Joshua Tree National Park has become really popular over the last few years, especially now that it’s a National Park. My curiosity was up as to why it’s become such a destination and why the government has found it worth funding. So in my research of Joshua Tree prior to going, I found mixed reviews and decided to make a day trip of it to check it out for myself.
Most of the positive input of Joshua Tree National park was from those that enjoyed bouldering, rock climbing and photography. There was also a lot of feedback regarding the various hiking trails and stargazing. However due to a bum knee that has stunted my extensive hiking and climbing recently, I decided that this trip would be a like a tourist’s introduction to the park.
I did take note of the negative feedback as well, such as the excessive crowding over the weekend that has upset the desert enthusiasts that come out here for peace and quiet and now have crowds of people on the trails and filling up the parking lots. Also, with all the hype of the world renowned rock climbing in Joshua Tree, there are a lot of companies bringing newbies to learn to rock climb and there can be some waiting for a spot to climb. There was also a lot of complaints about heat, which didn’t surprise me, so planning to go when the weather was right would make it more enjoyable.
So with feedback duly noted, I grabbed a couple of girlfriends and decided to do a day trip adventure of Joshua Tree National Park.
We went on a Sunday in March when the weather was still comfortable and we prepared for a few short hikes and just taking it all in to see what the big hoopla was about. It was about a 2 hour drive from North San Diego. We arrived about 9:00 am and started at the visitor’s center outside the West entrance in Twenty Nine Palms. The Visitor center and shop was opened and we bought our pass there to save from having to sit in line at the gate. (BTW: The fee to get in now (2020) is $30 for 7 days…yikes- who stays for 7 days). The visitor center people were very animated and informed on all the trails and full of suggestions.
Before leaving we decided to go across the street to the cutest little Joshua Tree General Store that sold novelty items and 2nd hand “novelty” clothes. We decide to jump into the tutu skirts that were on a rack on their porch and do self timer selfies. SO much fun…along with a little shopping of interesting souvenirs. And no we didn’t by the CBD gum ha ha.
Anyway, we finally made our way into the Joshua Tree National park. We had decided to be tourist on this trip and just do the highlighted points of interest as suggested which were several short hikes to see the rocks and desert plants. So we didn’t come with full hiking gear, but just layered clothing and visor and the basics…
- hydration pack (I stole my kids small one since we weren’t going very far),
- camera with wide angle lens,
- snacks and
- comfortable hiking shoes.
We started at one end of the park and looped out the other along the main trail. There is another side of the park that is less frequented that goes over to the I-10 but we stayed on the more trafficked area this trip.
- Hidden Valley trail which was a nice mile loop trail hike that is surrounded by massive rocks that was rumored to have been used by cattle rustlers. Lots of rock climbers are in this area. There is limited parking. Due to Covid they have added arrows to direct hikers in one direction.
Climber on the rock…shows the size of the rocks. And this was a small one.
2. Barker Dam was another nice loop trail that just a little over a mile…there was no water was in the dam for our hike but it was a nice trail and toward the end you can connect to the Echo trail or turn left to go back to the parking lot. At that point just go a little further to see the petrographs and then go back to the parking lot trail. There are informative signs along the way and lots of Joshua trees along the trail. Supposedly if you get there early you have a chance of setting big horn sleep.
3. Skull Rock loop trail starts from Big Rocks campground and is just under 2 miles. It was a nice trail with views of the plains and of course the namesake rock. Lots of tourist around to take your picture especially since if you don’t want to do the hike Skull Rock is accessible just off the road
There were off the road stops along the way such as, Hall of Horrors which were a bunch of rocks leaning against each other creating these cool hallways and caverns.
There were a few other short hikes we could’ve done but at about 2pm, we’d seen what there was to see(desert and rocks) and we were ready to head home. I know that people LOVE this place. The desert really works for a lot of people, but for me, a day of it was enough. It was a peaceful place with a lot of the same rocks and desert landscape. Given the rocks were impressive, the hikes were pretty and the ones we took were mostly flat…I think if I were to ever come back I’d come with a group who was there to do bouldering or rock climbing (definitely the activities of choice for this terrain) and then it would be another type of experience. There are also several 4×4 trails and the Geology Tour road tour that might be fun to do as well. Overall, I have to admit, having girlfriends to chat with along the trails really made the trip worthwhile and entertaining.
Here are some Ideas from Groupon to experience Joshua Tree:
If you are uncertain about going yourself and/or would like an off-road experience there, you can always use a tour company. This is a great deal from Groupon to check out Joshua Tree with Big Wheel Tours!
Or want to entertain yourself along the way, try a Scavenger Hunt (Groupon link)!
Or if you’d prefer to have a more informative tour to Joshua Tree, maybe you’d enjoy a Virtual Tour Guide experience. or a Self Guided 17 mile tour.
And best of all… stopping at to have the most amazing Mexican Food and Margaritas at Los Vaqueros Cantina & Grill on the way home via Hemet really ended the day perfectly.
Here’s to a girl’s day out in Joshua Tree!
Few helpful tips for the adventure to Joshua Tree National Park:
- The earlier the better with parking and chances to see wildlife
- If you want to camp, plan way ahead in peak season. Book through Recreation.gov
- Late fall through April is peak season… plan accordingly for heat and cold
- Bring proper clothing and shoes
- Bring snacks, food and extra drinks and then even some more extra water..it is a desert.
- A hydration backpack is the best to bring necessities and hydration.
- Camera or good smart phone (love my new iPhone 12 Pro))
- If going on longer hikes make sure to download your trails (from AllTrails app) ahead of time since there is NOT reception on the park).
Have you been and would you go again? Would love to hear your experiences?