What’s the natural next step after a week at the beach? Some time in the desert, of course!
Joshua Tree National Park occupies a big chunk of south-central California, and it’s a special place. Located at the junction of the Sonoran Desert of Mexico and the southwest US and the Mojave Desert of California, the park is a unique place.
We hiked every day, enjoying the desert landscape
The landscape is dotted with the park’s namesake, the Yucca variety that makes you think you’re traveling through a real-life Dr. Seuss story. And scattered amongst all of the trees are huge uplifts of granite that form playgrounds for both serious rock climbers (on the steep parts) and for the stranded crew of a sailboat (on the not-so-steep parts).
Exploring the White Tanks area
We intended to stop for a night, maybe two, largely because the park was on our way to somewhere else. But it turned out to be a great example of one of the reasons we enjoy traveling – you never really know what a place will be like until you visit.
Luckily campfires were allowed. It got cold as soon as the sun went down and the sun goes down early in late November!
We enjoyed the warm desert days, the cold desert nights, the crystal clear skies, and the otherworldly landscape so much that we found it hard to leave and ended up staying for 5 days.
AV at her campsite in Belle Campground
