Approaching Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks

In January, access from the East off 95 is better. From West there are some passes that get snow.

If you come from the west on 395, be aware the grade down 190 is steep. The route through Ridgecrest and Trona is not very steep and is a much easier drive.

For DV the easiest is from Lone Pine on 395 from the North or Ryholite from the east.
Joshua Tree is easy to access from I-10.

Trona is interesting...and much abandoned. Nice little park for lunch in town.

Most of the sites, mines, views, hikes at Joshua Tree are between the 29 Palms entrance or the town of Joshua Tree entrance. (The south entrance has a nice hike to an oasis and a campground and a visitors center but thats about all.) If your coming from Death Valley, take Hwy 15 to Barstow, and then 247 to Yucca Valley and then use the Joshua Tree entrance. (I wouldn't take I 10 in at all unless your coming from the west and have no choice. Traffic is heavy.)
If your going now while during the Govt Shutdown, download a map so you wont miss the cool sites otherwise they will give you one at the pay stations.
The easiest entrance to Death Valley is Scotties Castle Road 267 which is at the far northeast end of the park. Scotties Castle is a must see but closes early so we usually start there. Then you can exit at the Beatty road 374 out.

The road through Trona to DVNP is really great -- very desolate and empty. (This is a good thing, to those of us who like the deserts of the southwest.) The last time we took that road, there were a few big potholes, but there was so little traffic that it was easy to steer around them.

One of the roads from the west to DV, is really steep with a lot of elevation change up and over two mountain ranges. The road from Keeler is the hardest.

garyemunson wrote:
In January, access from the East off 95 is better. From West there are some passes that get snow.

For Death Valley it depends on what your idea of "best" is. If you want steep and curvy then come in on CA190 from Lone Pine. If you like fairly straight and a gradual incline then CA190 in from CA127. Coming in from Beatty Nevada is a fairly straight but also fairly steep.

Joshua Tree NP is closed because of the government shutdown.

There's an active discussion on the same route HERE.