Two National Parks · 192 miles apart
Joshua Tree or Death Valley
Joshua Tree drew 2,932,644 recreation visits in 2025, 2.2 times the 1,320,134 at Death Valley, so crowds are the largest difference. Death Valley lists 384 bird species in the NPSpecies inventory against 251 at Joshua Tree. Death Valley has 12 campgrounds to 9 at Joshua Tree. On the rest they match, since both charge $30 per private vehicle and neither uses timed entry. The two parks are 192 miles apart in a straight line.
| Joshua Tree National Park | Death Valley National Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Designation | National Park | National Park |
| States | California | California, Nevada |
| Recreation visits, 2025 | 2,932,644 | 1,320,134 |
| Entrance fee, private vehicle | $30 (Private Vehicle) | $30 (Private Vehicle) |
| Timed entry reservation | No | No |
| Campgrounds | 9 | 12 |
| International Dark Sky Park | Yes | Yes |
| Bird species, NPSpecies | 251 | 384 |
| Hours or season | Open all day, every day | Open all day, every day |
Joshua Tree visits by yearDeath Valley visits by year
Fees, hours, campgrounds and timed entry from the NPS API. Visits from the NPS Visitor Use Statistics system. Dark sky status from DarkSky International. Bird counts from the NPSpecies inventory. Data refreshed October 14, 2026. Other pairs.