Joshua Tree is made up of 2 distinct desert ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado. Β There are only a few facilities within the park’s approximately 800,000 acres, making Joshua Tree a true desert wilderness. Something I find really interesting about the desert is how drastically the weather can change depending on where you are.
βWe were staying in Palm Springs so we entered the park via Route 10- which was about a 45 minute drive.
**Make sure you have a FULL tank of gas because there is no where in the park to get gas.** Thereβs also no lodging and nowhere to get food or water and no cell phone service.
The day before, we were by the pool in palm springs and it was over 100 degrees. That morning when we got out of the car at the visitor center and I was regretting wearing shorts β it was chilly! By the time we made it to our first stop- Cholla Cactus garden, it was well over 90 degrees.
Cholla Cactus Garden
When you are approaching the (small) parking lot for Cholla Cactus garden, we noticed a sign on the side of the road that said βWARNING, Bees Aheadβ. I didnβt think much of it. I read SO many blogs about Joshua Tree and nobody mentioned bees. So here I am telling you to WATCH OUT FOR BEES. They are honey bees and they sting and it hurts! Immediately upon exiting the car we were SWARMED by bees. At one point we were told they want the moisture from the cars A/C, but I got stung instantly!
We ran back into the car while simultaneously trying to leave every bee outside. Short side story: whenever we go anywhere Pete brings an “emergency” bag filled with practically anything you could need. Zippo, insulation blankets, CPR mask, ointments, protein bars, water straws, leatherman, ETC…and I always roll my eyes in a funny way because we never use it and it takes up space in our luggage. Well, needless to say I was SO thankful he had it because inside were tweezers (which he used to get the stinger out), an insect sting wipe and hydrocortisone cream. PHEW! Thanks Petey! LOL
After all that, I knew this was a βmust seeβ in Joshua Tree so we got out and took the .25 mile loop walk in the garden to see all the natural growing cholla cactus. Bees were present but only swarmed the car area.
From there we decided to walk to Arch Rock. This was a 1.4 mile out and back trailΒ that was mostly flat. Β The bees werenβt so bad here, but still present, so be careful.
Ryan Mountain
The only real challenging hike we did was Ryan Mountain. This was a 3 mile out and back hike that brings you to the summit of Ryan Mountain. I knew this was one on the most popular hikes in the park so I was surprised that we only saw about 4 people the whole time. In the whole 2 hours it took us. We were here in June and we started this at likely the hottest part of the day. Other people were probably smart and completed this hike earlier in the day. Regardless, the views at the top were awesome and it was kind of nice being the only ones up there.
A bunch of the cool things to see in Joshua Tree are right off the road. You can simply park on the side of the road and walk just a few minutes and see things like Skull Rock and Cap Rock.
Although Joshua Tree is huge, it is mostly desert, so I think you can see a good amount of the park in one day. We did see a lot of Rock Climbers so if that interests you, that would be a great day 2 activity!
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