March 2023: Our 3-Day Joshua Tree Itinerary
On March of 2023, Vikas and I stayed in a unique small trailer (found on Airbnb) and explored Joshua Tree National Park. This National Park is located in southern California, and it is made up of both the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert. It was an amazing trip! We did a lot of hiking, saw beautiful rock formations, climbed a bunch of big rocks, and watched the sun rise and set over the desert horizon.
During our trip we saw so many desert plants, including the teddy bear chollas, which are not anywhere close to being soft and huggable as they sound. Also, since we visited in March, the weather was perfect! Not too hot and not too cold. It was a perfect trip, and I hope this blog post inspires your next adventure!
Quick little disclaimer… I guess I can call it that. Our entire trip was technically 4 days, but the first day did not go as planned. Our original plan was to arrive to our Airbnb, check-in, and head into Joshua Tree National Park and explore a little bit. Well, Olive (our SUV) decided she wanted to have some issues. Long story short, the valve stem needed to be replaced. But we didn’t realize it was the valve stem initially and simply got the tire replaced. It took us all day to reach our Airbnb, so we didn’t have any time to explore Joshua Tree National Park.
That’s ok. Ish happens, ya know. Anyway, let’s get into the details of our 3-day Joshua Tree itinerary! 🌵
Our 3-Day Joshua Tree Itinerary
- Day 1: Split Rock, Face Rock, Skull Rock, and old mines
- Day 2: Cholla Cactus Garden, Arch Rock & Heart Rock, Wall Street Mill & Barker Dam, and Hidden Valley (+ dinner at Joshua Tree Saloon and cool art)
- Day 3: Check-out of Airbnb and hike to a volcanic crater
Day 1: Unique Rock Formations & Old Mines
March 28, 2023
Hiking Split Rock Trail to Split Rock, Face Rock, and Skull Rock
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California.
Length & Elevation Gain: We hiked about 6 miles with an elevation gain of 450 feet.
Hiking Time: It took us about 4 hours to complete this hike.
Route Type: This hike consisted of two main loop trails and a portion of 2 other small trails.
Difficulty Rating: This hike was easy for us.
Pet-friendly? No, pets are not allowed.
We woke up early and watched the sun rise from our campsite. We booked this Airbnb kind of impulsively because of its location and how excited we were to visit Joshua Tree National Park. It was kind of like camping but in a small trailer. I wish we would have tried to book a camp site in the National Park, but maybe next time!
Before we entered Joshua Tree National Park, we had to stop and take a picture with the National Park sign. It’s a non-negotiable thing we must do when visiting new National Parks. By the way, this was our 4th National Park together!
I don’t remember how we decided on our first hike, but we made our way towards the trailhead of Split Rock. The parking lot was already getting pretty full. I think we got there around 9:30 AM.
Quick funny story. We started this hike in the opposite direction (clockwise) as compared to everyone else who went counterclockwise. We were searching for the Split Rock the entire time but didn’t know which cracked boulder was the actual Split Rock. We completed the loop and found a picnic table at the trailhead to eat lunch. Right in front of our faces was… the Split Rock! We had no idea it was literally at the trailhead. Silly us.
Anyway, let’s get into our first hike ever in a desert, and also in Joshua Tree National Park! Initially, our plan was to hike the 2.5-mile loop along the Split Rock Trail. To be honest, I didn’t do thorough research about Joshua Tree National Park. We were kind of winging it.
We were in such awe as we were hiking through the desert and seeing so many giant boulders. We decided to climb a few and get a better view of the stunning landscape. It was a bit difficult to stay on the main trail because of the other social trails, but we still managed to make our way in the right direction.
We eventually arrived at a junction in the trail. There was a sign with a map on it. If we went straight, we would hit Face Rock and Skull Rock. It wasn’t too far away, and the rock formations sounded cool, so we decided to veer off of the Split Rock Trail onto Face Rock Trail.
We got to Face Rock first. It really did look like a side-profile of a face. But if you looked at it from the front, it just looked like a rock of nothingness.
We then merged onto the Discovery Trail heading towards Skull Rock. We had to cross Park Boulevard and saw lots of cars lined up alongside the road. This area was very busy. We quickly got pictures of Skull Rock then decided to complete the Skull Rock loop hike which was an additional 1.7 miles.
