifty paper ranger hats. My mother was able to fill up the 5 empty water bottles for the car even though we had 19 unopened bottles in the trunk.

The information we acquire becomes knowledge. Experience strengthens and affirms that knowledge.
Many helpful exhibits here. Picture exhibits. Art exhibits. Book exhibits. Even a helpful corner video exhibit. But the most helpful exhibits here are the people behind the counter. There, several park rangers exhibit their knowledge by fielding questions from the hoards of visitors and answering them to the best of their ability. They’re very knowledgeable, friendly and ready to answer any and all questions they can.
And they don’t charge you a dime.
They do, however, charge for the many souvenirs, maps, books, hats, bandanas, sweat shirts, t-​shirts, post cards, park passes, and even stuffed animals.
The prices, however, are reasonable.
The Visitor Center is a must stop for first-​time visitors to the park, but I stop there every time I visit, usually inquiring about hikes I’ve yet to do. I make it a point to buy something on each of my visits.
If you don’t, you can always make a donation at the door…
«The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder.» — Ralph Sockman

I always stop here before setting out for Joshua Tree National Park. The rangers are super friendly and always full of helpful advice. Want to find the best overlook or a wheelchair accessible trail? They’ll tell you where to go and even circle their suggestions on a map.
You can buy your park pass here. They also provide free maps and junior ranger guides.
The little gift store offers lots of kids’ desert books and various field guides. They also sell post cards, tchotchkes, hats, t-​shirts and, more importantly, bottled water.
There’s a small art gallery on one side if the visitor center as well.
It does get busy on holiday weekends, but the rangers always take their time answering your questions once you get to the front of the line.

I think I must have either been there way too early in the morning or been there on an off day. Both the girl that worked there and the ranger there that morning looked like they were out of it.
That doesn’t mean this isn’t a good place to start your journey though. I tried to ask them what they recommended and she did pull out a map and give an outline of where to drive through. Where do I stop? They said anywhere you want.
Reasons to go here.
1. Pick up a Map and talk to someone
2. See some cool desert Art and get a general history of the area.
3. Pickup some souvenirs.
4. Buy some drinks and food. Trust me don’t go into the desert with no water or something to drink. It will be miles before you see a place to get drinks.
5. Go get a copy of the National Parks Passport and get that stamp. Best way every to explore different national parks and remember where you have gone and want to go.

The lady helping me was quite helpful. Although she couldn’t give me any specific details just pointed out places to go.
The guy who was able to answer specific details was busy talking to someone else and it appeared they wouldn’t be done anytime soon so I left.
Decent array of souvenirs to bring home to family and friends or people you just want to make jealous :)

Support our National Parks! Joshua Tree Visitor Center is awesome! Go! Go Now!
Make sure to get your Joshua Tree National Park stamp for your passport! d=)

If you are going to a National Park, you should go to a visitor center and get a guide plus some expert advice on what to see. The Joshua Tree Visitor Center (in Joshua Tree) is no exception.
The visitor center plus café is a small building one block south of Twentynine Palms Highway on Park Blvd. The parking lot is on the South side of the building which makes it easy to find.
As most weekends the park rangers at the visitor center were extremely busy. There were two people working the «information» and one or two selling stuff while I was there. Funnily enough of the two people helping one was a volunteer and one was a park ranger. The ranger was not that helpful. She did give us a map and the guide of Joshua tree. However, she just said go see these things with no explanation of anything. My boyfriend and I ended up sticking around and eavesdropping in on what the volunteer guy was saying to get a better idea of what to do.
I didn’t realize, but you can pay your park fees at the counter which will speed up entrance at the park gate a little.
Besides rangers and volunteers that dispense information the Visitor Center also has water, bathrooms, and food plus the usual tourist trinkets.
Do yourself a favor and stop at a visitor center.

The Joshua Tree Visitor Center (in the town of Joshua Tree) is just one small block south of Twentynine Palms Highway on Park Blvd (which leads you into the park). It should be a must stop for anyone visiting Joshua Tree for the first time to have a realistic plan of what to do and where to go in the park.
The park rangers at the visitor center were extremely busy, but also extremely patient with each of us «tourists.» They were helping people plan photo ops, hiking trails, driving routes, places to stop (or not), and how much time it takes to go between each of your stops. Major kudos to the friendly and especially helpful park rangers.
Open: 8:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m.
You can pay your park fees at the counter which will speed up entrance at the park gate a little. Of course, the Visitor Center also has air conditioning (whew) and clean bathrooms. Connected to the Visitor Center is Park Rock Café which has drinks, small foods, and free WiFi.

Nice visitor center with ample space. Almost looks like too much space for the exhibits present. I come for the National Park stamp, and they weren’t one to disappoint. =) Cute turtle and the usual date stamp.
If you’re looking to escape the heat that’s often present, the visitor’s center offers a nice retreat from the heat.
Rangers are friendly and informative.