CA, Joshua Tree and Death Valley NPs

Monday, Mar 3

🌤️ Weather: Good travel weather.

🛪 Travel Day

Went to the airport a little early and used our free annual United Lounge passes to have breakfast and relax. Flight to Las Vegas was on time arriving 11:45. Did the long and scenic drive from LAS to our Airbnb in Joshua Tree, CA (3:30hrs, 238mi) with a grocery stop in Twentynine Palms, CA.

Did a quick stop at the Visitor Center just before they closed to pick up a map. Arrived at the Airbnb around 5 p.m. It's a nice 2-bedroom, 2-bath place in the Mojave Desert. Upon arriving, we had the unfortunate surprise of finding that the place hadn't been cleaned since the last guests. Fortunately,the host took immediate action and had the cleaning crew there within the hour—and because she felt bad, she bought us a bottle of wine for our troubles!

🍴 Dinner

While the cleaners were there, we went to dinner in the nearby town of Yucca (nicer than it sounds) and ate at the Tiny Pony Tavern. Kathryn had fish tacos, I had a burger, and we shared yucca fries.

Tuesday, Mar 4

☀️ Weather: 60, sunny, light breeze, low humidity, perfect!

🏞️ About Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree is home to world-famous rock formations, funky Joshua trees, and a rich diversity of plants, animals, and human history. With stunning desert vistas and seemingly endless days of sunshine, the park attracts over three million visitors per year. There are a variety of activities and sights to experience. We welcome all people and backgrounds to enjoy this magical place. You can read more about Joshua Tree National Park here, the park’s geology here, and hiking here.

Breakfast at the Airbnb, followed by a 15-minute drive to the park with just a short wait at the entrance.

🌄 Outlooks

Stopped at a few outlooks along the way to our first hike, enjoying the amazing rock formations and Joshua trees.

🥾 Hidden Valley hike

The hike was short with moderate elevation gain, out and back, on easy terrain with lots of natural steps with light traffic - A great hike. Joshua Tree is a popular spot for climbing, as the granite walls have lots of cracks and features that climbers can take advantage of. If you look closely, you can see a few climbers in a few of the pictures.

🥾 Barker Dam hike

The hike was a short loop with moderate elevation gain, easy terrain with lots of natural steps and light traffic - A great hike.

🥾 Skull Rock hike

Ate our picnic lunch on a couple of not-so-comfortable rocks at the Skull Rock trailhead. The hike was a short loop with moderate elevation gain, easy terrain, lots of natural steps, and light traffic — a great hike.

End of Day

We finished the scenic drive loop, ending at the Twentynine Palms Visitor Center for hats and tees! Relaxed at the Joshua Tree Saloon for a beerand ate outside at a picnic table. Back at the Airbnb, I was curious about the tiny camper and had to have a look! Finally, a beautiful sunset — Joshua Tree is known for its spectacular pink skies.

Wednesday, Mar 5

☀️ Weather: Same, perfect!

🥾 Split Rock hike

Slept in and had breakfast at the Airbnb before checking out and heading back to Joshua Tree NP.

Our final hike in Joshua tree was another short loop with moderate elevation gain, easy terrain, lots of natural steps, and light traffic — a great hike.

🛣️ Drive to Death Valley

We had planned another 2–3 hour hike in Joshua Tree, but with a long drive ahead to Death Valley, we decided to say goodbye to the park. Lucky thing we did! Our plan was to take the remote (no gas stations!) route. But as we left the visitor center in Twentynine Palms, Kathryn remembered leaving her purse in a cabinet at the Airbnb. At the same time, I realized we were about to leave the last town before the scenic drive — with only half a tank of gas (not enough to reach Death Valley). So, we headed back to the Airbnb, grabbed Kathryn’s purse, and filled up the tank in Joshua Tree — whew!

With our unexpected detour, our route to Death Valley shifted to more major highways, which was fine with me. The drive (4 hrs 15 min, 263 miles) was scenic with light rain — long but easy.

