Visiting Joshua Tree National Park: Adventure And A Chance For Spiritual Renewal
Hey there! If you're thinking about visiting Joshua Tree National Park, you're in for a treat! It's one of those bucket list spots that you just have to check out at least once. Picture this: ancient trees, massive rocks, stunning views, and some seriously wild weather. It all makes for an unforgettable adventure. In this article, I'll share some tips to help you make the most of your trip, whether you're camping under the stars or chilling in a cozy rental or hotel in Joshua Tree. Let’s dive in!
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Camping And Exploring Joshua Tree Is A Immersive Natural Experience
Picture this: stunning rock formations, jaw-dropping views, and those incredible sunrises and sunsets that just take your breath away. And let's not forget the night sky—it's like a canvas sprinkled with stars! Oh, and those quirky Joshua Trees? Some of them are around 500 years old, and a few have been around for a whopping 1000 years! Seriously, a camping and exploring trip to Joshua Tree is nothing short of awe-inspiring.
My 10 Tips For Visiting Joshua Tree National Park
How do you get to Joshua Tree National Park?
There are a number of ways including off-road routes to Joshua Tree. Great directions can be found by clicking here.
Camping; reservations are best.
Cold in winter, unbearably hot in summer.
Visit The Wall Street Mill
Geology Tour Road
Keyes View Lookout
Berdoo Canyon
Roads Are Beautiful
Campsites Are Awesome
Rock Climber?
Much To Explore: Here Is The List Of What We Saw At Joshua Tree National Park
We dedicated one day to exploring the Park. Joshua Tree covers a large area but much of it is accessible by car. Easy hikes take you out to very interesting features also. In summer months the heat would these easy hikes and sightseeing more difficult.
Hidden Valley Campground
Barker Dam Trailhead
Wall Street Mill
Geology Road Tour
Pleasant Valley
Keys View
Berdoo Canyon (missed out on this one)
I do not go anywhere without my Garmin GPS Maps 66i
How I Navigate And Communicate Off-Roading, Hiking, Mountain Biking and Road Tripping
Safety is my highest priority. My Garmin GPS Maps 66i with inreach capability is a constant companion on all of my outdoor activities. I can find my way anywhere there is no cell service for the phone. I can also send texts and emails but you need a subscription. In a emergency it has a SOS button that communicates with emergency services. You can use it if you need a chopper to get you out and to a hospital, or a tow truck to jump start your vehicle. Easy to learn to use and military spec durable. Picture above shows it mounted in my Jeep guiding us across the Mojave Road. There is a upgraded GPS Maps 67i available now.
First Come, First Serve Campsites At Joshua Tree: Finding One And Beating The Scammers
It is kind of a strange system. There are 3 first come, first serve campgrounds at Joshua Tree NP. Hidden Valley, White Tank, and Belle Campgrounds. You can stay for 14 days max.
How do you get one of these campsites?
Drive through the campgrounds till you find a empty site.
Leave some gear at the site to hold it.
Drive 10 miles or more to the entrance and pay or wait till Park Staff come around and pay them. ( Don't wait! You could lose the site.)
Sounds pretty easy right? There are folks who abuse and game the system. I'm not going to make this a guide for scamming the National Parks. I will tell you how to beat the scammers. It requires having GMRS radios:
Leave a member of your party at the entrance with a radio.
Drive around till you see a campsite without gear.
Call back to the member of your party at the entrance and check the campsites availability.
Do this till you find a site.
Caveats:
You may see campsites that look abandoned and even have a ticket on the post. They may even have a little crappy looking gear at them. These might be scammers. They leave junk at the site, never pay, and avoid Rangers who collect fees in the morning. Folks looking for a site pass these by thinking they are occupied. If you don't find a completely empty site, check these sketchy looking sites out. They may not have been paid for and you can have it for yourself if you pay. Check at the entry booth.
How Do I Know About Campground Scammers At Joshua Tree?
Our first trip the Joshua Tree we drove all 3 first-come, first-served campgrounds. We saw empty campsites that had tickets on the posts saying they were reserved. We also saw campsites with nobody there and some junky gear left there. Finally the last campground had a site with no ticket on the post. It did have some gear covered with tarps, no tent set up, and looked completely unused. Rangers were passing and I said since no ticket was there we could stay. By now it was dark and snowing.
Scammer Shows Up
In the picture above you will see my rig and a Toyota next to us. This guy showed up late, told us this was his site, his buddies would be showing up and we had to leave. There was no way I was leaving in a snowstorm and that is what I told him. Turns out, nobody showed and he slept in his car. Did not even access any of the gear at the site. That's when I realized something was quite legitimate.
Ranger Confirms My Suspicions That Scammers Are Manipulating The First-Come, First-Serve Camps
A year later I returned to Joshua Tree and had a chance to speak with a Ranger. He was here dealing with campground scammers. I related my experience from our previous trip and he confirmed my suspicions. He told me of several ways these guys try to hold campsites longer than rules allow, avoid paying and make campsites look occupied and in effect "reserve them." Ranger told me it was so bad they were considering making the entire park reservation only.
What If I Did Not Reserve Or Find A First Come First Serve Campsite At Joshua Tree National Park?
If you are visiting Joshua Tree and did not have luck finding a spot don't worry. If your a self contained camper there are Dispersed sites right in Joshua Tree. Check the map below. There are also a couple campgrounds. I actually can't wait to check these areas out next trip.
Watch the video below for a comprehensive look at the Joshua Tree BLM Dispersed Camping Area.
My 2020 Jeep Wrangler Willys Ecodiesel Sprung a Leak!
A Camping Trip That Happened, An Overlanding Trip That Didn't
My 2 goals for this trip were:
Introduce my friend Roger to Overlanding.
Off-Road through Berdoo Canyon towing my Xventure Trailer.
I was able to show Roger my Overlanding gear and techniques. We had a awesome camp set up. He got to see why I carry all the gear. On that front I did pretty well.
The wheeling part was a bust. A loose oil filter squashed my attempt at driving out of the park through Berdoo Canyon. The morning we were to leave for Berdoo Roger started the Jeep and oil poured out of the motor on to the ground. Turns out my oil filter had loosened and backed out. I never heard of such a thing.
Jeep Breakdown in Remote Area Without Cell Service: How Did I Repair It?
Checking out the Jeep we determined the source of the oil leak was the loose oil filter. I had bought a aftermarket filter instead of the OEM and it came back to bite me. Stuck in the Park without phone service and needing a new oil filter what was I going to do?
I bummed a ride to the town of Joshua Tree and took a bus to the Jeep dealer. Fortunately they had a oil filter in stock. To get the filter back to our campsite I rented a car. 5 hours later the new filter was installed and the Jeep was back up and running. Unfortunately it was too late to take the route through Berdoo Canyon. We drove out, returned the rental car and started our trip back home.
Handling Oil On The Ground In A Contaminated Area
My Oil spill resulted in a small amount of contaminated dirt. I used my shovel to scrape up the dirt as best I could and put that in a plastic garbage bag. When I got home I disposed of it properly. The used oil filter was contained and disposed of at the local auto parts store along with the oil from oil change I did when I got home.
I will be carrying this Trucker Portable Oil Spill Kit on my trips from now on. (Amazon)
We Had Trouble On This Trip But It Was Still A Awesome Adventure
We totally missed out on Overlanding through Berdoo Canyon, which was a bit of a bummer. But hey, we still got to check out some really cool stuff and chill in an awesome park! Having Roger with us made the whole trip even better—I think he had a blast too. No worries though, Berdoo Canyon isn't going anywhere, and I can't wait to hit it up next year with the Jeep and Exventure!
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