Photos courtesy of Brad Sutton/National Parks Service
Joshua Tree (JT) National Park is best enjoyed in winter when oppressive heat won’t threaten to ruin your good time. While the park offers natural adventure and escape, even isolation, JT and its surrounding environs—Joshua Tree City, Twentynine Palms and Yucca Valley—are dusted with a sandblasted dayglow-hued whimsy and weird-in-a-good-way vibe. Why not explore the best of both?
No. 1: Hike, scramble and climb
Inside the National Park, the main draw is the unique geology and fantastical terrain of white-faced monzogranite boulders that date back millions of years. Many visitors enjoy the views while hiking through the park on scenic trails like Ryan Mountain (3 miles, out-and-back). If you want to step it up, bring a pair of gloves and scramble over the grippy granite formations like Spider-Man on Split Rock (2.5 miles, loop) or at Jumbo Rocks and White Tank camp areas. For class-5 terrain, JT is legendary for climbing, with highly sought hotspots like Hidden Valley Campground.
No. 2: Enjoy Eclectic Desert Eateries
Favorite local establishments around JT become an oasis for art, music and community, as well as good food. There’s Kitchen in the Desert, a Caribbean-inspired restaurant that started as a culinary experiment in the back of an old gas station. Also in an old gas station, The Jelly Donut (Yucca Valley) indeed serves up fresh doughnuts, but the main attraction is the not-so-secret menu of Vietnamese comfort food. Whether it’s coffee time or mezcal-o’clock, Más O Menos (Joshua Tree) is your next stop. Linger in the adobe-decorated paradise for the chill vibes under the mesquite tree.
No. 3: See the Milky Way
On clear nights, the glittering spiral of our Milky Way Galaxy is visible from campgrounds inside Joshua Tree National Park, where stargazing can begin as early as 5 p.m. in winter. Look for the constellation of Orion, chasing Taurus across the southern sky, and the brightest star in the sky, Sirius, part of the constellation Canis Major. But a more intense stargazing adventure awaits just outside the park’s boundaries. Sky’s The Limit Observatory houses a 14-foot Celestron Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and an Orrery representing a true-to-scale-and-position solar system model. The observatory offers regular night sky programs, typically on Saturdays near the new moon. Reservations are required.
No. 4: Capture the perfect photo
With sweet new duds adorned, leave the Mojave Desert with the best souvenir: a photograph of a moment that encapsulates the entire journey. My favorite strange but artsy backdrop near Joshua Tree is The End of The World (Wonder Valley). Giant chrome-painted letters rise above the dunes, declaring the visitors’ arrival at the end of the world. Artist Jack Pierson made this as a monument to “those who drop off the edge of civilization.”
