Joshua Tree: The Complete Guide: Joshua Tree National Park

by James Kaiser

With a large number of beautiful, high-quality color photographs, these guides are as browsable as the best coffee table books but also supply travelers with maps, travel tips, and extensive listings for lodging, camping, and sightseeing.

Located just two hours east of Los Angeles, Joshua Tree National Park is a desert getaway that boasts some of the most dramatic and unexpected scenery in the Southwest. Stunning photographs showcase the area's unusual geology, and chapters on history and wildlife describe the delicately balanced ecosystems. A guide to desert wildflowers is also included, and trail maps are provided for more than 20 of the best hikes in the park.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference, History

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

James Kaiser is an award-winning travel writer and photographer. When not trotting the globe on assignment, he writes guidebooks to U.S. national parks. In 2005 his book Grand Canyon: The Complete Guide won the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Full-Color Travel Guide and the Independent Publisher Award for Best Travel Guide. In 2006 he was a photographer for Yahoo! Sports at the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy.

Reviews

[Elizabeth A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this one up for a recent trip to Joshua Tree National Park.

The thing about guidebooks is that we all want something different from our trips, so it's hard to get one book that fits everyone's needs. This is a really good introduction to the park, with interesting coverage of the flora, fauna, and history, all of which make for good reading before you get there. It didn't cover as much of the trails as I wanted, but as mentioned above, you can't please everyone with a guide book, especially to a national park. The text is clear and concise, and this is certainly worth checking out of your library if you plan to visit JTNP. And you should - it's an amazing place.

[Rick B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent guide to the park and surrounding areas. Very informative.

[Anna Boudinot · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason Joshua Tree doesn’t get the guidebook coverage that other national parks do. This is the best book I’ve found on JT, covering not only hiking trails and points of interest in the park, but the flora, fauna, and ancient geology. There are also several chapters on the history of the area, from the Native Americans who first lived there to the gold miners who destroyed the Native Americans’ way of life. The writing is a bit simple and could stand to be more academic or just more eloquent, but I’m giving the book four stars for covering such a broad variety of topics.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

(6th Edition) Good basic overview of Joshua Tree National Park. Recently visited the park during the shutdown and relied heavily on the book. One drawback is lack of maps for each of the trails the author includes in the book. Visit the visitor center and speak to the ranger before heading out onto the trails. I always feel more comfortable with a map in hand when hiking. Love the colorful layout of the book.

[Jennifer Jank · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a really good overview of the park, especially the wildlife that lives there, and how the area was formed geologically. However, I wish there was more detail on the hikes that are available.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great primer on Joshua Tree. Glad to have read the history sections so I don’t feel compelled to stop at signs about mining etc. rather than hiking and exploring while I’m there =P will keep this one handy to reference while planning my day hikes!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a great guide to Joshua Tree National Park when the Visitor Centers were closed due to government shut down. The book was like having a Visitor Center in our hands. Thank you James Kaiser!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great guidebook to JTNP! This was the 6th edition, and a couple things seemed out of date, but otherwise it was a helpful guide to plants, animals, hikes, viewpoints, and all things Joshua Tree. :)

[Jenee Antoniu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic guidebook. Filled with good information but not overwhelmingly so. It was helpful and manageable to read in a day or two.

[Cassandra Peach · Rating 3 out of 5]

The trails information was accurate and helpful. However, many of the businesses listed have closed due to the pandemic.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was excellent. It will make our upcoming visit to Joshua Tree much more enjoyable. The book helped us choose what places to visit.

[Harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! Made a list for the next visit. Lots of history also.

[Kayla Duford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good guide with cool pictures and interesting history about the park. I’ll definitely be checking out his other books when I visit those parks!

[Darlene DeRubeis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book filled with park geology, history and valuable information on hiking trails, things to see and do in the park

[Zardoz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for my trip to J-Tree. While its a good overall guide for the casual visitor for dayhikes and exhibits it doesn't cover longer backpacking or climbing options.
I completed two of the recommended hikes and found the guide helpful in choosing destinations that interested me.
The camping section is well laid out and even has maps to help select the best site.
There was also a short history section that was well written.

[Adam Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing photography with good hiking recommendations and overviews. this book was perfect for joshua tree since it focused well on nature but still had good "guidebook" recommendations for eating out and entertainment in the area. it also had awesome blurbs on the history, plants, etc. in the area. it doesn't cover palm springs though so if you plan to go there, get another guidebook.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a great guide to the trails (driving or on foot) but I did enjoy the parts on the plant and wildlife and some of the colorful history of Joshua Tree. I borrowed it from the library so the price was right.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

great travel book with helpful tips and beautiful photos

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh.

[PorshaJo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was a great book to help me find my way through the park. Along with this book, I bought a hiking book and both proved to be very useful. A must for all who plan to visit Joshua Tree National Park.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview of the park, with lots of pictures and info on history, wildlife, culture, etc.

[Damo Balagi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best guides to the park

A good read to know the history of the park and a good background on most of the hiking trails.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great guide to the park, including history & wildlife.

[Jacob Folker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Go there!