Black Rock Nature Center in Joshua Tree National Park

Visitor center · Joshua Tree National Park

Black Rock Nature Center

Ranger advice, rotating art, and a Yogi Bear campground story.

Photo: National Park Service
Type
Visitor center
Nearest trail
0.2 mi
Audio stories
2 nearby
  • Restrooms
  • Store
  • Exhibit
  • Parking

Hear the audio tour

Black Rock Canyon and Its Jellystone Past

Overview

About Black Rock Nature Center

Why stop

  • A useful place to plan a hike around Black Rock.

Heads up

  • Small exhibits make it a quick orientation stop, not a full museum.

Map

Where it is

Loading the Joshua Tree map
Full map
Visitor centerBlack Rock Nature Center34.07332, -116.39068
Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Plan your stop

Before you go

Getting there and getting in

From CA-62, turn south on Joshua Lane or Avalon Avenue and follow the signs about five miles to Black Rock. The road ends at the campground, and a small parking area sits in front of the center. Inside are flush public restrooms, including an accessible restroom, drinking water, and a bottle-filling station. The main entrance has six steps; a sidewalk on the west side provides step-free access. The center’s hours can vary with staffing, especially in summer, so check before making a special trip.

5 active Joshua Tree alerts

  • ClosureOasis of Mara Trail closed past the OasisThe Oasis of Mara Trail is closed past the Oasis due to a heavy flooding event; do not continue beyond the Oasis. Check current park conditions before visiting.Official details
  • ClosureSR 62 and US 95 closed by floodingFlooding has closed portions of SR 62 and US 95; avoid the closed segments.Official details
See all 5 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Joshua Tree Tour Guide

Your drive to Black Rock Nature Center, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Joshua Tree National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

See the Joshua Tree audio tour

Recorded for this place

Black Rock Canyon and Its Jellystone Past
0:00 / 0:37
“You're approaching Black Rock Canyon, a separate corner of the park with dense Joshua trees and its own trail network.”

Plays as you drive up to Black Rock Nature Center in the Parkwolf Joshua Tree Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • The Fox with Several Homes
  • The Ant Colony’s Living Pantry
  • The Raven's Aerial Games
  • The Roadrunner's Morning Warm-Up
  • 89 audio storiesacross Joshua Tree’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Bighorn Sheep, Golden Eagle, Desert Tortoise, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 60 trails, 64 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
JMJamesApp Store review
Download Parkwolf on the App StoreGet Parkwolf on Google Play

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Black Rock Nature Center

A short stop inside Black RockBlack Rock Nature Center is a small National Park Service visitor center inside Black Rock…

Black Rock Nature Center is a small National Park Service visitor center inside Black Rock Campground, in Joshua Tree’s northwest corner. It’s a useful quick stop if you want a ranger’s advice on nearby hikes, maps, or a look around the bookstore and art gallery; expect an orientation stop, not a full museum.

A changing local galleryThe gallery changes about three times a year, showing work by park artists-in-residence and…

The gallery changes about three times a year, showing work by park artists-in-residence and local students. Staff can also help you plan a hike or other park activity, which makes this a handy first stop for exploring the Black Rock trail network.

A campground with a Yogi Bear pastThe campground began as a private Jellystone Park in 1970, the third franchise in the chain.

The campground began as a private Jellystone Park in 1970, the third franchise in the chain. The National Park Service acquired it in 1976 and removed the Yogi Bear features. A preservation study later found the center building eligible for the National Register as the only surviving western example of a Jellystone franchise.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Joshua Tree

All Joshua Tree wildlife maps

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Joshua Tree. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Parkwolf’s Joshua Tree ranking

Top sights in Joshua Tree

All 64 places
  1. 1Keys ViewSight
  2. 2Skull RockSight
  3. 3Cholla Cactus GardenSight
  4. 4Arch RockSight
  5. 5Barker DamSight
  6. 6Keys RanchSight

Take Parkwolf to Joshua Tree.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Download Parkwolf on the App StoreGet Parkwolf on Google Play