The trail itself was way less busy as compared to the actual rock formation. It was very beautiful and had lots of educational plaques along the way. We returned back to the junction to get onto Discovery Trail then onto Face Rock Trail and back onto Split Rock Trail.
We finished up the loop, climbed a few more big boulders, and ate lunch at the picnic area at the trailhead. The parking lot was now jam packed! Here’s a very important tip when hiking popular trails… always get there EARLY!
READ THIS: 15 Ways to Avoid Crowds in the Great Outdoors
Hiking Desert Queen Mine Trail
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California.
Length & Elevation Gain: We hiked about 3.5 miles with an elevation gain of 650 feet.
Hiking Time: It took us about 2 hours to complete this hike.
Route Type: This hike was mostly out-and-back with a small loop section.
Difficulty Rating: This hike was easy for us.
Pet-friendly? No, pets are not allowed.
Our next hike was the Desert Queen Mine Trail. I truly loved this trail! So much history and rocky terrain. The downside, it was super confusing to follow. I have no idea if we even completed the entire trail, but we definitely hiked for a good while. I think we accidently got onto another trail, but ended up turning around because we had hiked more than what was on AllTrails (which isn’t always accurate).
After further research later on, we found out that there was an old structure known as the Eagle Cliff Boulder House. I love finding old buildings to explore so it was disappointing to miss that. We plan to return to Joshua Tree National Park in the future, so I’ll make sure we don’t miss it next time!
Like I said above, this trail was a bit difficult to follow. But we were still able to see all the old mine shafts and artifacts from the gold-mining days. I wish we would have downloaded offline maps from AllTrails to help guide us in the right direction. Nevertheless, this trail was amazing!
I don’t have any good pictures of the trail or mines unfortunately, but we did take a few selfies. We also vlogged our experience! All the videos are at the end of this blog post if you are interested in watching them.
Hiking Pine City Trail
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California.
Length & Elevation Gain: We hiked about 4 miles with an elevation gain of 150 feet.
Hiking Time: It took us about 2 hours to complete this hike.
Route Type: This hike is an out-and-back trail.
Difficulty Rating: This hike was easy for us.
Pet-friendly? No, pets are not allowed.
We decided to hike the Pine City Trail because 1) it sounded cool, and 2) the trailhead was in the same area as the Desert Queen Mine trailhead. It was getting late, so we also wanted to end the day with one more short trail.
According to the trail sign at the beginning, it said the trail was 1.1 miles one-way. We were cool with that! We knew nothing about this trail except from a short description on an information kiosk at the start of the trail.
Off we went into the unknown! This trail was easy to follow and a straight shot towards a giant boulder field. It was a beautiful hike, but in our opinion, a bit boring. However, this is a great trail if you are looking for solitude and an easy hike.
So, remember how I mentioned how the trail sign said this was 1.1 miles one-way? Well… that’s false. From the trailhead to the end of Pine City Trail is about 2 miles one-way. So in total, it is a 4-mile hike out-and-back. We were fine with that, especially since it was an easy trail. However, they should definitely fix the trail sign so it is not misleading.
But the NPS.gov website states the correct mileage. Now I’m wondering if I saw the trail sign wrong or either the numbers were faded and it really said 2.2 miles. Either way, this hike is a total of about 4 miles!
Campsite Dinner & Sunset
After hiking Pine City Trail, we headed back home to freshen up and cook some dinner. We made beans and rice, drank some beer, relaxed by the fire, and watched the sunset at our little campsite.
It was a perfect way to end a day full of adventure. We had to go to bed at a reasonable time because we were starting the next day super early!
Goodnight. 😴
Day 2: Sunrise and More Great Rock Formations
March 29, 2023
Sunrise at Cholla Cactus Garden
It’s never easy getting up an ungodly hour. We set our alarm for 4:00 AM and made our way to a new spot in Joshua Tree National Park to watch sunrise.
Cholla Cactus Garden is a unique place full of cholla cacti, also known as the teddy bear cholla cactus. Another name for them is the jumping cholla because they can easily stick to your clothes, shoes, or worse… your skin. Thankfully, we didn’t get “attacked” by any chollas, but I hear they can be painful to unlatch if they are on you.
By the way, the cholla cacti do not actually attack. I was being dramatic with my choice of words. But seriously, if you get too close, they can hitch a ride on you. Make sure to stay on the main trail and wear pants, long-sleeved shirt, and closed-toe shoes!
