← ASICS Los Angeles Marathon·3 nights

Palm Springs and Joshua Tree: The Desert Extension

A desert base pairing Palm Springs with day access to Joshua Tree National Park, timed for March before summer heat makes the desert impractical.

Duration3 nights
TransitCar required; approximately 2 hours from Los Angeles, though traffic can extend this considerably
DepartsLos Angeles

After the Los Angeles Marathon: Palm Springs and Joshua Tree

The Route: Los Angeles → Palm Springs → Joshua Tree National Park → Palm Springs → Los Angeles Logistics: A hire car is genuinely required for this extension; there is no practical public transport option covering both Palm Springs and Joshua Tree from Los Angeles. Marathon Month: March Duration: 3 nights

Los Angeles ──(car, ~2 hrs, longer in traffic)──> Palm Springs ──(car, ~50 mins)──> Joshua Tree National Park
                                                        │
                                     Los Angeles ◄──(car, return)────┘

The ASICS Los Angeles Marathon runs through Hollywood and Beverly Hills; this extension goes the other direction entirely, out past the city's edge into the desert, where the terrain and the pace of things both change completely. Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park sit roughly two hours from Los Angeles by car, though the drive can run considerably longer than that base figure suggests once city traffic is factored in, particularly leaving LA on a weekend.

March sits close to the ideal window for this trip: daytime desert temperatures are comfortable rather than the punishing heat of summer, and the Joshua Tree area's wildflower bloom can be underway depending on the winter's rainfall, though this varies enough year to year that it should be treated as a possibility rather than a guarantee.

Nights One to Three: Palm Springs and Joshua Tree

Palm Springs itself is a low-rise, mid-century desert resort town built around pools, spas and a walkable downtown rather than any single headline attraction, which makes it a genuinely restful base after a marathon rather than a place demanding its own sightseeing itinerary. The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, on the edge of town, climbs from the desert floor to over 2,600 metres in around ten minutes without any walking required, a striking change of temperature and landscape reached entirely by cable car.

Joshua Tree National Park sits around 50 minutes from Palm Springs by car, and the park itself is built for driving between viewpoints rather than long hikes, with the main park road offering pull-offs at rock formations and Joshua tree groves that require only short, flat walks from the car park. Runners with legs still recovering from the marathon should treat this as a driving day with short stops rather than a hiking day, and the park's own visitor centre can advise on which short trails suit that pace.

Where to stay: The Saguaro Palm Springs offers a colourful, resort-style base with pools and an on-site restaurant, well suited to a stay built around recovery rather than constant activity. Palm Springs carries hotel options across a wide price range, from simple motels to full spa resorts, and given the town's popularity as a weekend escape from Los Angeles, weekend rates run higher than midweek.

Where to eat: Palm Springs' downtown carries a genuine restaurant scene for a town this size, with patio dining a real feature of the desert evening climate; a relaxed dinner on a restaurant patio suits the pace of this stay better than anywhere requiring a long wait or a drive out of town.

Getting Home

Return to Los Angeles by the same road route, allowing extra time for the drive back into the city given typical weekend traffic patterns on the routes back into LA. There is no practical train or bus alternative covering this full route, so the return, like the outbound journey, depends on the hire car booked for the stay.