A day in Joshua Tree National Park

This post was written in August of 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. I took a risk in flying out to San Diego to visit my boyfriend so that we could take a roadtrip together, thinking that hiking the National Parks would be a safer way to get some traveling in. This is the first part in the series about the National Parks- our day trip to Joshua Tree National Park.

Originally Brandon, my boyfriend of about a year, and I were going to spend our vacation of the summer of 2020 traveling to Asia. Once it became apparent that that was going to be out of the question because of the pandemic, we changed our plans. We instead planned on visiting Europe and Africa- specifically Spain, Portugal and Morocco. As the coronavirus ramped up we knew we would have to change our plans again, and keep them continental. Thus we planned a trip to visit some National Parks in Southwest USA. At the end of July I flew to San Diego, and after spending a day packing and buying supplies for our week-long trip, we woke up on Saturday to hit our first destination, a day trip to Joshua Tree National Park.

It took us just under three hours to make it to Joshua Tree, which is just north of Palm Springs. The entrance fee was $30, but since we were going to be visiting many other National Parks we paid $80 for the annual park pass. Learn about that, and get information about the park before your trip, by visiting their website.

• 

• 

Book Recommendation!

Joshua Tree National Park

I was amazed by how beautiful the park is as soon as we were driving in! The exotic shapes of the rocks, the piles of boulders, and of course the spiky Joshua Trees stretching out in all different angles, it is really a sight to behold.

Wall Street Mill

Our first stop was the Wall Street Mill trail. Park at the Barker Dam Trail lot, but take the trail to the right to experience this trail full of historical remnants. This trail is not marked on the park map, but you’ll see the plaque. It was a lot less crowded than the other trails we took, and is definitely a must-do when visiting Joshua Tree.

The Wall Street Mill hike is an easy 2.2 mile hike. Of course, with temperatures reaching into the 100s in the summer, bring lots of water! There is no shade, and the sun was relentless. Once you hit the end of the trail, you have to backtrack from where you came, but the sights along the way make it worth it!

The Wall Street Mill was a gold ore crushing mill through the mid 1900s. For the first quarter mile we were walking through sand, and though there were a few arrows marking the path, we did get turned around a few times.

Soon we came across our first remnant from when the mill was operational- an abandoned automobile. We had fun posing and playing around the car.

• 

• 

At about a half mile in we came across an old windmill and what used to be a water pump and reservoir.

We came across a few more abandoned cars before reaching the mill. We also passed a marker for the resting place of Worth Bagley. In 1943 Bill Keys, the rancher who bought the mill, shot and killed Bagley over a dispute over the property. Keys placed a stone on the spot of the killing to commemorate the event.

Finally we came to the stamp mill building, built on a hill to take advantage of the gravity during the milling process. You can get pretty close to the remains of the mill, though the buildings are fenced off.

We spend some time climbing the rocks near the mill building and getting a closer look.

In all, this site included an outhouse, a well, a bunkhouse and of course the mill, which were all powered by a gasoline engine. Also still visible is a track, located on top of the building, that was used to carry the ore from where it was crushed to the trucks.

On our way back to the parking lot Brandon spotted the remains of a house to the right of the trail. This pink building was the Wonderland Ranch. The history of the ranch is unknown, but it was fun to explore.

Barker Dam

Back at the parking lot we decided to embark on our second hike, the 1.3 roundtrip Barker Dam Trail, which is the trail to the left of the Wall Street Mill. There is also a restroom located in this parking lot.

Surrounded by tall boulders on both sides, this trail is easy to follow and loops around, so there is no backtracking. The scenery was beautiful, and Brandon even found a place with some shade.

There were a few more people on this trail than the previous trail, and they were stopped on a big boulder. Soon we saw why- there was a small group of bighorn sheep climbing on the rocks near the dam.

Barker Dam, which was completely void of water when we visited, was built over a century ago by ranchers eager to save up some of the desert’s most vital resource- water.

The trail turns west and enters a flat piece of desert that is home to several tall Joshua trees. 

