Solo Trip to Joshua Tree
- Meileen
- Mar 6
- 8 min read
Alas, after many attempts to finish what I planned to be the blog post to kick off this blog again (which may or may not come sometime soon), I decided instead to write about my recent trip to Joshua Tree. This is more of a narrative and reflection rather than a guide, but you'll probably also learn a thing or two about Joshua Tree. Please enjoy.
Two and a half weeks ago I went to Joshua Tree. By myself! It was a pretty on-a-whim decision (as I booked an Airbnb the night before), but since it'd been on my LA bucket list, that weekend, just two weeks before I would leave SoCal, was the time to make it happen. And as for the decision to go alone--well, why not? Instead of going alone, I was going with myself. A two day excursion to spend time with me in a state of discovery.
Before the Trip (Sunday)
There are a few general things to know before you go to Joshua Tree, which I found from my internet research the night before. They include (but are not limited to) that you need to bring more water and food than you think, that there is no cell service in the park, and that there are desert tortoises(!!) which got me really excited for the trip because that is the species of my own baby tortoises. (I know, a lot has happened in the past five years since I last wrote!) Here is the National Park Service's Tortoise 101 video on the threatened species. (Slow down and enjoy some serotonin.)
As for what to do at the park, I got most of my information from Reddit and the National Park Service. (The latter has a ton of information that I am realizing now after the trip.) Instead of making a planned out itinerary of each day, I decided to go with the flow. I had a list of things to see and do, and that was all I needed. Besides maps and the things I packed.
For a ~24 hour trip in Joshua Tree, I didn't have to bring too much. I packed a bag of clothes, my camera, a blanket, some food, and a day/hiking backpack. I also downloaded the All Trails app, and on it a map of the whole park and some trails I planned to hike just in case, and I am sure glad I did that.
During the Trip - Day 1 (Monday)
After a rushed morning, a short run that I shouldn’t have done is hindsight (because my quads would be talking to me later while climbing around rocks), and a ~3 hour drive including a food stop, I made it to Joshua Tree after 1pm. I picked up a paper map at the visitor center along with a magnet (for the family fridge!) and a tortoise post card (I couldn't help it!), and I was on my way to the west park entrance.
I was guided by this map the whole trip (and my downloaded maps on All Trails, but there's just something about a paper map). I relied on it to know to navigate, since you can best believe that my T-Mobile phone had no service, but it also helped me decide where to keep going next and form a loose itinerary. I decided to hit sites on the west side of the park this first day, starting with the Hidden Valley area. I read that Hidden Valley is one of the most popular hikes in the park, and I first saw that to be true when I couldn't find parking by the trailhead. I ended up parking across the main road where I ate my pastrami sandwich and then scrambled up my first rocks and watched some rock climbers. A good introduction.
On the hike I understood why it's so popular. It's a pretty incredible area that's surrounded by rock formations and a landscape that makes you feel like you're in a different realm. There are also placards along the trail, and along other trails in the park, that tell you about a certain species or geological formation, which I think enriched my overall experience because I got to learn a lot about the park and it's "varied yet vulnerable" nature, as quoted on the map pamphlet. Unfortunately I was in somewhat of a rushed mindset, thinking about all the things I "needed" to get to in a short amount of time, so I ended up muscling through the first day a bit. ("Muscling Through"--the term Adrienne of Yoga with Adrienne uses for moving throughout a yoga practice with the goal of hitting certain poses, rather than moving based on sensation.)
Nevertheless I still was amazed by the sights I saw. I got to see a spread of Joshua Trees, including some doing the YMCA, on the Barker Dam trail, which was my next stop.
It was about 5pm after I finished walking around Barker Dam--30 minutes before sunset, which was perfect timing to go catch a good view. Keys View, which was about 7 miles (eyeballing now on the map) south on a 35 mph road, seemed like a stretch, but I went for it. And I'm so glad I did. This viewpoint is also very popular, and for a good reason. It was a bit unbelievable how much you can see from up there. I'm sure I could've had a really cool experience watching the sunset somewhere else in solitude, but even with the tourist vibes it was incredible. Not as much the sunset itself as the after. (Shoutout to the man taking photos on the bed of his pickup truck who was telling some people to just wait and see the real show, which started after the sun set and most people left). Pink and bright blue and orange popped out of the sky from nowhere. It was stunning.
