THE INS, OUTS, UPS AND DOWNS OF JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK

Getting there: Joshua Tree National Park is about 130 miles east of Los Angeles. Take Interstate 10 east to Exit 117 to Highway 62. The road leads to the park entrance in the community of Joshua Tree; you can drive farther and reach another entrance in Twentynine Palms.

Cost: The $20 fee covers a sevenday non-commercial vehicle permit. It’s $10 for motorcycles, bicycles and those on foot.

Best time to visit: Temperatures are most comfortable in the spring and fall, with an average high of 85 degrees.

How to visit: The desert can be lifethreatening. Potable water is available at only a few locations around the park boundaries, so you must bring the water you need.

Accessibility: Park visitor centers and certain nature trail and campsites comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act requirements.

Sleep: There are nine campgrounds in the park, which usually fill on weekends from October through May. Most are on a first-come, first-served basis, but you can reserve camp sites at several. It’s $15 a site, per night, at campgrounds without water; $20 at sites with potable water in or near the campground. I stayed at the Joshua

Tree Inn, 61259 Twentynine Palms Highway, Joshua Tree; (760) 366-1188,

www.joshuatreeinn.com. Comfortable, colorful place full of art and history. Rooms from $89 a night.

Eat: There are plenty of places for a good lunch or dinner in the town of Joshua Tree. Crossroads Café, 61715 Twentynine Palms Highway, Joshua Tree; (760) 366-5414, www.crossroads

cafejtree.com. Excellent choice for great-tasting casual fare at reasonable prices. Entertainment: Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneer- town Road, Pioneertown, Calif.; (760) 365-5956, www.pappyandharriets

.com. Legendary for its live music.

More info: Check the Joshua Tree National Park website at www.nps.

gov/jotr to learn about activities at the park, including hikes led by Superintendent David Smith. If you have a chance to talk to park spokesman George Land, take it. Ask about the can of spotted dick — a British sponge pudding — on his desk.