We made it to the parking lot as the sun was just barely starting to come over the horizon. There was a decent amount of people already there but not overly crowded.
We found a spot along the trail to set up our camera. We attempted to get a timelapse of the sunrise, but it didn’t work out very well. We’re still learning how to properly use a camera for videography and photography.
We still got some really nice shots from our phones. The sunrise was beautiful! And the sun shining on the cholla cacti made their fuzzy-looking spines glow. It was an amazing experience.
There is also a 0.25-mile hike that takes you on a loop through the Cholla Cactus Garden. We highly recommend watching sunrise at this stunning spot in Joshua Tree National Park. That is, if you can wake up earlier enough!
Hiking Arch Rock Trail to Arch Rock & Heart Rock
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California.
Length & Elevation Gain: We hiked about 1.7 miles with an elevation gain of 110 feet.
Hiking Time: It took us about 1 hour to complete this hike.
Route Type: This hike is an out-and-back trail with a small loop.
Difficulty Rating: This hike was easy for us.
Pet-friendly? No, pets are not allowed.
This next hike we found on Google Maps which was not far from Cholla Cactus Garden. Again, we didn’t know anything about this trail beforehand. We looked at the trail information kiosk and learned that it was a short hike.
Based on the name of this hike we assumed it would lead to a cool arch-looking rock formation. Also, on Google Maps, there was a spot along the trail known as Heart Rock. We were very intrigued and excited for this hike.
The parking lot was fairly empty. I think we got there shortly after sunrise. We followed the signs for Arch Rock Trail and made our way through the desert.
We reached a junction in the trail and decided to head towards Heart Rock first. There was another couple at the rock formation, so we decided to climb some big rocks nearby to kill some time.
We checked back and no one was there. We quickly took some pictures and admired the unique rock formation.
We then made our way towards Arch Rock. The trail was very easy to follow, so we didn’t have to worry about getting off the main trail like some other hikes in Joshua Tree National Park.
We made it to the Arch Rock. It was AMAZING! We loved this rock formation so much. It was magnificent.
But you know what we loved more? Exploring beyond Arch Rock. Climbing up and over giant rocks and exploring the boulder fields was so much fun! This was our favorite part of the entire day.
Hiking to Wall Street Mill and Barker Dam
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California.
Length & Elevation Gain: We hiked about 3.75 miles with an elevation gain of 140 feet. (both trails combined)
Hiking Time: It took us about 2 hours to complete both hikes.
Route Type: Wall Street Mill Trail was out-and-back, and Barker Dam Trail was a loop.
Difficulty Rating: Both hikes were easy for us.
Pet-friendly? No, pets are not allowed.
Let’s add two more hikes to our itinerary for today! Again, I think we simply looked on Google Maps and found these two trails, and the trailhead for each hike were at the same parking lot.
We decided to do the longer trail first which was Wall Street Mill. It is about 2.25 miles roundtrip and has lots of history! Many hikes in Joshua Tree National Park are full of history! You will find lots of mining shafts, old structures, and educational plaques talking about Native American history and colonization of the area.
One big piece of history you will learn about if hiking along the Wall Street Mill Trail is about a land dispute that took place resulting in a murder. To make a long story short, William Keys shot and killed Worth Bagley. There is a replica gravestone along the trail that states, “Here is where Worth Bagley bit the dust at the hands of W.F.Keys. May 11, 1943.”
This trail takes you to a two-stamp mill ore crusher known as Wall Street Mill. It is said that this mill is California’s best-preserved historical gold mill!
On the way back, we saw some people veering off the main trail. There are a lot of social trails, so we got curious and followed. Good thing we did because we would have totally missed the Wonderland Ranch! It’s an old homestead with remnants of the house that was owned by the Ohlson family.
Once we got back to the parking lot, we took a short break. Then we hopped onto the Barker Dam Trail. This is another easy and short hike. It led to a dam, obviously known as Barker Dam. Then near the end of the trail there was a cool spot with petroglyphs.
Unfortunately, some terrible people decided to vandalize the area and trace over the original petroglyphs with graffiti. If you have any brain cells, please don’t do this!
Hiking Hidden Valley Trail
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California.
Length & Elevation Gain: We hiked about 1 mile with an elevation gain of 100 feet.
Hiking Time: It took us about 30 minutes to complete this hike.
Route Type: This hike is a loop.
