Becky is coming from Charleston, SC and I am coming from Denver, CO, so we decided to fly into San Diego. We will be exploring Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks with stops in San Diego, Palm Springs and then leaving through Vegas.

Day 1: Arrive in San Diego. Rent a car, check into hotel room.

We rented from National Car Rental. It is really easy to join and then you can skip the lines and just walk to the row of cars that is in your level and pick any car you want. This was great since gas was so high it allowed us to change our mind from choosing a 4×4 truck to a little Nissan. Trucks are very expensive to fill up right now.

Where we stayed:

Carte Hotel San Diego: 401 W Ash St San Diego CA 92101 This hotel had fantastic amenities. Beautiful rooftop bar/restaurant, a full gym you have access to on the 3rd floor with work out classes, and pool. We were there just to sleep and then head out so we did not get to take full advantage of this hotel. If I was in town for work, I would definitely stay here.

This was a great hotel, however there a lot of choices in this area! San Diego is a big city.

Things to Do:

We had from 12 pm to explore this large city, so here are the things we chose to do.

La Jolla Cove to see the Seals/Sea Lions.

–Helpful tips:

-go at low tide if possible.

-Parking is a nightmare. We parked in a garage that had no signs posted outside regarding the price and when we left we found out you pay $20 regardless of how long you stay. So we payed $20 to park for 1 hr. That was annoying, especially since across the street there were several (much) less expensive parking areas. So, bottom line, do not park anywhere they do not have a sign out front or you get ripped off.

-The seals are very cute, but stay back and give them their space.

-The area smells terrible.

After La Jolla, we headed to Pacific Beach and Mission Beach. You can rent bikes, however the walkway is very crowded so I think it would be more of a pain to try to navigate your bike around everyone. We chose to walk the pathway (you can also walk along the water). We had a late lunch at Pacific Beach Alehouse. The beer was great! (The food was just ok)

Next we were off to Coronado Island. This area is so cute. The Hotel Del Coronado is fun to explore and would be great place to stay for a future trip. We needed a hotel closer to the area we were leaving from to go to Palm Springs. The bridge over to the island can get backed up depending on the time of day.

After walking around the island and the hotel we drove over to Sunset Cliffs to watch the sunset. Plenty of parking (but it does fill up quickly) and you can walk along the path if you would like while you watch the sunset.

We returned to our hotel where we changed and decided where to go for dinner/drinks. We were told if we “want to rage” then go to GasLamp District. If we wanted a more classy environment, go to Little Italy. Me and Becky and our 40+ year old selves politely declined the “rage” environment and opted instead for King and Queen Cantina in Little Italy. The food and drinks here were AMAZING and if I lived nearby I think I would frequent this restaurant often. We went at 8pm and there was a 40 minute wait so make reservations ahead of time. This is not really a family friendly place-I did not see any children at all, just fyi. Loud music, bars, and good food.

We did drive around the Gas Lamp District to see the architecture and it looks like a fun area if you are still in the age/frame of mind to go clubbing. We did not have the proper attire with us, or the proper frame of mind during this trip.

Day 2:

Leave Hotel around 8:30AM-Drive 2 hours to Palm Springs

We explored the area a bit. Palm Springs downtown area is a nice, clean, artsy area to walk around with plenty of shopping.

We then drove just outside of town to hike Tahquitz Canyon. Tahquitz Canyon is located on a section of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation. The trail is a 2 mile loop that takes you to a waterfall. This area has no shade and by 12 pm it was very hot. Take plenty of water. Going to the waterfall is mostly uphill on stone steps. I would say easy/moderate because it is pretty short hike and we saw all ages on this trail from little children to elderly. A great trail for everyone-just go at your own pace. $15/person to enter.

After the hike we drove into the South entrance of Joshua Tree National Park. FYI as you drive through Indio, this is the last area to get gas! The park is pretty spread out, so you should have at least a half tank to get around. At the beginning of the South Entrance is Cotton Wood Springs Oasis. We pulled in for this quick little stop. No hiking or anything, you just go down a pathway to see an area that used to have water. It is completely dry but there are some beautiful palm trees still.

Our goal was to get to Keys View to watch the sunset and this is where THE Joshua Tree is located (the one you see in pictures).

We then drove to Indio-back through the South Entrance of Joshua Tree. There was a lot of driving around today and getting our bearings. We purposely chose to stay in Indio because we wanted to get to the Cholla Cactus Garden as close to sunrise as possible. It gets very crowded in Joshua Tree, so our plan was to go early and get the main things done before most people even wake up.

Day 3:

Rise and Shine! Get up early and head out. Today is a very busy day.

Stop 1:

Chollo Cactus Garden. We were the only ones there at 7am (sunrise was at 6, but it was an hour or so from the hotel, so we were up and out the door by 6am. 30 min. drive to the park and then another 30 min drive until you reach the Garden. ) It was worth the early rise because the tops of the cacti look like they were glowing. It was so beautiful.

