SOLO CAMPING: JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK [FEBRUARY 2024]
recently i went on a short little solo camping trip to joshua tree national park. i had visited once before in 2016, but this was before i started hiking. it was only a stop over on the way home from a roadtrip along route 66 to arizona. i planned this in november and luckily was able to get a campsite reservation for president's day weekend (there were only 3 remaining).
i left early in the morning, though i did not need to. i always enjoy leaving for roadtrips before the sun rises as i enjoy watching it on the drive. of course i had to first stop at dunkin' for a coffee. along th way i found a food establishment called, just a hometown grill (i was entertained). i ended up arriving in 29 palms, the far east side of the park, at about 8:30. i first stopped at the oasis of mara trail, which is a short trail with interpretive signs. it is known for all the palms & includes information on the indigenous. it is located where the old visitor center is (this is the one i visited in 2016), but is still the headquarters for staff & has public restrooms.
after, i visited the new visitors center on the main road in what is considered downtown 29 palms. there was a saturday farmer's market, so i also strolled around there but did not get anything.
i then made my way to the town of joshua tree to look at a few gimicky shops & to get some lunch. it was so busy, so restaurants were not an option. i ended up visiting a higher end food-to-go establishment & picking up a breakfast sandwich, vinegary red skin potato salad, and a s'mores bar (for later). i also walked across the street to subway to pick up dinner as i knew i would not be visiting a town again for the rest of the day. subway sandwiches are my go-to for a meal to keep in a ice chest for a few hours.
it was before noon & i had reserved a guided tour for 1 pm. i originally planned on doing the barker dam trail before, but it was so very busy. i had heard entering through the joshua tree west entrance could be busy, but it was no joke. it took me a long time to get through the entrance, so i decided to scrap the idea. instead, i pulled over on the side of the road downs away from the entrance & away from the people and just snacked and waited.
my view
once it got closer, i made my way towards key's ranch. i had paid the extra 10 bucks to take the key's ranch tour as i always enjoy learning about the culural history in national parks. you have drive a few miles down a pretty rough dirt road & past the rock climbers. you then wait behind a gate for a ranger to arrive, who lets you drive another 1/2 mile to key's ranch.
key's was the only settler in the park & he lived on the property from 1910 until his death in the1960s (and well after the establishment of the park). the land was used for cattle & mining. the property includes the ranch house, a few accessory buildinga, an old cattle corral, & a random assortment of bits and bobs. throughout the property is old machinery, automotive parts, ovens, metal frame beds, & tools. key's collected many thing so he could be self-sufficient and used the parts for whatever he needed. the closest town (and where his mailbox was) was in banning, almost 60 miles away. the ranger knew a lot information as key's children had many stories about being raised on the property.
key's homestead ranch (1918-196)
most of the tour was about the key's family living on the ranch, but there was also discussion on the indigenous that lived there. part of the tour was viewing an authentic old cliff dwelling & mortars in the rocks.
the cattle corral
an old san bernardino county automobile that was bought by key's when it became stranded in the park & the county did not want to tow it out.
the tool shed.
i thought i would do barker dam trail, after (since i did not have time before) but at 3 pm all the parking lots were still so busy & the ranger informed me there would be no water. the week before we had a pretty big storm & he said that yes the park got hit, but the dam only fills during a monsoon. so i decided to pass & exit the park to my campground.
i reserved a spot at black rock canyon campground on the west side of the park in yucca valley. it is technically outside of the main park, but is the only campsite that offers flush toilets (a luxury i prefer when sharing a restroom with many others). the sites were actually quite spacious, but due to the barren land in general, there is less privacy. my site was the most eroded, with a ditch in the middle, but this worked in my favor. it meant i could keep my car farther from the picnic table (which is closer to the other campsites) and along quite a large bush. i normally do not utilize the picnic tables & fire pit as it is just me, so i stayed near my car. also i had my very own joshua tree at my campsite, so i definitely enjoyed joshua's presence.
my camp setup. i am a simple gal. my only equipment is my walmart chair.
i set up & sat out on my chair until the sun set (it got pretty chilly). fortunately this day there was a really pretty pink sunset. call me a moocher, but i only hang out at a campfires if 1) i am camping with others or 2) some strangers invite me (it has happened several times before). i am not talented at starting fires (i know i should know) & i it is a lot of work for only me do.
my beauty claire during the sunset.
enjoying my s'mores bar with josh.
i stayed in my car & watched through clips of season 3 of anne with an e. i always have it downloaded for camping as an option as it is such a comfort show for me & i was inspired after my tour learning more about homesteaders. i decided to sleep early as i knew i wanted to leave early in the morning. i had a long drive ahead.
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the next morning i woke at 5:45 so i could start deconstructing my car's "bed mode" & get ready for the day. most of the hikes are pretty far in the park, so it takes a while to drive through. the morning hike i did was split rock loop trail, an easy 2.5 mile hike. i decided on this as i saw it was described as a "best of scenery tour". during the walk you can see joshua trees, yucca plants, & boulders. the highlight is the split rock at the entrance (hence the name), but my favorite part was the boulders further down the trail. i got there around 7:30 am & it was pretty empty. i only ran into people a few times. apparently you can see the big horn sheep here, but i did not see any.
i had planned to do the hidden valley trail as i love a good interpretive hike, but the park was already so busy. i decided to change my plans and spend time in town, before doing a hike close to my campsite. i went to joshua tree to visit the visitor center & to get some chia pudding i saw the day before. i then made my way to yucca valley to thrift, go antiquing, & pick up some espresso. sadly, the coffee place was absolutely packed & i was already annoyed being around fellow humans, so i settled with my cold brew concentrate in my ice chest (it just does not hit the same as espresso). in total i went to one antique store & 3 thrift stores. i came home with a hand sewn pretty blue floral apron for $3.99. it was quicker than i thought so i spent most of the afternoon at my campsite after having lunch at chipotle & picking up another subway sandwich for dinner.
i spend the afternoon at my campsite & prepared for my next hike, the hi-view nature trail. it is considered a moderate 1.5 mile hike due to the incline and the additional minimal boulder climb to the the top. i added another 1 mile to the hike strolling through the campground to the south loop trail that connects to hi-view. this was nice little addition as i got to see tons of scrub jays that are a pretty blue.
before starting the hike, i stopped at the nature center along the way.
along the way though i did see my first crazy guy while hiking. he did not make sense with his words and i heard him from the distance making primal noises like he was hurt. he said he had gotten lost but when i asked him if he knew which way to go, he brushed me off. i do not know if he was mentally ill or had dementia as he had to have been in at least his 70s. he maintained a 30 foot distance & did not try to approach, so i felt ok. i did also have my hiking poles & peppers spray so i was somewhat prepared.
i continued my way through the wash & up the mountain.
once you reach the top, you can get pretty views of the snow topped san gorgonio mountain (the highest mountain in southern california) along with the san bernardino mountains & yucaa valley below. it was really pretty. apparently tortoises cross here, but it is extremely rare to see. the peak of the trail is 4,445 feet above sea level.
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the next morning i woke up at 5:30 am to get on the road even earlier as it would be about a 1.5 hour drive to reach the southeastern portion of the park to do my morning hike.
the bouldering is why i consider it the most dangerous i have done. you have to take your time as you definitely can fall. there are pretty steep sections. i did not make it to the top (as it got too steep for me). i made it as far up as i felt comfortable & found a nice little rock to perch myself on where i let my feet dangle. i literally had the mountain range to myself. i could not see anyone the entire time i was enjoying the views.
