Joshua Tree Bliss

Oh what a place to be! You might think the desert isn't a place for you, but that, my friend, is where Joshua Tree National Park will make you think differently. From star gazing, mountains to valleys, unique Yucca trees, funky cacti, geology rocks, hikes, and endless climbs, this place has everything you didn't even know you were missing out on.

This trip was one for the record! Garitt surprised me for my birthday one year with a trip to Yucca Valley, California where we would be visiting the beautiful Joshua Tree National Park nearby. We flew into LAX and rented a midsize SUV to drive to Yucca Valley, about two + half, three hours or so from Los Angeles; depending on traffic that is. Of course when we landed in LAX and got our car we had to stop for a bite to eat at the infamous In and Out Burger! We grabbed burgers, fries and ended it with a shake. As much as I would like to say it lived up to its hype...it unfortunately did not for us, but hey when you're hungry, you're hungry so we ate it and just regretted it later. 😅

With full bellies and pure excitement, we hit the road ready to get to our final destination. We probably fought LA traffic for a good two hours but the views on the drive made it worth it. We booked a sweet AirBnB for the week in the town of Yucca Valley. Pricing has *significantly* jumped since our stay, but we will still link it here for you to see the beauty of it and the reason behind the price tag now. This BnB truly had it all, we will say! We seriously felt like we were the only ones for miles surrounded by open desert and mountains in the distances with snow peaks. The property was gorgeous, hospitality was over the top, and the best part was that it was only 7 miles from Joshua Tree National Park, what we really came for.

The town of Joshua Tree, along with the park, are full of surprises. We spent sun up to sun down every day for almost seven days in JT Park and still are dying to go back and explore more! This park is open year around but due to extreme weather, they say the best times to visit are in the spring, March-May, and fall October-November. We visited during June which actually wasn't too bad while we were there! The mornings and nights were quite chilly with a nice, dry heat during the day. We were so surprised by the two different extremes from day to night but loved every bit of it! Because of it being summertime, the park was a bit slower. Honestly that is probably why we got to enjoy it more, no crowds! Other than a few tour buses, RV's here and there, we felt as though we had the park to ourselves!

We recommend if you do choose to go during the hot season, BRING TOO MUCH WATER because there is no such thing as too much water in the desert. Hydration is KEY out there. It tends to get hot quick with little to no shade available in some spots. We almost had a scare with getting turned around looking for a spot on a hike. When the wind stopped blowing, you really felt the heat of the sun. Keep that water on you and hydrate before needed!

Pro tip: As crazy as it may sound, be sure to pack extra layers for warmth during the nights too and snacks for the part. Once that sun drops in the evenings, so does that desert heat. As for snacks...well there is no need for an explanation on that one. We all can get a little "hangry" at times! 😉 We have also read to be sure your car is all tuned up and can handle that desert heat. With the roads being baked in the sun all day, they tend to get pretty stinking hot and can make your car overheat in no time if not careful. We have learned through the years that it is always just best to play it safe and pack the necessities.

We enjoyed our days getting lost in a different part of the park each day. There are so many sites to be seen in Joshua Tree, it is unbelievable. The park has a couple of different entrances to access it. We were staying in Yucca Valley so most days we started on either the West Main entrance in the town of Joshua Tree or the North entrance, nearby in the town of Twentynine Palms. The South entrance of Cottonwood Springs is best when coming from the city of Palm Springs, another little charmed town to go check out if time is on your side! Whichever way you may decide to go explore JT Park, enjoy every single inch of it Pak Friends.

Coming from the main entrance into the park, one of the first must see stops at the beginning is Keys View. Keys View overlooks Coachella Valley, the San Andreas fault line, mesas and mountains ranges for days. From this point, you'll already be in awe but just wait...it continues to get better. The deeper into the park you explore, the more incredible sights that come about. We packed extra clothes in our car just for exploring whatever we came across. There were endless hikes and rocks to be climbed. It was an adult jungle gym for the both of us. Our goal before our next visit to JT is to become more skilled in rock climbing!

If rock climbing isn't your thing, don't worry there are plenty more activities that can be done! Joshua Tree is suitable for everyone in some shape or form. There are so many different stops on the drive through the park where you can explore on + off trails, observe + learn about the history of the lands, geology rocks, plants, wildlife, nature and more. Every stop is full of beauty, you won't be disappointed! For our photographer friends, you are in for a treat as there are endless photography spots!

There is something special about shooting in the desert. As always, just be aware of your surroundings. Please always remember to respect the lands + nature before flexin' for the gram. If you forget, no worries! The unique cacti of Joshua Tree known as "Chollas" or "Jumping Cacti" will be there as a prickly little reminder. They aren't given the nickname "jumping cacti" just for fun! These guys are known for their mischievous behavior pricking you and sticking to your clothes + shoes. You can find these throughout the park but really in the Cholla Cactus Garden where they are preserved. Be careful!

Pro Tip: Pack tweezers in your bag, you'll thank us later!

Garitt and I are huge into photography (hence this blog) so Joshua Tree was a dream come true for us. Not only did G surprise me with this trip, he surprised me with a new camera as well! (Spoiled, I know!! 😭) We could not WAIT to explore Joshua Tree and try out our new camera! We had such a blast running around getting lost in the park, making memories that we just so happen to capture too! We treasure our adventures together and love looking back at the memories we have made. Joshua Tree has surely left its mark on our hearts. We have a whole new respect + love for the desert.

As excited as we were for all of the beautiful, daytime desert scape shoots, we were really looking forward to shooting at night too. The key to astrophotography is having little to no light pollution; you get just that in the park and around the nearby towns. We could not believe our eyes the first night we witnessed the night sky out there. Growing up near big cities, we have never seen so many stars in our life! The Milky Way made its appearance strongly as well during our time there. There was little light pollution from the town of Joshua Tree but still not nearly as bad as most places. It was absolute pure bliss to witness. Luckily, we just happened to capture it one of the nights we were shooting. This was our first true astrophotography shoot so we were stoked to be able to capture this special moment of the Milky Way on camera right above our hands!

All and all, this trip was hands down one of our favorite trips! We relaxed, put the phones down, and just enjoyed each other's company in an unfamiliar place. Days full of exploring and adventuring are our favorite kind of days!

Stay tuned for more stories + tips we have learned through our travels. If you have any questions over Joshua Tree, food recommendations, or our stay, please feel free to reach out! We would love to hear from you! Thanks so much for reading along! Until next time Pak Friends!

Stay wild!

Peace + Love

xx,

The Pak