Boulders and desert scrub at Joshua Tree National Park

Interstate 10 · 2 stops · 135 mi

Joshua Tree to the La Brea Tar Pits: Interstate 10 Road Trip Stops

2 stops · 135 miles · about 2 hr 54 min of driving

Open this route in Google Maps2 stops in order · 135 mi · free, no sign-up

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Route map: Joshua Tree to La Brea Tar Pits, 135 miles

Road distance and drive time are a routing estimate (OSRM) with no traffic and no stops.

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The two stops from our co-pilot reel, in the order you would drive them through Southern California. Facts and visitor notes come from official sources (linked under each stop). The photos are ours. Mileage and drive time are a routing estimate without traffic or stops. Check current road and hours before you go.

  1. Joshua Tree National Park

    Boulders and desert scrub at Joshua Tree National Park

    Our photo.

    Verified facts

    • Two distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado, meet in Joshua Tree National Park. Source: nps.gov ↗
    • Joshua Tree National Monument was elevated to national park status on October 31, 1994. Source: nps.gov ↗
    • Elevations in Joshua Tree National Park range from 536 feet to 5,814 feet at Quail Mountain. Source: nps.gov ↗
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  2. 135 mi · 2 hr 54 min from stop 1

    La Brea Tar Pits

    Mammoth statues in the Lake Pit at the La Brea Tar Pits and a fossil mammoth mount inside the museum

    Our photo.

    Verified facts

    • The Lake Pit features a recreation of a mammoth becoming trapped in tar. Source: tarpits.org ↗
    • Over the last 50,000 years, Ice Age animals, plants and insects were trapped in asphalt at the Tar Pits, which preserved them. Source: tarpits.org ↗
    • The Lake Pit in front of the museum is left over from asphalt mining operations in the late 1800s. Source: tarpits.org ↗
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