Keys View Joshua Tree National Park: Epic LA Sunset & Sunrise
Discover Keys View in Joshua Tree National Park, a must-visit for breathtaking sunsets and sunrises. Get tips for your self-guided tour from LA, including offline maps!
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Discover Keys View in Joshua Tree National Park, a must-visit for breathtaking sunsets and sunrises. Get tips for your self-guided tour from LA, including offline maps!
Hello, this is Ongsang!
A must-visit when traveling to LA:
Joshua Tree National Park!
✔️ Inside Joshua Tree National Park,
cell phone service is almost nonexistent,
so I recommend downloading Google Maps offline maps
before you enter.
If you ask at the entrance (where they check tickets),
you can get a paper map,
and it's fun to find points of interest
by looking at the map and following the signs!
Joshua Tree National Park
was designated as a national park to protect its unique Joshua Trees, massive rock formations,
and expansive desert landscapes.
What makes it special is its location at the intersection of the Mojave and Colorado deserts,
allowing you to experience a unique ecosystem and landscape
that you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.
This rare plant, which grows almost exclusively in this region worldwide,
isn't actually a tree, but it looks like one,
so it's called a tree.
It's a type of Yucca, similar to a cactus, belonging to the asparagus family.
That's why the area is called Yucca Valley.
Keys View
I'm absolutely obsessed with sunrises and sunsets!
One of the most famous viewpoints
in Joshua Tree National Park is "Keys View."
You can drive all the way to the summit,
making it a well-known spot to catch both the sunrise and sunset.
✔️ Parking Information ✔️
Keys View is a viewpoint where you can drive
directly to the summit,
making it easily accessible without any strenuous hiking.
There's a dedicated parking lot at the top,
so you can park your car and walk just a few steps
to reach the viewpoint.
· Free parking lot in front of the viewpoint
· Cars start to fill up 30-40 minutes before sunset.
· It's recommended to arrive an hour before sunset, if possible.
· For sunrise, even on a weekend,
the parking lot was empty.
✔️ Sunrise ✔️
When I arrived just in time,
I saw the sun slowly rising between the mountains.
As the dark landscape gradually brightened,
the atmosphere completely transformed.
It was quite windy that day,
making it much colder than I expected.
Definitely bring an outer layer.
It's very cold due to the high altitude.
For sunset, the place was packed with people,
but for sunrise, there weren't even 10 people.
No way I'm missing this sunrise shot!!!
Isn't this just like a MacBook wallpaper...?
In front of the observatory, there's a model explaining the surrounding mountains and terrain,
making it easy to identify everything.
The observatory also has telescopes installed,
allowing you to get a detailed view of the distant mountains and desert.
You can even see Palm Springs from here!!
When I was taking the photos, I thought they wouldn't capture the true beauty,
but looking at them now, they all turned out so amazing.
✔️ Sunset ✔️
We set off to arrive around sunset,
but the parking lot was already full,
so we had to wait quite a while for a spot to open up.
By the time we finally parked,
the sun had already dipped below the horizon.
Judging by the vibe in the parking lot,
it seemed like people had arrived an hour or two earlier
to claim their spots and wait.
But as a true sunset fanatic,
I knew that the real sunset magic was just about to begin!!!!!
BLACKPINK - Playing With Fire
I filmed this video myself, and it's just so stunning!
It got dark quickly, so I couldn't capture much on my phone,
but it became one of the most unforgettable sunsets ever.
Simply gazing at the sky as it changed minute by minute — that's what I love most!!!
The moment the sun actually dropped below the horizon must have been an equally impressive sight.
Next time, I want to arrive a bit earlier
and savor the entire experience from the very beginning.
Actually, the day I witnessed that sunset, the sunset itself was almost a bonus,
because my main mission for that visit was to witness a spectacular meteor shower!
It was the peak night for the Geminid meteor shower,
where over a hundred meteors are said to streak across the sky in a single night.
After my incredible experience in Mongolia, this was hands down the most shooting stars I've ever seen in my entire life!
The world is truly immense,
and it feels like there are endless wonders to experience and sights to behold!!
It makes me feel like such a tiny speck in the grand scheme of things...
The desert night sky, captured with my iPhone 16 Pro.
I honestly had no idea it could capture something so stunning.
It was genuinely breathtaking and utterly wondrous.
Back in 2019, I was a total newbie (you could even say a bit foolish!)
I came from Korea with a friend on a tour, aiming to see stars in Joshua Tree during Chuseok, our autumn harvest festival,
but there was a huge full moon hanging brightly in the sky,
so I have vivid memories of not seeing a single star that night! Haha.
Joshua Tree National Park
is truly a place where the atmosphere completely transforms from day to night.
While I mostly highlighted "Kiss View" for its incredible sunrise and sunset experiences,
there are so many other fantastic spots waiting to be discovered.
If you're ever planning a trip to LA, I genuinely hope you'll make time to visit.
Next time, I absolutely have to come back
to soak in the entire sunset, from its first glow to its final fade!!!!
And to wrap things up, here are some more moments I captured in Joshua Tree.
Cell phone signal is almost nonexistent inside the national park, so it's recommended to download Google Maps offline maps in advance before entering. You can also request a paper map at the entrance (where tickets are checked) and use it.
During sunset, many vehicles gather, making it crowded 30-40 minutes before sunset, so it's recommended to arrive an hour early. In contrast, during sunrise, the parking lot is so empty that it's even spacious on weekends.
The Joshua Tree is not actually a tree; it's a type of Yucca, similar to a cactus, belonging to the asparagus family. It's a rare plant that grows almost exclusively in this region worldwide.
Keys View is at a high altitude, so it's very windy and cold during sunrise. Therefore, it's highly recommended to bring warm outerwear. During sunrise, it's very quiet, with fewer than 10 people.
According to an article, it's difficult to see stars on a night with a full moon. Therefore, to observe meteor showers like the Geminids, it's important to check the moon's phase before visiting.
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