Joshua Tree National Park encompasses parts of two deserts--Mojave Desert and Colorado Desert-- where the annual rain fall is 2 to 5 inches a year.
Well, last week must have been this desert's ENTIRE YEARLY QUOTA of rain, cuz it poured buckets 2 out of the 3 days we were there.
With plenty of dark clouds every day, we had to nix our star gazing plans, and sunrise/ sunset photo opportunities. But on the bright side, we were able to capture some cool rare photos of Joshua trees in the misty fog!
Below are the top 8 highlights from our trip, followed by our itinerary. You can probably condense all of what we did in Joshua Tree to just 2 days, and add in star gazing, since most likely, it won't be raining when you go. Also, there's no cell phone reception inside the national park, so download an offline google map of the area ahead of time for use inside the park. (Or use the park's good old fashioned paper maps.)
We feel very lucky to have been able to do this outdoorsy adventure before the corona virus was declared as a pandemic. Now I'm *totally* mentally prepared to ride out this 3 week mandatory "shelter in place".
Well, ask me in a week...
TOP 8
1. Take Instagrammable Photos at Skull Rock
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| View from the road |
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| Spooky!!! |
Joshua Tree National Park has a lot of unique rock formations-- most of which are accessible either a few steps away from the parking lot, or a short hike away. The jumble of impressive boulders at Hidden Valley, for example, requires just a short walk along a 1 mile nature loop accessible from the Hidden Valley picnic area parking lot. Split rock, on the other hand, faces the parking lot of the Split rock picnic area and requires no hiking at all. Same with Skull rock; it's view-able right by Park Blvd. And because Skull rock is the most unusual rock formation I've EVER come across, it makes our "Top 8".
This was the first stop we went to upon entering the park. And we went back again the next day when it was foggy and raining.
It's especially spooky in the fog, don't you think?
2. Stop to Admire the Joshua Trees Along Park Boulevard
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| Rare view of Joshua Trees in the fog |
Joshua trees, the namesake of this national park, are found predominantly in the Mojave desert. However, due to climate change, Joshua trees are moving further north to higher and wetter ground, and scientists predict that in 100 years, there will be more Joshua trees in Death Valley than in Joshua Tree National Park.
Or worse yet...
Become extinct all together.
So while they are still here, take the opportunity to view these strangely beautiful gnarly-limbed trees that many have likened to Dr. Seuss's lorax trees. There are plenty just driving along Park Blvd. Just stop safely in a pull out by the side of the road.
P.S. FUN FACT: Joshua trees are neither trees nor cacti. They are part of the yucca family, and look so strange with branches growing in every which direction because they only grow new arms when the growth tip gets damaged.
3. Hike the Barker Dam Trail to See Water Ducks in a Desert
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| Water in the desert! |
The Barker dam was built in this natural basin by Barker and Shay Cattle Company to secure a reliable source of water for cattle ranching in the late 1800's. Later gold miner and homesteader, Bill Keys, made improvements to the dam. If you go during spring time like we did, you will most likely find water at the dam-- and some ducks swimming about.
Water ducks in the desert! Who would have thought that was a possible sight?!
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| Caves straight ahead |
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| Petroglyphs |
And even if there's no water, the hike is an easy 1.3 mile loop with rewarding rock formations all around. Towards the end of the hike, when you see the trail signage that says "Echo T Trail", straight ahead of the sign is a cave with petroglyphs. Unfortunately, someone reinforced the petroglyphs with paint, so it's not 100% "authentic" anymore, but it's still kinda cool.
4. Plan Ahead and Reserve a Spot on the Keys Ranch Tour
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| Gold mill |
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| Mrs. Key's stoves |
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| Keys Ranch house |
According to the park ranger, these tours sell out 2 months in advance, so if you are remotely interested in the history of the ranching days at Joshua Tree National Park, sign up for a tour of Keys Ranch online at the national park's recreation page. They only have tours on certain days (currently Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sun at 9:30AM), and the cost is $10 per person for a 90 minute tour.
On the tour, you will get to see one of the best preserved early 1900's ranch and learn about the history of gold mining, the colorful life of Bill & Frances Keys in this remote part of the desert, and what happened to their land when the area was designated as a national monument in 1936.
My favorite was hearing that Mrs. Keys was a great cook and seeing all her 1900's styled ovens!
