An Amateur Camper's Weekend in Joshua Tree

Southern California is dried out and dusty -- not even the air holds moisture. Although Joshua Tree National Park is no exception, I was surprised to find myself in awe of its various shades of dead. Of course, the scattered green of the Joshua Trees themselves didn't hurt either...

Clearly, I'm not exactly thrilled by the desert climate of this state, mostly because it makes me homesick for the lush green hills of Ohio. Even so, I'll admit that Joshua Tree National Park's beauty was mesmerizing. I would have never imagined I'd be sleeping in a camper or showering outside with the kangaroo rats when I've never been camping a day in my life. Let's be clear, I still haven't really been camping; I couldn't build up the courage to stay in a tent with nothing but a sleeping bag to support my achy nurse's back. I could, however, search for the next best thing that AirBnB had to offer.

And so our amateur camper's weekend in Joshua Tree began...

Fireside Joshua Tree Village (Yurt 5) was wonderful, and I highly recommend the stay. It's located in Twentynine Palms, California and had the most amazing opportunities for stargazing while also providing running water and showers (yay!). Although it can get chilly at night (in the 40s for our end-of-March stay), we finished our s'mores and pulled out a couple additional blankets before falling asleep to the howling of nearby coyotes -- don't worry, we still had cell service in this area (I like to be prepared for emergencies, sue me).

Waking up the next morning, we used our brand-new camping gear to boil some water and get breakfast started:

• Propane , 8-oz. (although 4-oz. tanks are also sold)

• Odoland pots and stovetop attachment for the propane (MUCH easier to use than I had anticipated)

With boiling water we were able to make our REI dehydrated breakfast skillet. Even with the rubbery eggs, this was surprisingly good and very filling. We made a packet of instant oatmeal with the leftover water too, adding some peanut butter to ensure we were properly proteined-up for our busy day. Loading our bags into the car, we said goodbye to Fireside and drove about 40 minutes to the park entrance. If you're like me, you may think sightings of Joshua Trees are rare, even if the park and city are named after them. I imagined hiking miles and miles to catch a glimpse of this infamous succulent soaking up the desert sun. Instead, we drove through the park gates and the view immediately changed: miles and miles of Joshua Trees were scattered throughout the landscape.

They were each slightly different, and brought so much life to the browns and oranges of the dried out earth below them. I later read that it's believed Mormon settlers thought the unique shapes of this succulent (not truly a "tree") reminded them of Joshua reaching his hands up to the sky in prayer* (The Environmentor). Pretty amazing, huh?

Barker Dam - 1.3 mile loop, easy

We tried to start the day off easy, and I was already missing lush green grass and water, so we parked at the trailhead of the Barker Dam loop. Although the pictures online showed a scenic overlook with deep blue water, we were quickly disappointed by (you guessed it) a completely dry dam. Not even a trickle of water flowing through! Regardless, the landscape was stunning and we continued on until getting stopped by a volunteer who scolded us for not carrying water bottles...We had assumed that we'd be okay, I mean the trail was a mile and we were cold in our sweatshirts. Embarrassed, we finished the loop and downed ice cold water from our Igloo knowing it was only a matter of time before the blazing sun turned a cool, comfortable morning to...well, the desert. We quickly made our way to trail #2, this time WITH our water cooler (thank you, unnamed volunteer).

Wall Street Mill - 2.2 mile loop, easy

Located right next to the Barker Dam Trail (same parking lot, we didn't even have to move our car), Wall Street Mill loop was slightly longer but just as flat as our first stop in the park. With remnants of a 1930s gold-processing mill, this trail provided a unique glimpse of history in addition to stoic Joshua Trees reaching up towards the heavens. Not to mention, the slightly rockier terrain was great for climbing, and we saw many couples enjoying a picnic at the top of the makeshift mountains. By now, it was almost 11am and the park was beginning to fill up. We were swarmed by other tourists looking for a parking spot as we neared our car. I guess some things in California never change, even in the middle of a desert.

Hidden Valley - 1 mile loop, easy

This "classic" Joshua Tree hike begins with the perfect stop for lunch. Scattered picnic tables and barbecues provide much needed shade and opportunities to recharge. This was enjoyable once we sat down, but looking for a parking spot meant circling the lot four to five times before sliding in as other tourists left. However, this really was a great trail with more opportunities for climbing and scaling stone mountains. The name says it all: there is a hidden valley between the rising rocks (which, themselves, are necessary to climb for a better view of the valley below).

Already the day was much warmer than when we had left the yurt only a couple hours before, but we had two more stops left before heading to our next campsite.

Cap Rock - 0.4 mile loop, easy

I wouldn't recommend saving this for last, I wish we had stopped here first actually. It's a nice, easy introduction to what's in store on the longer trails. This only took a few minutes to walk through and had great views of the plants and wildlife you will experience further in the park.

