Closest airport to Joshua Tree, by entrance.

Which airport for Joshua Tree?

NPS names one airport for Joshua Tree: Palm Springs, the closest. We added Ontario and Los Angeles, which NPS doesn't name, because they have scheduled airline service and are a realistic drive. Pick by entrance. NPS lists three entrance stations. The West Entrance is five miles south of Highway 62 at Joshua Tree Village. The North Entrance is in Twentynine Palms, three miles south of Highway 62 on Utah Trail. The South Entrance near Cottonwood Spring is on Interstate 10, 25 miles east of Indio. For scale, NPS puts the park about 140 miles east of Los Angeles and 175 miles northeast of San Diego.

Every airport-to-entrance drive.

Every airport-to-entrance drive we route. Palm Springs gets two rows, one to the West Entrance and one to the South Entrance on I-10. NPS says the park is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, and you can drive in and out at any time, so there's no seasonal road to plan around. We don't route to the North Entrance in Twentynine Palms.

From Palm Springs, the West Entrance is 41 miles (58 min) and the South Entrance 46 miles (54 min), so the two drives take about the same time. Pick the entrance by where you're staying and what you want to see first. Ontario adds 1 h of driving to the West Entrance, and Los Angeles adds 2 h 1 min, before any traffic.

Palm Springs flights by season.

Palm Springs says its seasonal flight schedule ramps up for fall and winter, so you'll find more nonstops then. United's Los Angeles route now runs all year, daily, with up to two departures a day in peak seasons.

The park itself doesn't close for a season. It's open 24 hours a day, every day, so the airport choice doesn't change by month. If you haven't picked dates yet, start with the best time to visit Joshua Tree page.

Palm Springs, Ontario, or LAX?

We don't publish fares. What sets them is how many nonstop routes an airport has, and whether your trip needs a connection. Palm Springs lists nonstops to 31 airports and one-stop service to 300+ global cities. Its United flights to Los Angeles run all year, so a connection through LAX is one short hop.

Ontario and Los Angeles both have scheduled airline service. We don't list their airlines, so check each airport's own site. If Palm Springs has no good flight from your city, Ontario is the shorter of the two longer drives. Los Angeles makes sense when a nonstop there saves you a connection.

You don't have to fly in and out of the same airport. Palm Springs in and Los Angeles out, or the reverse, can save a connection one way. Check the one-way rental fee before you decide.

Cars, buses, and supplies.

Plan on a car. NPS says public transportation to the park is limited, and points to the Morongo Basin Transit Authority for bus schedules and routes. Check its routes for where the buses stop.

Stock up before you drive in. NPS says there are no gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores or hotels in the park, and no water available in the interior. Bring all your own food, water and supplies.

The North and West entrance stations take debit or credit cards only, and the Cottonwood Visitor Center near the South Entrance takes cash or card. Pass prices are on our Joshua Tree fees page.

We don't carry live flight status, schedules or fares. Those change daily. Check them on the airline's or the airport's own site before you book.

Common questions.

Is Twentynine Palms Airport the closest airport to Joshua Tree?

It's close to the North Entrance, and San Bernardino County's airport page calls it the closest airport to the park's entrance. But OurAirports lists no scheduled airline service there, and the county page names no airline. For a commercial flight, Palm Springs is the closest, 41 road miles from the West Entrance.

Is Joshua Tree worth the drive from Palm Springs?

The drive is short. It's 41 road miles (58 min) from Palm Springs International to the West Entrance, or 46 miles (54 min) to the South Entrance on I-10. The park is open 24 hours a day, so a day trip fits almost any schedule. Fill the tank and bring water first: NPS says there's no gas and no water in the interior.

Do I need a car to visit Joshua Tree?

Plan on one. NPS says public transportation to the park is limited, and there are no gas stations, restaurants or grocery stores inside. Your own vehicle or a rental from the airport is the practical way to get around.

Which airport is the cheapest to fly into for Joshua Tree?

We don't publish fares, and they change daily. Nonstop breadth is the better guide. Palm Springs lists nonstops to 31 airports and is the shortest drive. If your city has no nonstop to Palm Springs, compare a connection through Los Angeles with flying to Ontario or LAX and driving.

Where these facts come from

Palm Springs as the closest airport, the three entrance locations, the distances from Los Angeles and San Diego, and the limited public transportation note come from the NPS Joshua Tree directions page; 24-hour access and the lack of gas, food, lodging and water from the NPS basic information page; entrance payment methods from the NPS fees page. Airport-to-entrance distances and drive times are computed by the OSRM routing engine on OpenStreetMap roads (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with airport coordinates and scheduled-service status from OurAirports and entrance coordinates from OpenStreetMap nodes; last computed 2026-09-10. They are road distances and no-stop times, not live traffic. Nonstop counts, the United Los Angeles route and the seasonal schedule come from Palm Springs International Airport; the Twentynine Palms claim from San Bernardino County's airport page, both read on September 11, 2026. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.