Difficulty Rating: This hike was easy for us.
Pet-friendly? No, pets are not allowed.
We had time for one more hike! This one was right across the road from the Barker Dam parking area, so we decided to go for it. We didn’t realize how popular this hike was. Again… we knew nothing about this trail.
Come to find out, it’s only 1 mile roundtrip and considered easy. Hikes like this, especially if there is a huge established parking lot, are always crowded. We were not able to find a single parking spot in the parking lot, so we drove back out to the main road to find a plan B.
We noticed a few parking spots alongside the road, so we snagged one of those. Our plans weren’t ruined, yay! But did we really want to hike on an overly crowded trail? Honestly, why not. It’s our last hike of the day and it’s an easy one. Felt like a good one to end on.
Even though the parking lot was packed, the trail wasn’t too congested. I guess everyone was dispersed along the trail. It was a beautiful hike inside a “hidden” valley surrounded by boulders.
There is also a bit of interesting history here. Hidden Valley served as a hideout for cattle rustlers seeking to conceal their ill-gotten gains amidst the massive boulder formations. The natural fortress-like qualities of the valley provided an ideal hiding place for the thieves and their stolen cattle.
It was also said that William Keys (the same guy that shot Worth Bagley) blasted an opening into Hidden Valley for easier access for his cattle to reach the lush grasses within the valley.
The hike was super simple but incredible. No wonder it’s a very popular trail. Makes sense.
We quickly finished up the hike and made our way back to our tiny trailer to freshen up and get ready for dinner! This time we were going out to eat at a restaurant. Something we rarely do!
Dinner at Joshua Tree Saloon and Finding Cool Art
We saw a lot of positive reviews about a restaurant called Joshua Tree Saloon. We are frugal people, so we shared a veggie burger and fries. We did get our own alcoholic beverages because we deserved it. This restaurant was very delicious! We would definitely eat there again.
Then after dinner we found this really cool giant piece of art in the middle of nowhere! We had to stop and take a few pictures. To end the night, we watched the sunset from our campsite and went to bed EARLY. It was a long but great day full of adventure!
Day 3: Check-out and Volcanic Crater Hike
March 30, 2023
Check-out of Airbnb
Today we had to check-out of our unique little Airbnb. I wish we had more time to explore Joshua Tree National Park, but we will return soon!
We had a long drive ahead of us, so we decided to head straight home. However, we made a spontaneous stop along the historic Route 66. I saw something on Google Maps that sounded very interesting.
Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark
Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California.
Length & Elevation Gain: We hiked about 4 miles with an elevation gain of 440 feet.
Hiking Time: It took us about 2 hours to complete this hike.
Route Type: This hike is a lollipop (mostly out-and-back with a small loop).
Difficulty Rating: This hike was moderately challenging for us.
Pet-friendly? Yes, pets are allowed! They must be on a leash.
I had no idea there was a huge volcanic crater near Joshua Tree National Park! We had just left Twentynine Palms and making our way along the historic Route 66 when I noticed a mountain-like landmark in the distance. I casually told Vikas how cool that looks, but didn’t think about stopping.
I got curious and looked at Google Maps to see if there was a name for that landmark, and there was! It is called Amboy Crater. It sounded really cool, so we decided to make a little detour to learn more about this crater.
There was an informational board with lots of cool facts about this crater, such as it is 250 feet high and 1,500 feet in diameter. It is said to be situated in one of the youngest volcanic fields in the United States. The Amboy Crater’s last eruption was about 10,000 years ago!
There was a fairly short hike to get a closer look at the crater, so we decided to go for it. I was not mentally prepared for another hike, but I knew it would be worth it. We layered up (because it was freezing!) and made our way.
We didn’t know if we were able to hike inside the crater, so we were in for a big surprise as we got closer and closer. The trail went around to the back where there was a breach in the crater. According to one resource, lava poured out on this side which created the breach. The lava flowed for about 24 square miles creating lava lakes, spatter cones, collapsed lava sinks, and massive flows of basalt.
It was incredible to see! What was even more incredible was following the trail along the rim with views of the inside of Amboy Crater. We explored the inside of the crater and were in awe the entire time!
We made our way back to the parking lot and finally drove home. Our 3-day Joshua Tree adventure was over, but we will return. Joshua Tree National Park was one of my favorite places we have ever visited, and I cannot wait to return!
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