We saw quite a few antelope ground squirrels, which were hard to distinguish from the desert chipmunks (both very cute though). Bird-wise, I was extremely excited to see what the volunteer thought was a loggerhead shrike in addition to a ladder-backed woodpecker. Note to self for next time though: bring a pair of binoculars, the birds were often much farther away from the crowds of people.

Another cool aspect of this pit stop was watching the lead climbers scale Cap Rock. It made me miss my brother back home who couldn't believe we went to Joshua Tree without a single crash pad. Hiking was more than enough for us, and our experience wasn't over yet. We had one more quick "trail" before leaving the park for the day.

Keys View - 0.2 mile overlook, easy

On our way out of the park, we pulled off for the Keys View overlook. Many trails and stops had referenced Bill Keys, a long-time rancher-miner who owned the Wall Street Mill from earlier in our day. This overlook provided a tranquil view of the Coachella Valley that we enjoyed for a few minutes, catching a powerful breeze that made the afternoon sun more bearable while also whisking away a light layer of dust from our boots and skin.

Time for our AirBnB stay #2: A camper in the city of Joshua Tree. This one was more difficult to find (and my poor car had to rough it on the dirt roads leading up to its hidden cubbyhole). But boy was it worth the drive!

Camping Cubbyhole in Joshua Tree - even if you're 6'3", you can still enjoy the outside of this stay!

The hammock and bench made for a relaxing view of the sunset as we ate our well-deserved s'mores. The outdoor shower was certainly an experience...I'll never complain about the cold air of my bathroom hitting me when I step out of the shower again (nothing like an evening desert breeze to make you thankful for indoor showers). This night was slightly less enjoyable if only because of the stuffy noses and chilled toes (our own fault for not seeing that there was an electric heater until about 5 in the morning when we got up to watch the sunrise).

Tired and slowly thawing out with our morning tea, once again brought to you by our makeshift stove, we packed up and got ready for a new day in Joshua Tree National Park. We were still exhausted from yesterday's miles (and sun), but we were excited for the Lost Horse Loop Trail -- especially because we had tried all day on Saturday to find parking close enough to scope out this trailhead. It would be different today though, we left our "camp" at around 7am, arriving to the park before eight to ensure a prime spot right next to the trailhead.

Lost Horse Loop - 6.8 mile loop, challenging

Warning: Lost Horse Loop Trail is a 6.8 mile challenging loop. It is only moderate if you walk the 4-mile out-and-back-the-way-you-came path to the mine itself. Okay, I feel I've done my due diligence by explaining this seeing as it was not specified for my husband and I. We thought the entire loop was 4 miles, not realizing that we had essentially tacked on an additional 3 miles before finally getting back to our car, sunburned and completely worn out. Luckily, this was the only trail we had on the list for day two as (no offense to mother nature), everything had started to look the same. Although I would definitely recommend this trail for its stunning views and high overlooks (keeping in mind that we had to walk uphill for a quite a ways to deserve those views), it had less mining equipment than the Wall Street Mill, and at a further distance away too. However, it was still remarkable to see a piece of history. Knowing how exhausted I was, I can't even imagine the hard work it must have taken to establish such a well-built mine decades ago.

Getting to the park by 8am was a great decision, it was already pretty hot out by the time we finished this loop. Ignoring our burning skin and dehydrated lips, we decided to make one more outdoor stop before heading back to Pasadena and ending our weekend getaway.

Pioneertown/Pappy & Harriet's

Grumbling bellies told us that the peanut butter oatmeal we'd had for breakfast was quickly burned off somewhere around mile five. I had seen a restaurant recommended while researching Joshua Tree, and it was nearby! Pappy and Harriet's had been open about an hour before we arrived, and the wait was already two hours. Luckily, it was within a walkable distance to the true attraction: Pioneertown. Unfortunately, COVID-19 had put a halt to their shows. But there was still plenty to see and enjoy, as well as a great place for a pre-lunch appetizer (or, skip Pappy's altogether and get some tacos) at Red Dog Saloon (I highly recommend their chips and queso).

After killing about an hour and a half strolling through town, we took a power nap in the car before checking back in at the restaurant. True to their word, we were next on the list! The outdoor seating was covered in shade, and the Sioux City Sarsaparilla hit the spot after inhaling dust and sand for two days.

We were beat, but the weekend had been incredible. In case none of our trails looked interesting or difficult enough for your level of hiking expertise, be sure to check out the national park's website for a complete list of options before embarking on your desert getaway. I also recommend checking out Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree stays on AirBnB, we were fortunate to have found two great stays!

Be prepared for your weekend; in addition to the regular traveling necessities, be sure to include the following when you're packing up:

Joshua Tree Packing List.pdf

Download PDF • 431KB

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Safe travels, friend!

*The Environmentor. 10 Facts About the Incredible Joshua Tree. https://blog.tentree.com/10-facts-about-the-incredible-joshua-tree/