Joshua Tree National Park
Our travels often take us to places we never expected. I would consider Joshua Tree National Park one of those special places. And I must say - I can’t wait to go back! Just outside of Twentynine Palms, California, Joshua Tree NP is an amazing place to star gaze (designated an International Dark Sky Park) and enjoy hiking over and through some very unique rock formations and landscape.
We headed out from Los Angeles hoping to see the sun set at Arch Rock but got stuck in some traffic and arrived after dark. Since weather was not going to cooperate on this trip, we had only one night to enjoy the stars. Thanks to the well marked trails and our trusty headlamps we made our way to Arch Rock. It was definitely an interesting experience with no moonlight and an amazing sky full of stars. The sound of coyotes in the distance added an extra western ambience to the evening.
After a good nights sleep we headed out to greet the sunrise at Penguin Rock located adjacent to the Jumbo Rock Campground. It was spectacular and a wonderful way to start the day. Heading back to town for breakfast, we stopped at the Cactus Trails Cafe and it was excellent! The extensive menu made it easy to stick to a keto diet and the food was fresh and delicious. After breakfast we headed over to the local Farmer’s market and grabbed some fresh snacks for our afternoon of hiking at Skull Rock and the Hall of Horrors.
Although we had only 2 days to explore on what would otherwise be described as cold and rainy it was worth the drive. The rock formations are so remarkably unique you are often asking yourself how did they get there.
If you plan to visit any of the US National parks, get the National Park App. Not only does it have all of the parks, but also provides a way to track the parks you’ve visited, includes maps of the park, information about trail closures and other events, as well as weather and webcam views when possible. You can even save the park information for offline use (which is very useful at Joshua Tree since much of it is off grid with no cell reception). I could go on, but check it out for yourself, I think you’ll find it a great resource for exploring our national treasures - Have a Great Trip!
