Hiking Joshua Tree National Park - California's Great Outdoors

Joshua Tree is one of my favourite parks,given that it has a wide variety of hiking challenges, and the entire park is a wonder of nature.  The Joshua trees are reputed to have been so-named because their appearance resemble the upstretched arms of Joshua leading pilgrims to the promised land.  A few hours drive from Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix, it is fairly accessible and offers enough for intrepid hikers for a week or longer, depending upon how much you want to do.  Right next door to the north, the towns of Yucca, Joshua Tree and 29 Palms are the off site places to stay, although there are some really good campsites in the park itself.

The Fall or spring seasons are the best time to visit Joshua Tree, as the summer is blistering hot, and the winters are cool to freezing.  Temperatures vary considerably throughout the park. is about the best time of year to spend time at Joshua Tree National Park in California.  Temperatures are in the teens to twenties (Celcius) and the only weather to cause problems has been the wind.  Some parts of the park are like wind tunnels, and are not good for the hair. Notice the headphones.  I was listening to the U2 album Joshua Tree at the time..


For the most part, at the base of the mountains, there isn't much wind at all.  Today I was hair challenged in two places, at Keys View, the top of a mountain with 360 degree views of the Park and other parts of the Mojave Desert.

If you are wondering why the sky over the valley is so cloudy, well, it isn't cloud.  Joshua Tree is just over 100  miles east of Los Angeles.  On most days the prevailing easterly winds blows smog from the city into the valleys of the Mojave Desert.  Or at least that's what the sign on the top of this mountain says.

Ryan Mountain peak

The second wind challenge was on the hike up to and on the top of  Ryan Mountain. Narrow passes up the trail channel the winds so there is a substantial breeze.  Several things about this trail.  First, if you go on a Sunday, there are hundreds of families going up, so don't be surprised to be passed by elementary school kids barrelling up the hill.  As it is a 1200 foot hike, they are pretty tired by the time you get to the top, so they are a lot slower going down.  Given that cell tower signals are weak in the park, you don't see them looking at the screen instead of the views.  A plus for natural education!




Second, in some misguided policy, the park decided to make steps up much of the trail, using flat ended boulders, so those of us with potential knee problems face the double jeopardy of hiking over the stones going up, and falling with a clunk on each step going down.  Nature did it better!












Yesterday I saw two coyotes.  The only serious predators in the park.  It's strange, but the park brochures and pamphlets are very informative about all the creatures in the park that are there to see, except the predators.  A scant mention of venomous snakes, and no references to coyotes. I guess they do not want to scare the tourists.

Tips:

• carry water,  sunblock, a hat that covers your face and good boots
• tell someone where you are hiking for the day
• if you feel you have strayed off the poorly marked trail, turn around immediately and go back to the last trail marker
• carry a compass and a map.  After a while the great views tend to look alike
• start with shorter trails and work your way up to the longer ones.  Get a sense of the park. 
• travel with a friend, unless you are very cautious or experienced.  If you are hiking alone, stick to the well travelled trails.
• carry reflective material - you can buy very light materials specifically for this.  Cell phones do not always work in this park

In General

As part of your planning for this location, you most definitely have to consider safety.  It is a dry desert  which is unforgiving to people who do not take safety seriously. So, dress appropriately for for sun and heat, and in the off season, prepare for cooler nights if you get stuck.  Deserts tend to have wider extremes of temperature between day and night,  because there is no cloud cover to trap heat,  and remember to ensure you have more than enough water to last between leaving accommodations and returning at night. For specific information on Day Hikes in the park visit their web page   Trails are mostly well surfaced,but sometimes not very well marked, so you will need a compass and a map and a clear sense of direction.  If you find the trail surface is getting rougher or covered in vegetation, ask yourself if you are still on the trail, stop, and look around.  I found it easy to lose the trail, even when I was paying attention.  Always let people know where you are going, and advise them what to do if you do not check back in by a fixed time.  In some places where I have hiked, trail heads have sign in / sign out books - I have yet to see any in Joshua Tree.  If you are not a seasoned hiker, start on the shorter trails first, especially in hot weather.  Fatigue catches up easily. Once you know your capabilities, then you can begin on the tougher outings.

In addition to day hikes and nature walks, Joshua Tree's 585,000 acres offers wilderness hiking adventures, but consider this, much of this is unposted and requires significant back country experience and knowledge.

Here's some more pictures

always take music.  I thought U2's Joshua Tree album was most appropriate for this moment

some people actually climb on the outcrops

the tops of trails offer fantastic views

a prime characteristic of this park are the many boulder like rock formations

El Mapais, The Painted Desert and Petrified Forest in New Mexico

Great Parks Just West of Albuquerque

Just west of Albuquerque there are some really good short hike parks for people who love the region.

