Joshua Tree National Park is famous for climbing but also for its unique landscape. We did a lot of searching to find the best dog-friendly hikes in Joshua Tree so you can enjoy a weekend with your pup!
Outdoor Activities in Joshua Tree
Are dogs allowed in Joshua Tree? Are there dog-friendly activities in Joshua Tree?
Those are two of the most common questions I get from friends when planning a visit to Joshua Tree. The answer is, unfortunately, yes and no. You will definitely see dogs in Joshua Tree but your activities in the actual National Park will be limited. That said, I actually don’t think bringing a dog is too restrictive and would still recommend dog parents to bring their pups!
See below for some dog-friendly Joshua Tree activities including some of my favorite hikes in the area.
Where to Stay in Joshua Tree National Park
When going to Joshua Tree, you have two primary dog-friendly accommodation options: Airbnb or Camping.
We stayed at a great airstream called the Joshua Tree Land Yacht. If you haven’t used Airbnb yet, you can sign up here. We looked at a ton of other Airbnb options, but very few of them are dog friendly. If you want to camp, there are a lot of good camping options. (The temperatures dropped to 20 degrees when we went, and we were afraid it’d be too cold for a young puppy!)
Dog-Friendly Hikes in Joshua Tree
Dogs aren’t allowed on any of the park trails, but they are allowed on unpaved roads (where cars rarely drive on anyway). The thing about Joshua Tree is that there aren’t a ton of big landmarks like Glacier Point, Maroon Bells, etc. That makes your experience walking on unpaved roads almost the same as if you walked on a regular hiking trail. Anywhere you look, the desert landscape is beautiful!
We particularly liked Bighorn Pass Road and Geology Tour Road. These two roads are the only dog friendly hikes in Joshua Tree.
If you want to hike here, just look at your map (they hand one out at the entrance center when you pay to get in) or GPS. You can drive along this road for however long you want, park on the side, and then hike and explore. Both of these roads are fairly maintained – you can see the road in the photo above. Remember when you park to park on the side so other cars can get by.
Stargazing is also amazing at Joshua Tree. Even though ‘civilization’ is close by, there isn’t a ton of light pollution! Even though it was freezing cold at night, we bundled up with blankets and looked up at the stars from our airstream. You can do this almost anywhere.
Lastly, the Cholla Cactus Garden trails are not dog friendly, but the ‘garden’ is a wide patch of cholla cactuses, and you don’t need to go on the trails to enjoy! You can see them from the parking lot and from the other side of the road where there are no trails. Exploring the cactuses doesn’t take a very long time. When we went, we ended up doing a ‘switch’ where I went to explore for 5 minutes while my husband held onto Ty in the parking lot, and vice versa.
Dog-Friendly Dining
If you don’t feel like cooking, there are lots of dog friendly options in Joshua Tree and the surrounding area! Our favorites were:
- Joshua Tree Coffee House
- Natural Sister’s Cafe
- Pappy & Harriets (you can make a half-day out of it by checking out the rest of Pioneertown!)
Packing List
Don’t forget to pack hiking and dog necessities! It gets extremely dry in the desert, even in the winter so you’ll want to pack a lot of water wherever you go. There is no water available once you get into Joshua Tree NP. Some of our favorite gear:
- Topo Designs Mountain Pack (similar here)
- MSR Dromlite 2L
- Collapsible doggy water bowl
- My new Sony A7rii!
Don’t forget to pack lots and lots of water and protein-packed snacks! Level Foods is my go-to protein bar for both its healthy ingredients and its taste. I have eaten protein bars before that I just spit out so I have been super happy to find Level Foods.
I will receive a commission on any purchases made through this site but it does not change my honest opinion about any of my linked gear!
10 Comments
Thanks for the informative post. I haven’t been to Joshua Tree NP but do want to go in the future so I’ll be sure to read this again when I get to go. Thanks again!
I’ve never taken my dog with me while travelling abroad so I was quite oblivious to these kinds of concerns. Your article gave very good points about enjoying Joshua Tree National Park with dogs and I’m sure all dog-lovers will find it useful! š
I don’t have a dog, but I do enjoy a nice hike and the way you describe the trails sounds like they are not too hard to walk. The scenery must be amazing, but of course I’d be mostly interested in the Cholla Cactus Garden trails (totally get why they are not dog friendly š ).
I definitely will visit this Joshua Tree when I visit LA again – two hours is like next door…
Wow, I never heard of this place and I got attracted to the fact that it is dog-friendly. I am dog person. Photos look amazing.
I bet stargazing in this part of the world is beautiful! However Iām not sure that my dogs would quite have the patience to lie back and enjoy the view haha!
Stargazing with a dog really sounds interesting! So do other activities. I don’t have a pet dog, but I love dogs. So, I know how those who have pets at home are always at lookout for activities that they can enjoy with their pets. And what you have listed here will really interest them a lot.
We love the national parks out west. We haven’t been able to make it to Joshua Tree national park yet but we will get there eventually. The landscape are stars out there are just incredible. We always enjoy seeing people hiking with there pets. Who knows maybe we saw you one time past.
I drove through the Joshua Tree NP a couple of times on visits to the Grand Canyon. We couldn’t help but stop and enjoy the awe of this park too! I’d love to go back and try some of your recommendations by making it the center of the trip instead of just passing through š
Thanks for the comment Bruce! Joshua Tree is an amazing place!