Joshua trees and granite boulders at sunset, Joshua Tree National Park

LAX Real cost · 7 days

What 7 days really cost: Los Angeles → Joshua Tree & Death Valley by RV

$1,500–$4,200campervan, 7 days, 2 people, US residents · rounded from the table total ($1,515–$4,120) · estimate [A]

Prices checked 2026-10-29. Values marked [A] are estimates; re-check with live quotes.

Photo: NPS / Brad Sutton · public domain

Joshua Tree and Death Valley cost $30 a vehicle each and charge no extra for visitors from abroad. What decides this trip is the calendar and the rental contract: El Monte and Road Bear don't allow their RVs into Death Valley from June 1 to September 30, and Furnace Creek, the one campground there you can book, takes reservations only for October 15 to April 15.

What does a 7-day fly-in RV trip from Los Angeles to Joshua Tree and Death Valley really cost for two people, once mileage, fuel, campgrounds, fees and the airport transfer are in? Below: every line, for a campervan and a Class C, with a check date and a source. The plan behind the numbers: two nights in Joshua Tree, two at Furnace Creek, one at Stovepipe Wells and the last near the Los Angeles depot.

Quick answer

  • Campervan, 7 days, 2 people: about $1,500–$4,200 all-in for US residents, $1,500–$4,200 if you live outside the US [A].
  • Class C, 7 days, 2 people: about $2,000–$5,300 (US residents) or $2,000–$5,300 (visitors from outside the US) [A]. Ranges are the table totals rounded outward to the nearest $100.
  • Biggest swing factor: the dates. This is an October-to-May trip: summer heat rules out Death Valley in most rental contracts, and in season the reservable campgrounds in both parks fill early. Without them you pay private-park rates outside the parks. Fuel is the other big line: about 710–850 miles at California prices.
  • Not in these totals: flights, food and activities. Groceries for two, cooking mostly in the RV, add roughly $245–$490 [A — our estimate, not checked against a source].
  • Prices checked: 2026-10-29.

Cost table (7 days, 2 people)

Low = off-peak, cheapest reasonable choices. High = peak season with every fee — most trips land in between. Ranges are for the whole trip, not per night.

