Tours

Big Wheel Tours. Based in Palm Desert, Big Wheel Tours offers van excursions, jeep tours, and hiking trips through the park. Bicycle tours (road and mountain bike) are available outside the park boundary. Pickups are available at Palm Springs area hotels. 41625 Eclectic St., Suite O-1, Palm Desert, California, 92260. 760/779–1837; www.bwbtours.com. From $169 .

Joshua Tree Adventures. A local family operates this well-respected tour company, which offers a range of customized private outings, from hikes and scenic tours to full- and multiday hike-and-climb combinations. 61622 El Cajon Dr., Joshua Tree, California, 92252. 802/673–4385; jtreeadventures.com. From $70.

Keys Ranch Tour. A guide takes you through the former home of a family that homesteaded here for 60 years. In addition to the ranch, a workshop, store, and schoolhouse are still standing, and the grounds are strewn with vehicles and mining equipment. The 90-minute tour, which begins at the Keys Ranch gate, tells the history of the family that built the ranch. Tickets are $10, and reservations are required. Keys Ranch gate , Joshua Tree National Park, California, 92277. 760/367–5522; www.nps.gov/jotr.

Mojave Guides. Led by resident and certified climbing instructor Seth Pettit, a team of expert guides provides customized half-, full-, and multiday technical rock-climbing courses for everyone from beginners to experts. Joshua Tree, California, 92252. 760/820–2806; www.mojaveguides.com. From $100.

Twentynine Palms Astronomy Club. Book a private night sky experience for 2 to 10 people led by astrophotographer Steve Caron and others who have a passion for sharing the night sky. They bring high-powered telescopes and other equipment to a location of your choice in the Morongo Basin—from Morongo Valley in the west to Wonder Valley in the east, plus Pioneertown and Landers. Twentynine Palms, California, 92277. 760/401–3004; www.29palmsastronomy.org. From $250 for a 2-hr session.