Joshua Tree National Park
Southern California Desert · near Twentynine Palms / Joshua Tree · California Desert
Wildlife Watching
At a glance
- Best season
- Oct–Apr (cool season); dawn & dusk for wildlife; spring migration at oases
- Open year round
- Yes
What is here
- Wildlife
- birds · land-mammals
- Species
- Desert bighorn, coyotes, roadrunners, migrant songbirds, raptors, reptiles
- Amenities
- Oasis birding hotspots · Desert bighorn & coyotes · Two-desert wildlife mix · Dark skies & dawn/dusk viewing
- Best for
- Desert oasis birding & mammals
- Features
- Barker Dam & Cottonwood oases · Bighorn among the boulders · Migrant songbird magnet · Surreal desert setting
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Extreme heat & no water most places · Little shade, carry lots of water · Wildlife most active dawn/dusk · Rattlesnakes & rugged terrain
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Wildlife Watching detail
- Viewing
- trail
- Effort
- moderate
- Habitat
- plains
- Sighting
- 3
- Viewing notes
- Desert wildlife amid surreal boulders and Joshua trees — bird-rich oases like Barker Dam and Cottonwood Spring, plus bighorn, coyotes, and reptiles across two deserts
- Intl tip
- Where the high Mojave and low Colorado deserts meet amid surreal boulders and Joshua trees — rewarding desert wildlife if you time it right. Scarce water concentrates life: oases like Barker Dam and Cottonwood Spring are bird magnets (especially spring/fall migration), plus roadrunners, quail, and raptors; desert bighorn on the slopes, coyotes, and many reptiles. Most active dawn/dusk; visit Oct–Apr (summer heat is dangerous, little shade, carry ample water). Watch for rattlesnakes. Pair with famous scenery and dark skies.
The guide
Joshua Tree National Park, where the high Mojave and low Colorado deserts meet amid otherworldly boulder piles and the twisted …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Joshua Tree National Park — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 33.9, -116.1