This past Spring, I attended this one music festival in SoCal. You may have heard of it before.. Coachella? Yeah, its pretty small and low-key. hehe.
My friends and I decided we didn’t want to spend $1,000+ a night to rent a house in Palm Springs and opted to rent a house is Yucca Valley, which is a short 10 minute drive to Joshua Tree. We took this amazing opportunity to venture into Joshua Tree for a day before heading back to LAX. And, let me tell you, Joshua Tree is definitely worth the visit, even if you only have a day! It’s one of the funnest things I’ve done in Southern California, and is a perfect day time activity for all sorts of outdoor or nature enthusiasts – and it’s kid friendly, too!
Being one of the largest National Parks in the country, and nearly 800,000 acres, you won’t be able to see much of it in one day alone, but you will get enough of a taste to make you want to come back for more!
Which is exactly what happened to me. So, I am here to share with you my perfect one day itinerary of Joshua Tree!
The park is a drive-through park, which makes sightseeing in one day very doable.
Now, there are 3 entrances to the park:
- Joshua Tree, CA (North side)
- Twenty Nine Palms, CA (North side), and
- Cottonwood, CA (South side)
You’ll see most itineraries with a starting point from Cottonwood, and working your way UP – but my itinerary starts from Joshua Tree entrance and ventures DOWN to exit in Cottonwood. We did this only because our house was nearby the Joshua Tree entrance.
*If you’d like to start your day trip from the south side, you can simply reverse my itinerary below.
HIDDEN VALLEY
This beautiful loop trail is only 1 mile long, and should take you approximately one hour to complete. This is the perfect starting point to Joshua Tree as here you will see many big boulders, joshua trees, cacti, flora and fauna. It was once rumored to have been used by cattle rustlers as a hideout back in the 1880’s.
KEYS VIEW
Keys View is a lookout point that provides a panoramic views of the Coachella Valley. The drive to Keys View is about 20 minutes off the main road, but is totally worth the drive up. You can probably spend about 30 minutes or more taking in the view here. You’ll be able to see the San Adreas fault, and if it’s a REALLY clear day you can see all the way to Mexico to the San Miguel Mountain!
SKULL ROCK
The famous Skull Rock. No you don’t need to hike to see it – it is literally visible from the side of the road. But if you’re so inclined, the hike is a 1.7 mile loop, and should take approximately 1 -2 hours to complete.
There is no doubt that Skull Rock is a park favorite. How did the rock get to be this way, you ask? Over many, many years, raindrops eroded pieces of the jumbo boulder eventually into resembling a skull. In the photos you can clearly see two hollowed out ‘eye sockets.” If you ask me, it doesn’t quite resemble a skull unless you look at it just right and from a very specific angle. It was still worth the visit, and I had so much fun climbing the big boulders nearby.
CHOLLA CACTUS GARDEN
Another park favorite. Cholla Cactus Garden is a short 0.25 mile loop, and you can easily complete it in 15 to 30 minutes. Here you can view thousands of densely concentrated, naturally growing Cholla Cactus. It really feels like you’re on a different planet. But whatever you do, STAY ON THE TRAIL. I found out the hard way that Cholla Cactus are very vicious little alien creatures that sense movement and body heat, and will quite literally JUMP onto you and cling with their claws into your flesh. Lovely.
TIPS FOR JOSHUA TREE NAT’L PARK
- There is NO reception in the park.
- So make your playlists available offline & let people know where you are.
- Bring food and snacks to munch on all day long. There is no where to eat inside the park.
- Bring LOTS of water. No joke. LOTS of it. Gallons of it.
- Bring a first aid kit. The desert is harsh. Especially when cacti attack.
- Wear sturdy, covered shoes. Don’t be a dummy like me in open toed sandals 🙂
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat for sun protection.
- Wear sunscreen.
- Bring a flashlight or headlamp if you plan on staying after sunset.
- Pick up a printed map of the park – Because no reception.
- Lastly, avoid strenuous hiking in the middle of the day in summer temperatures.
WHERE TO STAY?
Cactus Moon Retreat
Our group of friends rented one of the most amazing AirBnb we’ve ever stayed at – Cactus Moon Retreat. This property is a mid-century jewel with a private yoga studio, pool, firepit, bbq, and detached converted horse stable pool house on 2.5 acres of Mojave desert. Located in Yucca Valley, a short 15 minute drive to the entrance of Joshua Tree, makes the property a prime location for exploring as well. The property can house as little as 2 people to as many as 14. Some rent the house for yoga retreats, some for family vacations, some for weddings, and some just to have fun!
I won’t say much else and will let my pictures do the talking below, but do know the house can be rented one bedroom at a time. The property never books two groups at once, so if you book for just you and your hubby, rest assured you will have the entire place to yourself, for the cost of just 2 people.
FINAL WORDS
You can visit Joshua Tree year-round, and each season has its own beauty. But do keep in mind that Summer months can be a bit harsh, and with temperatures soaring over 100 degrees, the best times to visit the park (in my opinion) are Fall and Spring.
Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year – Joshua Tree National Park is open any time you have an urge to go someplace wildly beautiful and completely out of this Earth!
Lastly, the entrance fee to the park is only $25.00 per car and is valid for 6 days.
So, pretty much any reason you have not to visit Joshua Tree is VOID. Go out there and see it!
xoxo,
Suzy
KraveTheWorld
LINKS
https://www.nps.gov/jotr/index.htm
https://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/hiking.htm
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/14369998
http://www.cactusmoonretreat.com/