Audra's Guide to Joshua Tree National Park

I have a thing for National Parks. My family loves to visit, explore, hike, and camp in our shared outdoor spaces. But picking what to do at a National Park is the hardest thing for me. The sheer number of options available is overwhelming, especially since there’s a good chance your visit to a National Park may be your only visit. Which is why we’re thankful to have one of the nation’s newest National Parks close to home. We have been frequent visitors of Joshua Tree National Park. Our trips have ranged from weeklong camping stays to quick day trips. So, here’s my guide to Joshua Tree National Park. If you've had this National Park on your list (or if a friend does), I hope you find this little guide helpful as you plan your trip!

If you have just one day in the park

Junior Ranger Badges

My kids love collecting Junior Ranger Badges at every National Park we visit. We also love getting stamps in our National Parks Passports. To earn a Junior Ranger Badge you must complete a Junior Ranger activity book. I've been really impressed with the books. They are age-appropriate so that readers and non-readers alike can complete the activities and learn about the park. The activity books are free, just ask for one at the park entry gate.

Our kids enjoy working on them either while driving through the park (there is always a scavenger hunt activity) or after we've eaten lunch or dinner. The fun part about earning a Junior Ranger Badge is reporting to the park’s Visitor Center to be sworn in as Junior Rangers. There really is a cute, informal “swearing in” ceremony. The kids love it. And, of course, there is the official badge. Your kids will be so proud to wear a badge just like the real rangers.

Keep in mind that the Visitor Center is located outside of the park. Not only that, Joshua Tree National Park is a huge park. It can take some time to get from the heart of the park back to the Visitor Center. If your kids want their badge, make sure you allow enough time to get to the Visitor Center before it closes for the day.

Quail Springs

The entrance to Joshua tree is about two hours from our front door, but from the entrance to most of the main attractions in the park it’s another 30 minutes. Usually the first thing we do is to enjoy lunch at a picnic area. When you come through the West Entrance, as we do, the first picnic area is Quail Springs. It's a great spot to get out, eat lunch, and stretch your legs before an afternoon of exploring.

Keys View

After lunch, we like to head to Keys View, via, what else, Keys View Road, which is my favorite stretch of the park to view the Joshua Trees that are the park’s namesake. The Joshua Tree forest along this section of road appears thicker and more mature. They are breathtaking. You’ll get to Keys View after about 15 minutes of driving beyond Quail Springs. Be sure to grab your camera. Spectacular views await.

A wheelchair accessible, sidewalk path leads from the parking area to the overlook. It’s not far at all. You’ve walked further from your car to the front door of Target. Keys View provides a panoramic look across the entire Coachella Valley. The San Andreas Fault is visible as it divides the valley below. To your left you can see the Salton Sea glinting in the sunlight. On especially clear days you can also see Signal Mountain (which is in Mexico) beyond the Salton Sea. In front of you the entirety of Palm Springs fills the Coachella Valley. Hemming in the valley to the south is the stunning 10,800-foot San Jacinto Peak that juts up from the valley floor. To the right is the equally stunning 11,500-foot peak of San Gorgonio Mountain. If you visit the park in the winter, these peaks are often covered in snow. This vantage point is a great place for a family picture.

Hidden Valley Trail

By this point, we are ready for an actual hike. If you have only a day (or younger children) Hidden Valley Trail is a great choice. Hidden Valley is a rock-enclosed valley that is said to have been used by cattle rustlers. The gentle trail loops around the base of the rocks that make up the Valley.

There are some steps at the beginning and end of the trail, but overall it's an easy, unpaved one-mile loop. It is completely surrounded by the boulders that Joshua Tree is famous for which allows for some “on the edge of the trail exploring.” The trail is toddler friendly as long as you keep them from grabbing hold of a cactus. (Ask me how I know.) Keep in mind that there is no shade on the trail. Follow all the recommended precautions. Bring a hat and plenty of water.

Scrambling

There’s a lot to do at Joshua Tree National Park, but our kids love scrambling the most.. When we camp at the park they spend most of their day scrambling up and down the boulders nearby. Picnic areas in the park are usually near rock formations as well, so you can scramble before or after your meal. Many picnic areas even offer some rudimentary shade from juniper trees.

We have always liked the Hidden Valley picnic area for scrambling. The area is perfect for kids. The boulders are easy to climb and the formations foster imaginative play while they pretend to build houses with rooms and tunnels and balconies and the like. We can easily spend a few relaxing hours at Hidden Valley.

When the sun starts to set we like to set up our camp stove to prepare a warm dinner to enjoy in the park before the drive home. If you are looking for some easy suggestions for a warm dinner, our most recent favorite was Red Beans and Rice Caleb cooks it ahead of time and then heats it up on the camp stove.

Sunset

Sunrise and sunset are the times when Joshua Tree National Park looks particularly spectacular. The shadows cast by the boulders and the Joshua Trees lengthen as the desert sky paints beautiful, pink watercolor scenes. You may want to time your drive out of the park with sunset and dusk so you can see several different formations change as the sun sets. Although, picking a single vantage point to watch the sunset is never a bad idea, either.

Also, a little #momhack if you are staying in the park until dusk: pack pajamas and have your kids change in the car before you drive home. It will make unloading them at home and tucking them into bed so much easier!

Something I never forget to pack for Joshua Tree:

I love visiting the park, but there is no running water in the park. There are no flush toilets, no sinks, and no soap, which means I never forget to bring Thieves Hand Sanitizer.

I know we have all used our fair share of hand sanitizer over the past year, but I would venture to guess that no one has said, "Your hand sanitizer might be the best smelling hand sanitizer I've used this year," or "Wow! That leaves my hands feeling soft, not dried out." Use Thieves Hand Sanitizer and you will hear exactly that.

Thieves Hand Sanitizer uses peppermint oil together with aloe vera to leave your hands sanitized and nourished. Thieves Hand Sanitizer is also free of the kinds of ingredients you might want to avoid, like ethyl and isopropyl alcohol. Your skin and eyes won’t suffer the kind of irritation that the average sanitizer causes. Let’s face it: if we’re going to use hand sanitizer, we might as well use the best.

Thieves Hand Sanitizer works so well, smells amazing and is our family's favorite. We never visit Joshua Tree without it.

Thanks for reading! I would love to hear which National Park is on your bucket list. Joshua Tree had long been on mine, I never dreamed we would be able to visit it so frequently! Just hit reply if you’d like to share yours. (When you hit reply, your message goes directly to my email. It’s a private conversation between just us.) I read all your messages and try to respond, but not always in a timely manner. Sorry! And if you enjoyed this email, you’d be doing me a favor by forwarding it to someone else who might like it.