Joshua Tree was one of the first national parks to open up in California as they phased into COVID reopening. After several months cooped up at home, I was itching for a road trip and some wide open spaces. I’ve always wanted to visit Joshua Tree – the idea of desert sunsets and the spiritual, artistic lifestyle associated with the area was right up my ally. Read on for our two-day itinerary, but keep in mind that we came right at the beginning of summer when temperatures can climb upwards of 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day! The best time to visit is likely in the spring or fall when the weather is much more mild, making it possible to go on longer hikes through the desert.
Where We Stayed
I’m a sucker for unique accommodations. For me, Joshua Tree was synonymous with Airstreams or teepees. Joshua Tree Acres, a very Instagrammable property on Airbnb consisting of several Airstreams and trailers, has been top of my list for a while now. It’s usually booked up months in advance, but because of COVID I was able to snag a two night stay! I contacted the owners and they let us know that they were only renting out one trailer at a time to maintain social distancing rules, so we’d have the whole property to ourselves. This included the communal camp kitchen and hang-out space, the hot tub, and the picturesque plunge pool.
Day One
Joshua Tree is about a two-hour drive from Los Angeles, barring traffic. We arrived on property in the afternoon, after stocking up on groceries. The air was dry and heavy, a stifling hot dust settling onto our skin. We unpacked and changed into bathing suits to cool off in the plunge pool.
We then watched the sun go down behind the joshua trees from the little patio in front of our Airstream.
That night, we decided to order take-out. We called a few well-known restaurants in the area which were all still unfortunately closed. The only place open was Sam’s Indian Food and Pizza, a strange combination but we gave in to the high reviews. Their Curry Pizza is apparently world famous, and was not as bad as we expected!
Day Two
The summer sun is ruthless in the desert, so we knew we needed an early start if we were to beat the heat. Plus, I wasn’t going to say no to seeing the sun rise in the desert!
The downside to our Airbnb was that it was about a 45 minute drive to the park entrance. And with it being summer, the sun was set to rise early at 5:30am. The sunrise spot we chose was Arch Rock Trail by the White Tank Campground. It’s roughly a 0.3 mile loop and takes about 20 minutes to hike. However, we parked the car and walked in the completely opposite direction of the trail. We ended up getting lost in the desert, which is not hard to do when everything looks the same and there are no clearly defined walking paths. The sun was starting to peek out, so we climbed up the biggest rock formation we could find for a better vantage point.
After the sunrise, we found our way back on the real Arch Rock trail. To be fair, this trail was equally as unmarked and even when we found the Arch Rock itself I was still skeptical it was the real thing because it was much smaller than I had expected!
At this point, the sun was starting to climb and we were getting tired from the early wake up call.
We decided to stop at Hidden Valley Nature Trail since it was on the way back and because we knew it would only get hotter.
The Hidden Valley Trail is a one-mile loop and known for its great rock-climbing spots. It is a very easy and relatively flat trail except for some rock stairs in the beginning. There are informational plaques along the trail with really interesting explanations on the flora and fauna. At 8am, it was already sweltering at above 100 degrees F so we finished the loop quickly and headed back to our Airbnb.
The rest of the day was spent at the Clubhouse (the hang-out spot at the Airbnb) where we basked in the luxury of the AC and WiFi. In the late afternoon, we took another dip in the plunge pool to cool off. And did I mention there’s an outdoor shower on the property? Because we were the only ones there, we really enjoyed taking a rinse under the shade of a joshua tree.
For sunset, we headed back to the park to hike the Barker Dam Nature Trail. This is another short hike at 1.3 miles, and is known for a man-made reservoir hidden within the Wonderland of Rocks. The sun was already starting to lower behind a mountain when we arrived, so we didn’t catch much of a sunset unfortunately, but the desert colors were still in full bloom!
When visiting the desert, you can’t NOT go stargazing! We didn’t have the energy to do the 45 minute drive back into the park after dinner, so we ended up seeing the stars from the plunge pool which is a bit more isolated from the property. While it was definitely amazing, I’m sure the zero light pollution inside the park itself would have made it all the more magical.
Day Three
Technically, we didn’t spend Day 3 in Joshua Tree because this was the day we left to go back to Los Angeles. We woke up in our Airstream to the sun rising over the desert landscape, and had to quickly run out to capture the beautiful moment.
On our drive back, we decided to stop at Pioneertown about 20 minutes from Joshua Tree. Pioneeertown was built in the 1940s as an Old West movie set, with 1880s-style stables, saloons, and even a motel. More than 50 films and TV shows were filmed here in the 40s and 50s, and movie buffs can check out this history in the film museum. Many of the bars and shops are still running as a tourist attraction, but they were closed due to the pandemic. We were still able to walk up and down the street (where they used to film horse races!) and take some photos!
I had an amazing time soaking up the desert vibes, but there were definitely some spots we missed because we didn’t have time and because it was just too hot to be in the unforgiving sun. Here are some spots that I will want to check out in the future:
- Cholla Cactus Garden for sunrise
- Ryan Mountain Hike for the highest viewpoint of the desert
- Split Rock Loop Trail combined with Skull Rock
- Boy Scout Trail for a full day hike
- Willow Hole Trail
The town of Joshua Tree is also really cute, with lots of funky cafes and shops as well as spiritual and new age finds. Because we visited during COVID-19, many of these places were closed and we didn’t get to eat out or shop in any of the vintage shops. Here are a few spots I have bookmarked for next time:
- Crossroads Cafe
- Joshua Tree Coffee Company
- Pie for the People
- Natural Sister’s Cafe
- Joshua Tree Saloon
Whether you’re looking for an outdoor adventure or a spiritual retreat, you’ll find it at the rocky wonderland of Joshua Tree.
