Joshua Tree, the national park that has the least amount of shade but has the word tree in the actual title.  Do you even see a single tree in the photo above? Nope, just a bunch of incredible boulders that look like a little kid playing at the beach making a drip castle created.  Joshua tree is one of my favorite outdoor playgrounds.  It may lack crazy animal life and plant diversity but, it has the coolest plant of all, the Joshua tree.  To me the Joshua tree looks like those blow up air balloon dancers outside of a car dealership.  Not one single Joshua tree looks the same either, they all have their own unique and crazy features that make them so much fun to look at and imitate.  

When in Joshua tree you have to be careful of the time of the year you decide to attend, attending on a hot summer day is probably not the best idea.  I recommend going in an off high season month like May to miss the crowds and the heat.  While we were there we spent a day of bouldering and exploring the bizarre world that looks like the set of the Flintstones television show.  If you like to climb and be outdoors, this is definitely the place for you.

We visited: 

• Skeleton Rock

• 49 palm oasis

• Cholla cactus Garden

• Arch rock

• Barker Dam

 

 

What To Bring:

• Water
• Camping supplies
• Telescope
• Camera
• Shade
• Sturdy shoes
• Sunscreen
• Food (becareful of the squirrels they have no mercy)
• Birksun backpack to charge everything you need on the go in style

 

(We did all of this in one night and two days at the park, so if you are efficient and a fast hiker and photographer you can make a weekend trip out of this national treasure)

While staying in Joshua tree we camped in the awesome Jumbo Rocks campsite, everything there was incredible, the people the boulders surrounding the campsites, and the full moon lighting up the landscape in the evening (especially enjoyed while sipping my bag wine).  I would highly recommend getting in your car and taking a trip to Joshua Tree it is in Los Angeles’s backyard.