Who: Me, Colin, and my mom
When: October 24-25, 2015
Where: Joshua Tree National Park, CA
Having been on quite a few camping trips now, I really wanted to share the experience with my mom. I love her very much, and she took me on a lot of great adventures growing up. So, I planned a weekend trip to Joshua Tree National Park for me, her, and Colin. I had never planned a trip for anyone besides me and Colin, so it was a new challenge for me to put together an itinerary that would both match everyone’s physical abilities and also be fun for everyone.
Day 1
The Cabazon Dinosaurs
On the way to Joshua Tree, we took a quick detour to see the Cabazon Dinosaurs. As a kid, my mom would sometimes take me there when we were driving to or from Mexicali to visit my godparents. I had fond memories of the place, and it was fun to be able to see it again with my mom and introduce it to Colin. We goofed around a little bit and looked in the gift shop, and then got back on the road.
Oasis Visitor Center
Our next stop was the Oasis Visitor Center, one of the three park visitor centers. I really enjoyed this visitor center, especially the mural and native plant garden by the entrance. Behind the visitor center is a paved, 0.5-mile loop showcasing the Oasis of Mara. The oasis was pretty dismal when we visited, so I wouldn’t recommend visiting if it would prevent you from seeing something else.
Fortynine Palms Oasis
After getting an education at the Oasis Visitor Center, we headed over to the Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail, a moderate 3-mile round-trip that leads to a fan palm oasis in a rocky canyon. We started the trail in the late afternoon after the hottest part of the day had passed. We saw a lot of barrel cacti along the trail and got some great views of the desert.
When we reached the Fortynine Palm Oasis, we were pleased to find that it was much nicer than the Oasis of Mara. We rested for a while at the oasis and listened to the sounds of some ravens making clicking noises and swooping overhead.
On our way back, we had to slow down a bit for my mom since there were a lot of stairs, but she powered through and we finished the trail in no time. Along the way, we were fortunate enough to see a tarantula! I was very excited because I had never seen one in the wild before.
Indian Cove Campground
We reached Indian Cove Campground by sunset and set up camp. Our campsite was nice because it had a giant boulder that gave us a good amount of privacy (although that didn’t stop some people from walking through the back of our site to scramble up the rocky mountain behind us). There was a short nature trail nearby, and we decided to check it out before dinner. It was dark by the time we finished, but the moon was so bright that we had no trouble seeing the trail and finding our way back to camp.
We had a nice campfire dinner and then turned in for the night. My mom and I both had trouble sleeping; my mom because the ground was too hard and me because the moon was too bright. My mom ending up sleeping across the back seat of my car, and I just read a book until I was too tired to keep my eyes open.
Day 2
Arch Rock
In the morning, we had a simple breakfast of oatmeal and apples and packed up camp. We then made our way through the North Entrance of Joshua Tree National Park and onto White Tank Campground. Here we did the 0.5-loop to Arch Rock, a natural arch formation. The trail took us past many rock formations that looked fun for scrambling, but we did not have time for that.
Skull Rock
Next, we made a quick stop to see Skull Rock, which is simply a skull-shaped rock on the side of the road.
Ryan Mountain
Our big goal for the day was to summit Ryan Mountain, the second-highest point in the park at 5,461′ peak. The trail to the top is 3 miles round-trip, with about 1,000′ of elevation gain. We arrived midday and were fortunate that it was overcast so that the temps stayed in the mid-70’s. Ryan Mountain is a challenging hike, and I don’t know what possessed me to think that it would be appropriate for my mom. When we reached the parking lot near the trailhead, I think I realized that I had underestimated the difficulty of the hike, and I told mom that we could skip this one if she wasn’t feeling up to it. Still, it was hard to sound sincere, since I had been talking about how excited I was for this hike earlier in the day. I know my mom didn’t want to disappoint me, so she said she wanted to do it, even though I think she was worried about how hard it would be. I felt bad about the situation, but we started the hike anyway.
On the way up the mountain, we had some beautiful, expansive views of Wonderland Rocks. My mom seemed to be handling the hike pretty well, and we only had to take a few more breaks than normal for her to catch her breath, which I didn’t mind.
At the top, we were rewarded with a fantastic 360-degree view of the desert. We took a nice, long lunch break and appreciated the scenery that we had worked so hard to see. My mom seemed especially pleased with herself for making it to the summit, and I was proud of her, too.
Going back down the mountain was more difficult for mom since there were a lot of stairs that were hard on her knees. Our progress was very slow, and I found myself getting frustrated about how long it was taking, something I wasn’t proud of. Fortunately, other hikers were very supportive and encouraged my mom as they passed. When we finally reached the bottom, I think we all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Keys View
Happy to be back in the car, we made our way out to Keys View, a lookout at 5,160′ with panoramic views of the Coachella Valley. If you can’t do Ryan Mountain, this stop is a suitable substitute. To the far left, we could see the Salton Sea, which is 230 feet below sea level. Looking to the right, we saw 10,800′ San Jacinto Peak. Further right, the peak of 11,500′ San Gorgonio Mountain was also visible.
Barker Dam
Our last stop of the trip was the Barker Dam Trail, an easy 1.1 mile loop that leads to a reservoir and small dam built by early cattle ranchers in the Wonderland Rocks area. We were happy to find that the reservoir still had water in it, with some pretty flowers and other foliage growing nearby. Along the trail, we saw a fair share of rock climbers playing on the park’s iconic rocks.
On the return half of the loop, we stopped to see some Native American petroglyophs. Some sources say that Disney “enhanced” the petroglyphs with paint for the movie “Chico the Misunderstood Coyote” in 1961.
Overall, I think our trip to Joshua Tree was a success and I was glad to be able to share the experience with my mom.Before the trip, I was worried the park might be boring since I did not really consider myself a desert person. However, I learned that when you take the time to look at it (instead of driving by at 80mph), it really is quite beautiful – therapeutic, even.
Side by Side 