Pinto Basin
The 200-square-mile Pinto Basin is a large, open swath of the Sonoran Desert within Joshua Tree National Park.
Plan Around Pinto Basin
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Use this detail page to confirm that the stop is worth it, then carry that decision into a trip draft while the park context is still fresh.
Pinto Basin Details
The 200-square-mile Pinto Basin is a large, open swath of the Sonoran Desert within Joshua Tree National Park, surrounded by five mountain ranges. You won't find Joshua Trees here -- they grow at higher elevations -- but the desert floors is dotted with smoke trees, ocotillo, and cholla. Pinto Basin is crossed by Pinto Basin Road, which runs from the park's southern entrance near Cottonwood Spring north and then west to connect with Park Boulevard close to the park's north entrance. The area also is home to the Pinto Basin Sand Dunes.
Difficulty
Low
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Estimated time
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Nearby Parks Around Pinto Basin
Compare nearby parks around Pinto Basin when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.
Nearby Points of Interest Around Pinto Basin
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Pinto Basin while the map context is still fresh.
1.3 mi away
Colorado Desert
Encompassing approximately 7 million acres, California's Colorado Desert is part of the larger Sonoran Desert.
2.5 mi away
Gold Rose Well
Visitors wishing to see the remains of Gold Rose Well, in the north-central part of the park, can take Twentynine Palms Highway east to Gold Crown Road and then head south.
6.7 mi away
Pinto Basin Sand Dunes
Not true dunes, the Pinto Basin Sand Dunes in the north-central part of the park are a modest layer of fine sand covering an elevated ridge along a fracture.
7.5 mi away
Old Dale Road
Traversing the Pinto Basin in the central part of Joshua Tree, 24-mile roundtrip Old Dale Road starts at the same point as Black Eagle Mine Road.
7.5 mi away
Black Eagle Mine Road
Beginning at the same point as Old Dale Road, Black Eagle Mine Road heads east along the southern edge of the Pinto Basin.
