What Is The Closest Airport To Joshua Tree National Park? 2025

So, you’ve decided to fly to Joshua Tree National Park. Now you’ll need to decide where to fly to for your trip to Joshua Tree National Park.

In this guide, we’ll look at the airport closest to Joshua Tree National Park.

‼️ It’s worth noting that although this is the closest airport to Joshua Tree National Park, it may not be the best for your trip. For more detailed information about other nearby airports, read my Guide to all the Airports Near Joshua Tree National Park. ‼️

No time right now to read about the main airport near Joshua Tree, CA? Pin It and save it for later:

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Table of Contents

The Closest Airport to Joshua Tree National Park

Palm Springs International Airport (PSP)

Houses are surrounded by tall palm trees, and behind are mountains in Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs International Airport is the closest commercial airport to Joshua Tree National Park, so it’s the best airport for Joshua Tree if you want to minimize your drive time.

The airport offers flights on twelve major airlines to over thirty destinations in the US and cities in Canada and Mexico.

The airport also offers plenty of ground transportation services like major car rental companies, taxis, limousines, and Rideshare companies conveniently located just right across the terminal building. Sunline Transit Agency offers bus transportation bound for Coachella Valley. Amtrak also offers bus-to-train services to Fullerton and Los Angeles – handy if you’re headed there on the same trip as Joshua Tree.

You can access all park entrances from here in about an hour’s drive, but the nearest is the South Entrance. You can also access the park via the Morongo Basin Transportation Authority’s public transportation service.

Location

Palm Springs International Airport lies two miles east of the downtown Palm Springs area.

Distance Joshua Tree to Palm Springs

🔰 Distance Palm Springs to Joshua Tree National Park, North Entrance: 59 miles
🔰 Distance West Entrance Station, Joshua tree national park to palm springs: 43 miles
🔰 Distance to South Entrance: 45 miles

Travel time Palm Springs Airport to Joshua Tree National Park

⌚ Travel Time to North Entrance: 1 hour and 10 minutes
⌚ Travel Time to West Entrance: 54 minutes
⌚ Travel Time to South Entrance: 51 minutes

What airlines fly out of Palm Springs International Airport? Which airports connect to there?

✈️ Air Canada: Seasonal flights to Toronto and Vancouver
✈️ Alaska: Year-round flights to San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle; Seasonal flights to Boise, Everett and Portland
✈️ Allegiant: Year-round flights to Bellingham; Seasonal flights to Des Moines
✈️ American: Year-round flights to Dallas-Fort Worth and Phoenix; Seasonal flights to Austin and Chicago
✈️ Avelo: Seasonal flights to Bend/Redmond, Eugene, Santa Rosa
✈️ Delta: Year-round flights to Salt Lake City; Seasonal flights to Minneapolis and Seattle
✈️ Flair: Seasonal flights to Edmonton and Vancouver
✈️ Jetblue: Seasonal flights to New York
✈️ Southwest: Year-round flights to Denver, Las Vegas, Oakland, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Jose
✈️ Sun Country: Seasonal flights to Minneapolis
✈️ United: Year-round flights to Denver and San Francisco; Seasonal flights to Chicago and Houston
✈️ Westjet: Year flights to Calgary and Vancouver; Seasonal flights to Edmonton and Winnipeg

➡️ Find the cheapest flight on Skyscanner

Rental car options

🚗 Onsite: Alamo, AVIS, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Thrifty
🚗 Offsite: Desert Rent-a-Car, Go Rentals

➡️ Book a car through Discover Cars

Getting from Palm Springs International Airport to Joshua Tree National Park

🚘 Car rental service
🚍 Morongo Basin Transportation Authority shuttle service

Pros

Closest airport to the park
Plenty of domestic flights
Plenty of car rental companies are available
International flights to Canada and Mexico
Budget fares are offered

Cons

More limited flight offerings than some nearby major airports

Map of Airports Near Joshua Tree National Park

Travel Insurance for Joshua Tree National Park

When you’re flying to Joshua Tree National Park, consider getting travel insurance too. Make sure it includes trip cancellation, in case you need to cancel your flight before your travel, so that you can get a refund.  

➡️ A great insurance option is Travelex.  It has coverage for all you’ll need. You can choose the best travel insurance plan for your trip here or get a quote right now:

Have a great trip to Joshua Tree! I hope this guide has helped you decide on the best Airport to fly into Joshua Tree for your trip.

More Planning Resources for Joshua Tree National Park

Did you choose this airport? I’d love to know.  Join my private Facebook group National Parks Collectors and comment and let me know (you can also pick up extra planning tips, share your photos and stories with other national park lovers and more). 

Now you know the nearest airport to Joshua Tree National Park, Pin It to your Joshua Tree National Park board for easy reference!

WHERE ARE YOU IN YOUR PLANNING PROCESS?
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💻 Are you starting to plan a trip to Joshua Tree National Park? Read my Guide to Joshua Tree National Park
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💲 Are you ready to book your trip? Use these Planning and Booking Resources
📖 Do you want to read a book about US national parks? Check out my Recommended Reading Lists

About the Author

James Ian is a national park, camping and hiking expert.

He has dedicated his life to travel, visiting more than 80 countries, all 7 continents and most of the national parks in the United States. With over 35 years experience in the travel industry, James has worked on cruise ships, at resorts and hotels, and as a travel planner who’s helped hundreds of people plan successful trips to US national parks.

Based on his experience visiting our national parks multiple times, in-depth research and expertise as a travel planner, James has published detailed itineraries for many of the major national parks in the US. These itineraries, as well as in-depth park guides, and other resources will help you have your own incredible trip to US national parks without stress and hassle.

As a national park expert, James has contributed to many publications, including USA Today, Time Business News, Savoteur, Best Trip, and Wired.

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