Item Campervan Class C What drives it
Vehicle rental (base rate)$700–$1,700$1,000–$2,400≈ $100–240 a night for a campervan, $140–340 for a Class C [A]. National benchmarks; we found no published California price index. Outdoorsy $100–175 / $150–250 a night; Go RV US average March 2026 $252 / $225; RVshare: peak season 30–50% higher; roadsurfer lists its Los Angeles station “starting at $115 / night” before fees. Fleet example: 7-night minimum
Mileage (~700–850 mi)$0–$330$0–$330$0 with unlimited miles (roadsurfer and many marketplace listings); fleets charge by the mile: El Monte $0.38 a mile or $37 per 100 miles, the Cruise America fee sheet $0.39 [A — agent page], so ~850 mi ≈ $330. Our routing for the plan below: about 710 miles [A]
Fuel$210–$520$350–$690Campervan 15–20 mpg, Class C 8–12 mpg [A] × route miles × AAA California averages checked 2026-10-29: $5.95 regular, $8.40 diesel; we add 10% at the high end for stations near the parks [A]. That is about a third more than on our Arizona route ($4.50 regular on 2026-10-27). Fill up before you enter Death Valley [A]
Campgrounds (6 nights)$210–$340$210–$340Low: Black Rock ($35) and Jumbo Rocks ($30) in Joshua Tree, 2 nights at Furnace Creek ($30), Stovepipe Wells ($18, first-come) (NPS), and an RV park near the depot at ~$65–70 [A]. High: Furnace Creek full-hookup sites ($44) for 3 nights, $35 sites in Joshua Tree and ~$140 for the Los Angeles-area park [A]
Park entry (US residents)$60$60Joshua Tree and Death Valley charge $30 a vehicle each (7 days; Death Valley is cashless). The $80 annual pass (US residents only) doesn't pay off for two parks
Kits, prep, cleaning, generator$50–$370$50–$370Low: a marketplace listing with kits included plus a cleaning fee [A]. High: fleet example — $50 prep, $125 vehicle kit, 2 × $75 personal kits, generator $8/night × 6 [A — agent page]
Insurance / protection$175–$280$210–$350RVshare's own budgeting guide: about $25–40 a day for a campervan, $30–50 for a Class C. Fleet rates usually include basic cover; upgrades cost extra [A]
Taxes and service fees$70–$370$100–$520Low: Los Angeles rental tax 9.50% on the base rate (fleet fee sheet via an agent page [A]). High: tax plus a 10–12% marketplace service fee (Outdoorsy: 10%) [A]. Not in this line: El Monte's California Vehicle License Fee, $2 a night
Airport ↔ depot transfer (both ways)$40–$150$40–$150Taxi or rideshare between LAX and the El Monte depot in Santa Fe Springs (22.3 miles by El Monte's figure), both ways [A — fares not checked]. roadsurfer's Hawthorne station is 10–15 minutes from LAX
Total, US residents$1,515–$4,120$2,020–$5,210Sum of the lines above [A]
Park entry, visitors from outside the US+$0+$0Joshua Tree and Death Valley are not among the 11 parks with the $100 non-resident fee, so visitors from abroad pay the same $60 as US residents
Total, visitors from outside the US$1,515–$4,120$2,020–$5,210Sum including the non-resident park cost [A]
Where the money goes — US residents, 2 people. Top: each line at the midpoint of its range, as a share of the trip total. Bottom: the low-to-high range per line; the dot marks the midpoint [A: our calculation from the table above]
Share of the trip totalCampervan~$2,820 midpointRental: 43% · ~$1,20043%Miles: 6% · ~$1606%Fuel: 13% · ~$36013%Campgrounds: 10% · ~$28010%Park entry: 2% · ~$60Kits & fees: 7% · ~$2107%Insurance: 8% · ~$2308%Taxes: 8% · ~$2208%Transfers: 3% · ~$100Class C~$3,620 midpointRental: 47% · ~$1,70047%Miles: 5% · ~$1605%Fuel: 14% · ~$52014%Campgrounds: 8% · ~$2808%Park entry: 2% · ~$60Kits & fees: 6% · ~$2106%Insurance: 8% · ~$2808%Taxes: 9% · ~$3109%Transfers: 3% · ~$100RentalMilesFuelCampgroundsPark entryKits & feesInsuranceTaxesTransfersLow to high, line by lineCampervanClass C$0$500$1,000$1,500$2,000$2,500RentalCampervan, Rental: $700–$1,700Class C, Rental: $1,000–$2,400MilesCampervan, Miles: $0–$330Class C, Miles: $0–$330FuelCampervan, Fuel: $210–$520Class C, Fuel: $350–$690CampgroundsCampervan, Campgrounds: $210–$340Class C, Campgrounds: $210–$340Park entryCampervan, Park entry: $60–$60Class C, Park entry: $60–$60Kits & feesCampervan, Kits & fees: $50–$370Class C, Kits & fees: $50–$370InsuranceCampervan, Insurance: $180–$280Class C, Insurance: $210–$350TaxesCampervan, Taxes: $70–$370Class C, Taxes: $100–$520TransfersCampervan, Transfers: $40–$150Class C, Transfers: $40–$150Share of the trip totalCampervan · ~$2,820Rental: 43% · ~$1,20043%Miles: 6% · ~$160Fuel: 13% · ~$36013%Campgrounds: 10% · ~$28010%Park entry: 2% · ~$60Kits & fees: 7% · ~$2107%Insurance: 8% · ~$2308%Taxes: 8% · ~$2208%Transfers: 3% · ~$100Class C · ~$3,620Rental: 47% · ~$1,70047%Miles: 5% · ~$160Fuel: 14% · ~$52014%Campgrounds: 8% · ~$2808%Park entry: 2% · ~$60Kits & fees: 6% · ~$210Insurance: 8% · ~$2808%Taxes: 9% · ~$3109%Transfers: 3% · ~$100RentalMilesFuelCampgroundsPark entryKits & feesInsuranceTaxesTransfersLow to high, line by lineCampervanClass C$0$1,000$2,000RentalCampervan, Rental: $700–$1,700Class C, Rental: $1,000–$2,400MilesCampervan, Miles: $0–$330Class C, Miles: $0–$330FuelCampervan, Fuel: $210–$520Class C, Fuel: $350–$690CampgroundsCampervan, Campgrounds: $210–$340Class C, Campgrounds: $210–$340Park entryCampervan, Park entry: $60–$60Class C, Park entry: $60–$60Kits & feesCampervan, Kits & fees: $50–$370Class C, Kits & fees: $50–$370InsuranceCampervan, Insurance: $180–$280Class C, Insurance: $210–$350TaxesCampervan, Taxes: $70–$370Class C, Taxes: $100–$520TransfersCampervan, Transfers: $40–$150Class C, Transfers: $40–$150

Rental, insurance and fee lines are national benchmarks from published price guides and a fleet fee sheet, not a live quote for your dates. Get two or three real quotes before you book [A].

Different trip length, group size, season or one-way? Plug your own numbers into the trip cost calculator. It uses the lines above.

Marketplace or fleet? Which to quote first

The plan behind the numbers

  1. Day 1: land at LAX, pick up in Santa Fe Springs (El Monte: after 1 pm on weekdays), then about 120 miles, 2.5 hours, to Black Rock Campground in the northwest corner of Joshua Tree [A: our routing]. Black Rock has water and a dump station.
  2. Day 2: Joshua Tree: Hidden Valley and Keys View; night at Jumbo Rocks.
  3. Day 3: the long drive north, about 250 miles and 6 hours, to Furnace Creek. Two nights there.
  4. Day 4: Badwater Basin and Zabriskie Point, early or late in the day.
  5. Day 5: Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes; night at Stovepipe Wells ($18, first-come, no booking).
  6. Day 6: about 250 miles, 5.5 hours, back to an RV park near the depot [A].
  7. Day 7: return the RV before 10 am (El Monte), fly home.

When this trip works

Want Yosemite as well? The 10-day loop continues over Tioga Road, when it is open.

What's included — and what isn't

Included in the totals above

Not included

Sources and how we checked

All figures checked 2026-10-29 unless the line says otherwise. Prices change; confirm with the provider before you book.

Next step

Arrival check: can you pick up the day you land?

Santa Fe Springs depot hours by season, and what a late landing means

← All cost pages, route by route

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