Joshua Tree National Park

Whenever someone asks me what my favorite national park is, I say it's Joshua Tree. I am not sure if that's actually true anymore (there are so many great ones), but it is certainly the park with the biggest place in my heart. I had the fortune of living within driving distance of this park while I attended college and grad school, and I visited whenever I could find someone to take me. I left California in 2009, and I hadn't been back to Joshua Tree since then.

When I started planning for my 10-year college reunion, I thought it would be a perfect time to return to Joshua Tree. However, my reunion trip got filled up with other things... meeting with long-lost friends, Disneyland, etc., so I decided to carve off Joshua Tree and go on my own a month early.

Solo backpacking is not to be taken lightly - the dangers of venturing into the wilderness alone have been well-documented in books and movies like 127 Hours and Into the Wild. But with the proper planning, preparation, and precaution, spending some alone-time in the wilderness can be the best medicine for whatever may be ailing you...

Planning, Preparation, and Precaution

I started planning my trip weeks in advance. It was my first hiking trip since September (!), and I was anxious to kick off my round of national park trips for the year. I found a great REI packing list specifically designed for backpacking in Joshua Tree, and as I started checking things off, the pile of supplies on my living room floor grew larger and larger. Without water (which weighs more than eight pounds a gallon), my fully-packed backpack weighed just over 20 pounds. With water, it would weigh closer to 30 pounds.

My plan was to start at the Keys West backcountry registration board and hike the popular Boyscout Trail to Willow Hole. The Wonderland of Rocks, which lies east of the Boyscout Trail, is limited to day-use only (no camping), so I planned to set up camp somewhere west of the trail then explore Willow Hole with lighter day-gear only. It was important to make a detailed itinerary because I would leave a copy of it in my car overnight - just in case of a search party.

Something about bright clothes and camping...

Into the Wild

I arrived to the park around two o'clock on Saturday afternoon, and the visitor center was very busy. I checked in with a park ranger to go over my plans and get the latest weather report, and she told me that I seemed like I knew what I was doing - I nearly hugged her. With the ranger's blessing, I headed into the park through the west entrance. Pro-tip: the only flush toilets and sinks in the park are at the west entrance (not even at the visitor center).

About twenty minutes past the park entrance, I came to the Keys West backcountry registration board and the trailhead for the Boyscout Trail. As I feared, the parking lot was full. There were even cars parked in unmarked "spots" along whatever curb was available. But the ranger had told me to wait it out, and sure enough, after just a few minutes, a group of day-hikers came back to the lot and left with their car. Huzzah! The hardest part of my plan (finding a parking spot) was over.

After filling out a backcountry registration form, I strapped on my backpack and started my journey. It was around three o'clock by now, and dozens of day-hikers were headed out on the trail as I headed in. I eyed the boulder piles to the west of the trail - I was hoping to find a good spot with some wind protection to set up camp. But it seemed like most of the boulder piles were already occupied by other campers and climbers, so I continued on my way.

In about a mile, I came to the fork where the Willow Hole Trail splits off from the Boyscout Trail. This is where I wanted to drop off most of my stuff. I found a nice set of bushes to hide my pack in, and then I headed into the Wonderland of Rocks. It was almost four o'clock by now, and the number of day-hikers I saw dwindled.

The Wonderland of Rocks

After about an hour of exploring, I headed back to the Boyscout Trail. Sunset was supposed to be at 5:45p, but I could tell that some westward mountains would move that time up. I picked up my backpack from its super-secret hiding spot, and I headed back down the trail towards some of the rock piles I had seen earlier.

Most of the "rock piles" have names, or climbing route names. I was hoping that some of the climbers would have left by now, and sure enough, I found a nice rock pile to have for myself for the night. There were still some climbers on it when I arrived, but they didn't have any camping gear with them, so I figured they would head out by sunset, and I was right. My rock pile was called Mustang Ranch.

Up close and personal with Mustang Ranch

I set up camp as quickly as I could as the sun went down, but the wind didn't make it easy. I had come to park thinking that I would try some night photography (the stars are amazing in the desert), but overcast skies foiled my plans. Instead, I furiously took photos as the sky changed colors for the brief period after sunset.

In the morning, I wanted to get up early and visit some of the park's most popular rock formations - Skull Rock, Arch Rock, and Hidden Valley. I woke up about an hour before sunrise, and I started packing my things. I left camp at six o'clock, and I had the trail to myself. Once I got back to my car and on the road, I noticed a huge difference between when I had arrived to the park the day before (when every parking lot and pull-off was full) and these beautiful, quiet, early morning hours. I felt like I had the whole park to myself, and it was great. Pro-trip: this park draws large crowds on the weekends, but close to sunset and sunrise, you can still find some solitude.

Skull Rock near Jumbo Rocks Campgrounds

My MVPs of the trip were:

1. My self-inflating sleeping pad, which makes sleeping on the cold desert ground a million times more comfortable.
2. My collection of Taylor Swift CDs, which I played nonstop whenever I was in the car. One of the things I miss most about driving regularly is singing at the top of my lungs - I made up for lost time and more on this trip.
3. Southwest Airlines for giving me so many goodies to take with me into the backcountry - when the attendant came by with a box full of bagged honey roasted peanuts, Fritos, and Oreos and told me that I could take as many as I wanted... I took advantage.

Arch Rock near White Tank Campground

So you want to go to Joshua Tree...

In 2016, Joshua Tree saw over 2.5 million visitors, and this was double the number of visitors they saw just a few years earlier. Look at the sudden upswing after 2013:

Source: irma.nps.gov

What does this fast growth mean for the park? Well, the park is busy. Parking lots are full, campgrounds are full, and trails are busier than ever. But as I mentioned before, the hours just before sunset and just after sunrise are still really quiet, and camping in the park is the best way to take advantage of these times.

When should you go?

The chart below shows monthly visitation over the last five years (plus the first two months of 2017). As you can see, the park is most popular in late fall and early spring. This is because over the summer months, the park gets really hot. In fact, I would warn against visiting the park in June, July, or August. But if you do - bring lots of water!

Source: irma.nps.gov

The most popular times for people to visit are March through May and September through November. If you want to avoid the crowds a bit, try going in December, January, and February. But if you are planning to camp, be prepared for COLD overnight temperatures.

Hidden Valley

Lastly, since a few years ago, I started noticing some news articles about the impacts of climate change on Joshua Tree. You might think that species that survive in a desert climate might be more resilient to global warming, but in fact, they are just as vulnerable to climate change as the polar ice caps, both existing in extreme climates. I copied some links below for your reference. Thanks for reading!

Climate Change Threatens an Iconic Desert Tree, National Geographic, October 2015
Planning For The Future Of A Park Where The Trees Have One Name, NPR, August 2016