I was prepared to stargaze in Joshua Tree, whether in the park or in Twentynine Palms, where my Airbnb was. Something I learned is that Joshua Tree is a designated Dark Sky Park, which basically means you should stargaze there because it is beautifully dark and therefore easy to see stars. However, the stress from muscling through the day + the fatigue + the leg wobbles got to me, so the tense feeling overcoming my body needed some food and warmth. I also decided to prioritize getting up early for sunrise…
During the Trip - Day 2 (Tuesday)
Getting up to the sound of my alarm at 5am was surprisingly easy.
The Plan:
5:00am - wake up
5:30am - leave
6:00am - make it to the park viewpoint for the start of the sunrise show
6:30am - sunrise!
I think it was the excitement of getting to see the sun come up. I quickly packed up my things and made my breakfast--sugar and hot cocoa mix I found added to my water overnight oats (yumm) and heated up leftover Mexican food I had for dinner--as quietly as I could in my shared Airbnb and left.
For sunrise I decided to stay on the east side of the park, so from the north entrance I headed down towards Arch Rock, and with the possibility of going to the Cholla Cactus Garden, which I read is a nice place for sunrise. I didn't realize that Arch Rock was a hike away from where you park, but I arrived when the sky started to lighten so I stayed in my car and just sat back and enjoyed the view (and enjoyed my water oats the best I could). Before the sun even came up, it was so beautiful to just see the sky, the mountains, and the flatland to the west lighten up. (I need to wake up for sunrise more often because wow what a beautiful thing that's available to experience every day!)
When it was time for the sun to pop out, I realized the view from where I was would be blocked by mountains in the east, so I hit the road towards the Cholla Garden. But not too far past White Tank Campground, I saw the sun pop out! There were a few rock piles with a small lot that I pulled into that had a perfect view. Unlike sunset the day before, I got to enjoy a solitary moment, sitting on the rocks and enjoying the show. I also took the opportunity to take photos with my camera because I couldn't pass up the glow that was being casted. The sunset itself coupled with the just-me-and-nature moment and stumbling upon the perfect view was a major highlight of the weekend.
My next mini quest was to look for wild flowers down Pinto Basin Road. According to the internet, you can potentially see them starting to bloom in February in the more low-dessert, south part of the park. I went to look between Cholla Cactus Garden and Ocotillo Patch, but spoiler alert--I didn’t see any. I did however stop briefly to look at the Cholla Cacti, which were a pretty sight while the sun was still rising, and the (dry) Ocotillos.
The last things I wanted to see were Arch Rock and the Skull Rock area, so I returned to the Arch Rock trailhead to do that hike. Around the end of the trail I started scrambling and weaving around rocks and saw a formation that looked pretty cool, and I realized it was Arch Rock. It looked just like the pictures but the surrounding terrain surprised me.
The last hike I did was the Skull Rock nature trail. This 2-mile trail was a bit tiring for me at this point, but I was curious about the Jumbo Rocks, and I did see get to see a lot of cool formations, especially dikes, and views.
It was about noon, and I decided to leave the park by heading west towards the west entrance gate. On my way I’d be passing Queen Valley Road which was another thing on my list to see. (Shoutout to the person on Reddit who recommended it). Despite my fatigue from the last hike and me wanting to get back home quickly, I decided to go for it. And I am so glad I did. I think driving on Queen Valley Road is something everyone should try to do for some slow, good vibes, especially if you're with other people. It’s a one-way and very bumpy road that I felt like my car could barely handle (although according to the National Park Service most 2-wheel drives can handle it), so the road forced me to take it slow and just enjoy the Joshua Trees and the view of the snow-capped mountain in the distance.
After the Trip
I was pretty tired after this solo excursion, especially because the dessert temperature differences threw off my body a bit, but I had fun, seeing and learning things in the park. Because it wouldn't be a complete reflection without them, here are some lessons learned...
Ok, I had previously written some sentences on being careful of muscling through and mitigating feelings of loneliness while traveling solo, but what I think summarizes all that is simply the power of:
listening to your body
being present
(both of which I've learned are very intertwined).
Would I go to Joshua Tree again? Yes, but probably with other people, and I would most definitely stargaze and try to go during wildflower season.
Would I travel alone again? Absolutely, and with the lessons I learned from this excursion.
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