5. Visit a Gold Mining Mill via the Wall Street Mills Hike
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| Gold Mill |
If you didn't get to go on the Keys Ranch tour and are still interested in seeing an old gold mill, but don't want to do a long hike, then the Wall Street Mills Hike is your ticket. This hike is accessible from the same parking lot as the Barker Dam hike, and is only 2.2 miles (round trip) of flat terrain. It is a bit sandy on the trail, but you'll also get to be up close and personal with some gorgeous Joshua trees, as well a few old cars.
6. Be Mesmerized by the View at Keys View Point
The picture here just doesn't provide justice for how majestic this view point is. I remember seeing the pictures earlier online and marked it as a "do IF we have time". But once I got up to the view point, I was "Wowed". You get a breathtaking panoramic view of Palm Springs, Coachella Valley and the Salton Sea. I felt like I was above the clouds. Bonus is that it is only about a 0.1 mile uphill hike on a paved road from the parking lot and accessible to all.
7. Rock Scramble to Arch Rock
This Arch Rock is pretty impressive, but does require a bit of rock scrambling to get there.
Park at the Twin Tanks parking lot and follow the trail signs to get to the Arch Rock Loop. The trail to get to the loop is 0.37 miles, and then the loop itself is about 0.5 miles, so pretty short, but I'll rate it as moderate because you do have to climb some rocks to get to the arch. But hey, if a non-athletic person like me can do it, you can too! You won't regret it--it's pretty awesome.
8. Sunrise or Sunset at Cholla Cactus Gardens
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When you arrive at the Pinto Basin, you will see a vast landscape of beautiful teddy bear like cholla, but don't be fooled-- these cacti are anything but cuddly. As you walk along the trail, take great care to not brush up against any of them or step on them, as the fuzz balls will dig into your clothes, shoes, skin, etc. and it won't be pleasant to pull the spines out. We brought along tweezers and a plastic flat comb just in case (I saw a small first aid kit at the entrance too, but didn't open it to see the contents). If one of the balls gets on your clothes, use the plastic flat comb to brush it off, not your fingers. If one of them gets on your skin, I'm so so sorry... But you were warned...
The best time to go is during sunrise or an hour before sunset because the basin will be glowing with these dangerous beauties when the sun is low along the horizon.
Our Itinerary in early March 2020
(sunrise ~7:09AM, sunset ~6:55PM; Temperature: low of 45 F, high of 68 F)
| Date | Time | Activity |
| Day 1 | 4:30 PM | Arrive in Twenty Nine Palms. Check into El Rancho Dolores at JT National Park |
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| 5 PM | Skull Rock Trail (0.1 miles, viewable from Park Blvd) Split Rock Trail (0.1 miles, viewable from the Split Rock picnic parking lot) |
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| 7 PM | Dinner at The Jelly Donut (Pho and good apple fritters) |
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| 8:30 PM | Stater Bros supermarket to get water, and sandwich supplies 71727 Twentynine Palms Highway, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277 |
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| 10 PM | Sky still cloudy—no star gazing |
| Day 2 | 9 AM | Pouring rain, so Oasis Visitor Center |
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| 10 AM | Ranger talk plus short nature stroll at visitor center |
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| 11 AM | Start the 25 mile drive along Park Blvd all the way through Hidden Valley, pulling over periodically to take pictures of Joshua trees |
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| 2 PM | Hike Barker Dam Trail (1.3 miles RT, 50 ft elevation) |
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| 3:30 PM | Joshua Tree Visitor Center, cuz still raining |
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| 4 PM | Dinner at Pie For the People (salad and pizza) |
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| 6 PM | Back to hotel cuz raining. No Star gazing |
| Day 3 | 8 AM | Start drive to Keys Ranch (drive is 40 min from 29 palms visitor center) |
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| 9:15 AM | Meet park ranger in front of locked gate at Keys Ranch |
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| 9:30 AM | Tour of Keys Ranch starts after driving 0.5 miles past the locked gate |
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| 11 AM | Tour ends |
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| 12 PM | Wall Street Mills Hike (2.2 miles RT, flat, easy) |
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| 1:30 PM | Hidden Valley Loop Trail (1 mile RT, easy) |
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| 2:30 PM | Keys View Point (0.1 miles, easy) |
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| 3 PM | Back to Hotel to rest |
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| 5 PM | Arch Rock Hike (1 mile, flat except for the last bit of rock scrambling to get up to the arch) |
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| 6 PM | Cholla Cactus Garden at sunset |
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| 8 PM | Dinner of leftovers in hotel room, no stargazing cuz cloudy |
| Day 4 | 8 AM | Check out and drive to Pioneer Town, an Old West town built by Hollywood |
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| 9 AM | Drive home |