Joshua Tree National Park
Dr. Seuss trees & desert heat.
*Visited in September 2020
What are the spots I need to hit? A quick note before diving in: I spent my time in Joshua Tree in the month of September when California was experiencing record high temperatures so we were advised by Park rangers to not hike between the hours of 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and to hydrate like crazy. So each spot we stopped at or hung around wasn’t for too long as we adhered to the cautions! Also, some gnarly wildfires were sweeping through and JT was covered in smoke for a lot of our time. Consider which time of year you visit as we were in the thick of wildfire season and it altered how we were able to spend our time! With that being said: Explore Cholla Cactus Garden, Arch Rock Trail, Keys View, and Jumbo Rocks. I felt like I got the feel for each part of this Park with these spots!
Should I stay in the Park? Joshua Tree isn’t that large of a Park and I felt more comfortable being close to resources if I needed them, so I have opted to stay at a great AirBnB just outside the Park. However, if you’re wanting to camp within the bounds of the Park, there are 5 different campsites that are offered. The NPS website specifies features for each campground so you can decided what will fit your needs!