Joshua Tree Wilderness

Fire restrictions

Who manages Joshua Tree Wilderness

Getting to Joshua Tree Wilderness

• Twentynine Palms, CA is the nearest town, 1.9 miles in a straight line from the boundary (not a driving distance). (US Census places, accessed 2026-09-29)
• The wilderness.net page for this area places it about 140 miles east of Los Angeles.
• Access roads named on the area's wilderness.net page: Interstate 10.

Position, roads and vehicle notes: wilderness.net page for Joshua Tree Wilderness, accessed 2026-09-29. Roads and conditions change; check with the managing office before driving in.

Trailheads at Joshua Tree Wilderness

• Fortynine Palms Oasis Trailhead (0.08 mi outside the boundary, 2,720 ft), at 34.1192, -116.1121 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
• Wall Street Mill Trailhead (0.41 mi outside the boundary, 4,277 ft), at 34.0281, -116.1387 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
• Barker Dam Trail (Easternmost) (0.51 mi outside the boundary, 4,270 ft), at 34.0263, -116.1470 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
• Queen Vally Trailhead (Easternmost) (0.53 mi outside the boundary, 4,462 ft), at 34.0333, -116.1078 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
• Barker Dam Loop Trailhead (0.59 mi outside the boundary, 4,263 ft), at 34.0251, -116.1420 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
• Ryan Mountain Trailhead (0.6 mi outside the boundary, 4,405 ft), at 34.0025, -116.1359 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
• Barker Dam Trailhead (Westernmost) (0.8 mi outside the boundary, 4,221 ft), at 34.0220, -116.1562 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)

Trailheads mapped on OpenStreetMap: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License , accessed 2026-09-29. The extract used here, with distances from the boundary: osm-trailheads-ca.json. Where an agency layer lists the same trailhead, the agency's point is shown instead. Elevations from USGS 3DEP.

Named summits, canyons, and springs in Joshua Tree Wilderness

• Quail Mountain summit about 5,816 ft
• Queen Mountain summit about 5,680 ft
• Ryan Mountain summit about 5,457 ft
• Lost Palms Canyon canyon
• Munsen Canyon canyon
• Bare Tree Spring spring
• Black Rock Spring spring
• Grand Tank lake

Features whose official location is inside the boundary, from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, accessed 2026-09-29. Summit elevations measured on the USGS 3DEP elevation model, which can read a few feet under a surveyed summit height.

Public lands next to Joshua Tree Wilderness

• National Park Service unitJoshua Tree Wilderness lies inside Joshua Tree National Park.
• BLM unitJoshua Tree Wilderness borders Chuckwalla National Monument.
• Wilderness areaJoshua Tree Wilderness borders Pinto Mountains Wilderness.
• BLM unitJoshua Tree Wilderness borders Sand To Snow National Monument.
• BLM unitMojave Trails National Monument is 0.1 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.
• Wilderness areaSheephole Valley Wilderness is 0.1 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.
• State parkIndio Hills Palms Prop, a state park, is 0.2 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.
• Wilderness areaOrocopia Mountains Wilderness is 1.8 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.

Measured between the units' boundaries as mapped in USGS PAD-US. Distances are straight line, not driving.

Other wilderness areas in California

• Kaiser Wilderness (Fresno County)
• Kelso Dunes Wilderness (San Bernardino County)
• Kiavah Wilderness (Kern County)
• King Range Wilderness (Humboldt County)
• Kingston Range Wilderness (San Bernardino County)

California wilderness areas