A cave in El Mapais National Monument

El Mapais National Monument is a  old volcanic region to the south of I-40 between Albuquerque and just south of the town of Grants.  Within the park there are lots of short and medium length hiking trails.  (see map)   When I visited in September last year, there were few people out there, and the temperature was pleasant but not hot, it seemed like the best time to go.  While I only skirted the northern parts, you could decide to make an extensive tripto this wonderful area.  The trail I chose was a short one of just 5  km, and it was labelled as 'easy'.  Nonetheless, the usual precautions were taken:  use hiking boots for the walking on cinder and lava blocks, dress appropriately (in this case a good jacket and long pants) and look out for critters. Also, take a pack  of water.  They also recommended hiking with a partner, but that was not possible considering this was a solo trip. The long grass is always where you might find the rattlers. This part of the park is known for its bat caves, lava tubes and a caldera (although the trail up the side was closed).  Generally it was a good hike, albeit only an hour and a bit, but the weather was windy and fine.

The end of the trail  near a small caldera

The Petrified Forest / Painted Desert National Park

If you love petrified wood, as many people into geology do, then this  is a must-see - at least once in your lifetime.  We have been there twice, just passing through on both occasions. The two parks,one on either side of I-40 are extensive and take at least a day to visit.  That kind of time only allows for driving through, with frequent stops along the way to do some minor off-road hiking.   This is one of those places where a camera is absolutely necessary.  Views are breathtaking and you will want to see the pictographs (Painted Desert) and the many petrified tree trunks that are scattered throughout the Petrified Forest.

View from one of the Painted Desert lookouts

Visitor Centre

 a small abandoned village in the Petrified Forest 

petroglyphs

so many of the features are multi-coloured stripes 

deceptively small, these fossilized rocks way tons

up close, the logs begin to actually look rock-like

Notes on travelling west to the SW USA

Today was the first day of my winter trip to the Southwest USA.  I'm not posting any pictures with this, simply because I was behind the wheel for the last 11 hours (with breaks) , but today fell into a well recognised familiar pattern that I seem to have developed over the years.

Many might ask why I am crazy enough to drive to the southwest instead of taking an airplane and renting.  The main reason is simply that I want to spend a lot of time there, so this eliminates the cost of a rental car, which is absolutely necessary to be mobile, once you are past the hitchhiking stage of life.  

cooking in the mid west at a picnic area

As a vegan/ vegetarian, I also want to eat well and appropriately when travelling.  Doing my own driving allows me to stop at places where I can make my own meals, rather than depend upon roadside restaurants for good vegetarian food.  A small camping stove is the only thing I need, and a picnic bench and some matches.





The drive from Guelph to the Detroit/ Windsor border takes about 3 hours plus a break for coffee.  Anyone who has driven this stretch of the 401 will  know how fatigue on the long straight stretches can be a big problem.  I avoid this four ways:  a cup of coffee or water in the cupholder, some tunes on the ipod or the radio (especially CBC talk radio) and open windows every so often, and some snacks.   Nobody falls asleep with their mouth full. Check it out.

The Canada / US border was busy, as usual.  And, I arrived 30 mins before the NEXUS lanes opened (later on the weekends) so I had to sit in line with all of the people who didn't go through the process of applying and paying for one of these cards.

The Canada US border line up 

If you travel into  or through US airports, a NEXUS card is absolutely worth going through the application process. Note that you must be Canadian or American to apply.

A GPS system is a huge plus for travelling anywhere, especially when you don't know the roads.  For the relatively small amount of money, it will save you a lot of time, frustration (and money) if you can go directly to where you want to go, and even help you work around traffic jams and complex interchanges.  Mine is a Garmin, which comes with a North American map and automatically upgrades every year.  You can also buy maps for other continents, which just slot into the side on an sd card.

The stretch between Detroit and Toledo, Ohio is an eyesore.  I caught the irony of the billboard advertising for funds for cancer research next to the chimneys pouring out toxic yellow smoke (lots of it) and wondered if there would be as much need for the research if people didn't get air poisoned on a daily basis.  I need to lighten up.

The rest of the drive (to Indianapolis) is a bit of a blur, as this region, and what is to come next day is basically lots of flat farmland with a few cities in between.  If you travel the southern routes, like through Missouri, scenery is a lot more interesting. My son took his kids across the midwest to the southwest, but his strategy, as he had kids, was to make it a longer trip with stops planned to keep the kids interested and happy.  Usually my goal is to get where I am going, and then take it easy once I get to the interesting bits.

A road stop in the lone star state

It is also possible to do some 'touring' on the way.  Although I don't usually stop in Texas, some of the sights are pretty good from the roadside

The almost there shot - crossing the Mojave desert 

Hotels are all booked through a service like Hotwire, which charges slightly less by not telling you the name of the hotel until you pay, telling you only the facilities that are available. They guarantee that all of the hotels they offer are major chains, so you get no surprises. So far, I have not been disappointed.  On one stop over, I stayed at an Extended Stay America hotel  ($47.00 via Hotwire.com), which had a kitchen in the room,