Joshua Tree: Offroad 4x4 Desert Tour with Snacks & Guide

4.92

(417 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll be honest — I didn’t expect my teeth to rattle quite so much on that first rocky stretch. Our guide, Carlos, just grinned in the rearview and said, “That’s how you know you’re in Joshua Tree.” The Mojave sun was already sharp by mid-morning, but there was this coolness in the breeze every time we stopped, like the desert exhaling. We’d left Palm Springs less than an hour ago, but it felt like another planet out here — spiky Joshua trees everywhere, and those hulking boulders stacked up like some giant kid’s toy set.

Carlos had stories for everything. He pointed out a twisted tree that looked like it belonged in a Dr. Seuss book and told us about how these plants only grow here and a few other places on Earth. At one point he pulled over so we could scramble up a rock (not too high — my legs aren’t what they used to be). There was this silence at the top, except for wind and one distant bird call. I hadn’t realized how loud my city brain had been until then. Someone offered me trail mix from their snack bag — tasted like dust and salt and somehow perfect for that moment.

The 4x4 part is no joke; I wouldn’t bring anyone who gets carsick or has a bad back. There were a couple of times I grabbed the handlebar tighter than I’d admit, especially when we dipped into sandy washes. But honestly? That’s what made it feel real — not just another drive-through park tour. Bottled water never tasted so good as after climbing back in, dust sticking to my arms. Kids on our tour kept counting lizards (I lost track at seven), and Carlos laughed when someone asked if he ever got tired of this view. “Not once,” he said.

By the end I was sunburned in weird places and had sand in my shoes, but something about that wildness stuck with me after we got back to civilization. Even now I catch myself thinking about that quiet up on the rocks — just sky, stone, wind… nothing else for miles.