Just a bit off the trail, vivid petroglyphs cover a larger boulder. These Native America drawings recently had their colors enhanced by a film crew working on an old Hollywood movie, which explains why they look too colorful to be real. 

Hidden Valley Loop

After our first two hikes we hopped in the car and drove to do another hike, the Hidden Valley Loop. This is probably the most popular hike in Joshua Tree National Park, but luckily, we passed very few people.

This mile long hike passes starts off with a trail that is easy to follow. Soon you’ll come to a T on the path. Either way you choose will lead you back to this point, so you can’t go wrong with your choice.

The scenery was fantastic. There are signs along the hike to help visitors identify the park’s plants and animals. The trail is mostly level, crossing through hard-packed sand, but does venture through some interesting rock formations.

The most fun thing about the Hidden Valley Trail is found OFF the trail. With so many large boulders the temptation to climb just gets too great, so we started scrambling up the rocks. Even amateurs like us can find parts that aren’t too perilous. Plus, now we can brag about climbing in a park that is a mecca for experienced climbers.

I loved all the vegetation that we passed on this trail. It’s pretty amazing considering we were in the middle of a HOT desert. I think even the dead, dried out trees look beautiful.

Skull Rock

After the hike in through Hidden Valley, we headed up the road to see Skull Rock, named because…well, you’ll see why.

There is a hike that you can do at Skull Rock, but luckily for us, hot after the 7 miles we had already hiked that day, you can see Skull Rock right from the road. This is where we saw the largest amount of people that day, so I grabbed my mask (Covid-19 safety first!)

Arch Rock

Our next destination was Arch Rock. I had read some blogs before the trip that mentioned Arch Rock, which was good because it is not included in the map or my book. To get to it, drive to the White Tank campgrounds. There is also a White Tank trail head and parking lot- which would be a 1.3 mile hike. We instead decided to forgo the longer hike and went directly into the campground. We enjoyed climbing over more boulders while we searched for Arch Rock, because we had no idea where it was (no signs).

White Tank campground would be a great place to camp, and to stargaze in the evening. The area is full of boulders great for exploring, and of course the arch rock. I found it about a tenth of a mile away from a campsite, and you are able to scramble up the side of it to snap some great pics. Later on our road trip we saw so many arches at Arches National Park that were even more amazing. But I loved this one because we had it all to ourselves and it was quite the treat.

Cholla Cactus Garden

After our hike to the Arch Rock we continued down the scenic drive to the Cholla Cactus Garden. Here there is a short 0.3 mile loop hike around this crop of flora.

There are certainly other things to see while at Joshua Tree, but after spending about 5 hours and hiking almost 8 miles in the heat, we were ready to call it a day. We headed out of the park to the visitor center, which is outside of the park, to the north. I had to get my National Park stamp!

Other things to do near Joshua Tree

We decided to check out a few other places while we were in the town of Joshua Tree. On my list of places to see was the world famous Crochet Museum. This quirky little museum features- crochet! I was super dismayed when we arrived and it was closed because my friend Lindsey told me great things about it.

Next we drove a bit out of town to wander around the Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Museum. This free outside exhibit features twisted and stacked sculptures made from basically trash. It reminded me a lot of the Heidelberg Project I saw during my trip to Detroit.

Finally, we headed to Pioneertown, which was a popular Wild West filming destination in the 1940s-50s.

Where to eat near Joshua Tree

After our day trip to Joshua Tree National Park we were famished, and looking for a good spot to eat. Our first thought was Pappy & Harriet’s Pioneertown Palace- known for barbecue and live music. However, we didn’t stay because it was packed, and we were too hungry to wait (and nervous about Covid). Instead, we headed back into town and stopped at Joshua Tree Saloon. There was outside eating only, due to COVID, but there are picnic tables in the shade. I loved my salad, and Brandon enjoyed his burger, we recommend it!

So that’s my guide to a day trip to Joshua Tree National Park. Check out my blog for other National Park trips, like Petrified Forest in Arizona, or Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio. And stay tuned for upcoming blogs about the other National Parks we visited on our week-long road trip.