Joshua Tree Wilderness itinerary
Every published mile marker on the Joshua Tree Wilderness route, in order, with the distance and elevation change between each one — and which permit each stretch needs. To watch dates and set alerts, go to the Joshua Tree Wilderness Backpacking permit page.
Which permit covers this route
The Joshua Tree Wilderness. One reservation is a trailhead or zone plus an entry date; you roam after that, issued by reservation.
The permit is issued for a named entry point. Indian Cove Backcountry Board is the one on this list.
- Stops mapped
- 5
- Across the markers
- 8.0 mi
- Published route length
- 8 mi
- Ascent, at least
- 1,320 ft
How long it takes: 1-2 nights. That is the figure the permit publishes — this page does not divide the route into days, because no source records which stop you sleep at.
The stops below are the route's published mile markers, in order, with the elevations recorded against each one.
Distance and elevation change on each leg are the difference between the two published figures either side of it, so the legs are arithmetic on the markers and nothing more.
The Joshua Tree Wilderness route, stop by stop
Mile 0.0
2,855 ft
Indian Cove Backcountry Board
Entry point — the permit is issued for this trailhead
Northern end of the Boy Scout Trail and one of the 13 backcountry trailheads.
3.5 miles · 1,090 ft up to Boy Scout Trail designated sites
Mile 3.5
3,945 ft
Boy Scout Trail designated sites
14 numbered campsites, the only legal camping along this trail. Group caps run from 4 to 12 depending on the site.
1.0 mile · 194 ft up to Willow Hole junction
Mile 4.5
4,139 ft
Willow Hole junction
Spur into the heart of the Wonderland of Rocks. Day use only, no camping.
0.5 miles · 36 ft up to Wonderland of Rocks
Mile 5.0
4,175 ft
Wonderland of Rocks
The granite maze the trail skirts. Rock shelters here are closed to camping.
3.0 miles · 137 ft down to Keys West Backcountry Board
Mile 8.0
4,038 ft
Keys West Backcountry Board
Southern trailhead on Park Boulevard.
Getting a Joshua Tree Wilderness for the dates you want
Planning the route is the easy half. Joshua Tree Wilderness dates go fast, and the ones that come back are cancellations — they return to the booking system without warning and are gone again quickly. PermitSnag watches Joshua Tree Wilderness around the clock and alerts you the moment a date opens.