California desert road trip: Palm Springs, Joshua Tree and Death Valley

From Los Angeles into the desert: Palm Springs, Joshua Tree National Park, then north to Death Valley, finishing in Las Vegas.

Stops
5
Nights
7
Driving
533 mi
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Pale granite boulders and a Joshua tree in open desert under a blue sky.

The route by road

Point at a leg of the route, or tap it, for its drive time.
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The stops, in order

  1. Los Angeles, California

    1 night

    Start here.

  2. 1 h 42 min · 107 mi from Los Angeles

    Palm Springs, California

    1 night

    Mid-century town at the foot of the San Jacinto mountains.

  3. 58 min · 49 mi from Palm Springs

    Twentynine Palms, California

    2 nights

    Next to Joshua Tree's north entrance.

  4. 4 h 38 min · 237 mi from Twentynine Palms

    Furnace Creek, California

    2 nights

    The center of Death Valley National Park. Summer heat there is extreme.

  5. 2 h 07 min · 140 mi from Furnace Creek

    Las Vegas, Nevada

    1 night

    Fly home from here.

Day by day

7 days with the nights above. Drive times are for a car without traffic; a day over six hours is flagged.

  1. Day 1: In Los Angeles

    No driving

  2. Day 2: Los Angeles to Palm Springs

    Night in Palm Springs

    1 h 42 min · 107 mi

  3. Day 3: Palm Springs to Twentynine Palms

    Night in Twentynine Palms

    58 min · 49 mi

  4. Day 4: In Twentynine Palms

    No driving

  5. Day 5: Twentynine Palms to Furnace Creek

    Night in Furnace Creek

    4 h 38 min · 237 mi

  6. Day 6: In Furnace Creek

    No driving

  7. Day 7: Furnace Creek to Las Vegas

    Night in Las Vegas

    2 h 07 min · 140 mi
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Photo: Joshua Tree National Park, California. “Joshua Tree National Park 2013” by Tuxyso, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. “Eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas” by Amit Patel, CC BY 2.0. “Bixby Creek Bridge, California, USA - May 2013” by Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0. “Grand Canyon Powell Point Evening Light 02 2013” by Tuxyso, CC BY-SA 3.0.