🤠️ The Ranch at Death Valley

This is a modern lodge with three restaurants, clean updated rooms, a golf course, tennis courts, and great views — all right within the national park. We arrived just before dark, settled in, and had dinner at the 1849 Buffet (just OK).

Thursday, Mar 6

🌥️ Weather: Cloudy, 60s, breezy, nice!

Lazy Morning

Spent a lazy morning on our patio drinking coffee and enjoying the view of the palm trees and mountains. Then stopped at the Visitor Center to finalize our plan for the next day and a half.

🏞️ About Death Valley National Park

In this below-sea-level basin, steady drought and record summer heat make Death Valley a land of extremes. Yet, each extreme has a striking contrast. Towering peaks are frosted with winter snow. Rare rainstorms bring vast fields of wildflowers. Lush oases harbor tiny fish and refuge for wildlife and humans. Despite its morbid name, a great diversity of life thrives in Death Valley. You can learn more about Death Valley National Park here, and hiking here.

🥾️ Bad Water Basin hike

The lowest point in North America — 282 feet below sea level — is otherworldly, with towering mountains on each side of the valley and the flattest salt flats stretching for miles. We hiked out onto the flats, and for a time, we had the place to ourselves — amazing!

🥾️ Natural Bridge hike

Short hike with 200 feet of elevation gain, out and back to the bridge. Lightly trafficked, with a trail winding between high granite walls — nice!

🎨️ Artists Pallette Scenic Drive

Artist’s Palette Scenic Drive is a 15-mile, one-way road that winds up into the colorful badlands. We made a few stops and took a short hike — incredible.

🥾️ Harmony Borax Works

We did a short hike at the Harmony Borax Works site, where miners in the 1880s mined and refined borax. It took twenty-mule teams to haul two massive wagons — weighing 20 tons — all the way to the railroad in the town of Mojave, 165 miles away. You can learn more about the Mule Teams here.

🥾️ Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

What respectable dessert wouldn't have sand dunes! Turns out, it takes a unique combination of sand, wind and terrain to create sand dunes. The dunes are named after the Mesquite tree that grows in abundance in the area. You can learn more about the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes here. We did just a short hike, wish we had more time to explore!

Stovepipe Wells Village

Our final stop of the day was the small desert town of Stovepipe Wells Village, near the dunes. We relaxed and had a local beer at the saloon.

🍴 Dinner

We had planned to eat at the tavern at the lodge, but unfortunately, the wait was 45 minutes. So we settled for a simple burger and fries at the ice cream parlor and café — just OK.

Friday, Mar 7

☀️ Weather: Sunny, 60s, windy, nice!

Lazy morning spending time on our patio enjoying the view.

Golden Canyon hike

A moderate out-and-back trail with 535' of elevation gain -- Beautiful!

Zabriskie Point

Zabriskie point was our final stop in death valley for a short hike and beautiful views of the iconic death valley badlands. Due to the strong wind we just ate lunch in the car.

We said goodbye to Death Valley and drove the scenic route back to Las Vegas staying in the Hilton Garden Inn in Henderson close to the airport.

Saturday, Mar 8

️🌤️️ Weather: Good travel weather!

🛪 Travel Day

Our flight wasn’t until mid-afternoon, so we had a lazy morning at the hotel. We ate lunch at Hash House A Go Go. Kathryn had the grilled meatloaf (a specialty), and I had a Cobb salad. The portions were large and tasty!

Flight was on time at 2:30 and uneventful — we were home by 10:00 p.m. Home Sweet Home.

Summary

• 🌵 Joshua Tree National Park: As always, the park exceeded my expectations. The trees are very cool, and the geology of the rock formations is amazing at every turn. Highly recommended!
• 🌵 Death Valley National Park: Again, exceeded my expectations. The salt flats (the lowest point in the United States at 282 feet below sea level), the sand dunes, granite canyons, and colorful badlands make for an amazing and diverse landscape. Highly recommended!
• 🌵 The Ranch at Death Valley: A great place to stay right in the park.
• 🌵 Time of Year: March is a great time to visit — good weather and low attendance. Beware of summer; the heat can be deadly!
• 🌵 Overall: A great trip visiting two National Parks!