Joshua Tree National Park Scenic Tour

Explore Joshua Tree National Park year-round from the comfort of a climate-controlled Adventure Van.

Large windows, comfortable seating and an expert local guide make this an easy way to experience Joshua Tree’s extraordinary landscapes in comfort through every season.

Just north of Palm Springs, two great desert ecosystems meet among massive granite formations, rugged mountains and the unmistakable Joshua trees that give the park its name. Along the way, your guide brings the landscape to life through geology, wildlife, natural history and the human stories of this remarkable place.

Over 100,000 happy guests and counting…

You’ll visit many of Joshua Tree National Park’s signature viewpoints and landscapes while traveling
on exciting backroads to amazing vistas and through forests of these mystical plants. At scenic overlooks, your guide explains the dramatic geology of the region, including the surrounding mountain ranges, the San Andreas Fault system and the tectonic forces that shaped Southern California.

Our Scenic Tour visits the same major National Park highlights as our seasonal Open-Air H1 Hummer Adventure, but in an enclosed, climate-controlled vehicle. It’s an excellent choice for families, photographers, couples and guests who prefer a relaxed and comfortable way to explore Joshua Tree.

🌟 Joshua Tree’s Top Locations – and 

✅ Joshua Tree’s Signature Landscapes
Visit three of the park’s best-known locations:

• 
  Cap Rock
  
  — classic Joshua trees, dramatic boulder formations and one of the park’s most recognizable landscapes.
• 
  Hidden Valley
  
  — explore the backcountry setting of this legendary enclosed valley surrounded by massive granite formations. This is covered in your wilderness pass and is about a mile optional hike. It’s a photographers’ and hikers’ paradise.
• 
  Keys View
  
  

  – one of Joshua Tree National Park’s great panoramic overlooks, with sweeping views across the Coachella Valley toward the Salton Sea and, on especially clear days, Mexico. From this lofty vantage point, the sense of height and scale can feel surprisingly reminiscent of standing along the rim of the Grand Canyon.

✅ More Than an Hour Outside the Vehicle
This is not just a drive-through tour. Enjoy scenic stops, photography and more than an hour of optional leisurely walks in some of the park’s most interesting landscapes.

✅ Experienced Expert Guides
Learn how Joshua Tree’s geology, wildlife, desert ecology and human history shaped the landscape you see today. Your expert guide adds context to places many visitors simply drive past. Our guides are certified guides with the National Park so your in good hands.

✅ Sweeping Desert Views
Take in broad vistas across the Coachella Valley, surrounding mountain ranges and the San Andreas Fault zone, with exceptional long-distance views on clear desert days.

✅ Granite, Joshua Trees & High-Desert Scenery
See massive 20-million-year-old monzogranite formations, Joshua tree forests, open desert valleys and high-desert viewpoints that make Joshua Tree one of California’s most distinctive landscapes.

✅ Native American, Pioneer & Ranching History
Discover the human stories of the desert, from Indigenous history to homesteaders,
ranchers and the people who learned to live in this demanding landscape.

✅ Climate-Controlled Comfort
Travel in an enclosed Adventure Van with air conditioning or heat, large windows and comfortable seating. It’s an ideal option for hot summer days, cold winter mornings and guests who prefer protection from wind and inclement weather.

✅ Easy, Flexible Exploring
We offer over an hour of optional walks and photo opportunities – plenty of time to really get in touch with this magical place. The Scenic Tour works well for families, couples, photographers and guests of a wide range of ages.

📅 Reserve Your Joshua Tree Scenic Tour

Joshua Tree’s cooler months are especially popular, and enclosed vehicles often book well in advance during the winter season. Reserve early for the best choice of dates and departure locations.