Stop 2: Heart Rock and Arch Rock-2mi. RT

You will actually pass the rocks on the right but end up parking further up the road on the left side. You will then take a trail along the road for less than a quarter mile before crossing the road and heading back toward where you came from. You can camp here (White Tank Campground) and it looks like a perfect campground for kiddos because there are a lot of boulders to explore! Follow the signs for Arch Rock and Heart Rock. Very easy to find, easy trail. About 2 miles total Round Trip from the parking lot.

Stop 3: Skull Rock

This is another pull-off, no hiking.

Stop 4: Hike Ryan Mountain

This was my favorite thing that we did in the entire park! 3 miles Round Trip. Elevation gain 1,069 feet. You will need plenty of water and do not forget your sunscreen as this is an exposed trail. All Trails ranks it as moderate. I think I would say it is an easier Moderate though. I would definitely start early for the cooler weather and less crowds-it was getting crowded on our way out around 10 am. 360degree views at the top!

Stop 5: Hidden Valley-1 mile leisure walk through a lush valley that hid pilfered cattle in the late 1800s.

Stop 6: 49 Palms Oasis trail: 3 mi RT, easy 350 ft elevation gain

We left the park through the West entrance to go to 49 Palms Oasis which is outside of the main area of Joshua Tree. Although it is part of the National Park, there is no ranger station and this hike has its own access road. As you hike this trail, you certainly feel the desert. There is heat, dust, rocks, and variations of brown all around you. I think this is the ugliest hike I have ever done. The sun is beating down on you the entire time and you are completely exposed. In fact, there is a sign at the trailhead that says, “DO NOT DIE TODAY” and rescues are common on the trail due to the heat. Take plenty of water! We were here in March and it was extremely hot for us, even this early in the season. I know it can get to 100 degrees by 8am in June/July. Sounds miserable. The Oasis requires some scrambling to get to. It is nice to see Palm Trees juxtaposed against such an arid backdrop and they provided some much needed shade.

This hike is popular because the trail is not too difficult (it goes up and down along the way), there is no ranger station so it is free, and it is easy to get to. There are facilities at the trailhead (basic trailhead bathrooms).

Stop 7: Joshua Tree Saloon

After approximately 11 miles of hiking/exploring in 85 degree heat without shade, we were ready for an ice cold IPA. We headed to Joshua Tree Saloon. This place was so crowded, even at 3:30 in the afternoon, so keep that in mind if you are starving. We passed the line, went inside and sat at the bar which had plenty of open seats and they served food as well. We did not even know there was a bar inside so it was very helpful that someone let us know on their way out.

To wrap up the evening drive back inside the park and watch the sunset. We did a little stargazing as it gets very dark in the park and the stars are beautiful. Then we

headed to Barstow (1.5 hr drive) so we could be little a closer toward our next destination.

TIPS:

• -Go early to avoid the heat and the crowds
• -Get gas before getting in the park
• -Go straight to the bar inside the Joshua Saloon to avoid a long wait
• -Have plenty of Water
• -The Joshua Trees are the best during the sunset and sunrise

Alternate ideas for Joshua Tree National Park

-You could stay in Yucca which is closer to a lot of the main activities. We chose to stay away from the crowds and go into the less crowded entrance. The West entrance can have a very long line going into the park. You can continue on the main road and enter at 29 Palms instead if there is a long line at the West entrance.

-Get out of the heat and explore the Chasm of Doom. You will need to be able to squeeze through tight spaces. This is not on any of the park maps but the entrance is at the Hidden Valley stop. Bring your headlamp!

Day 4:

Death Valley National Park

We drove 3 hours to the Shoshone entrance of the National Park and headed to Dante’s View:

Dante’s View-Bring jackets! It was so cold up here the day we visited, it is higher in elevation than the rest of the park and it was pretty windy. People had on their winter jackets, hats etc.. Here you have a good view of the Basin and the mountain range.

From here we drove through Twenty Mule Team Canyon. This is a 2.5 miles one-way road (our little Nissan did fine) through the badlands. This is also the setting for several Star Wars Return of the Jedi scenes back when they were allowed to film in National Parks.

Right up the road from Twenty Mule Canyon is Zabrinski Point-where you can overlook the badlands and see adventurous people (that will be us later in the day) hiking below.

From Zabrinski Point we drove to Badwater Basin to see the salt flats. Devils Golf Course was along the way so we took a slight detour to see that (uneventful). Badwater Basin got its name because the animals would not drink from the body of water (too salty). You can see it is now mostly dry.

After Badwater we did a 1 mile hike in to see the Natural Arch and then followed that trail up further for some fun rock scrambling

After Natural Arch we drove through artists point. You can actually get out and hike among these if you want to see the color up close.

Next stop was my favorite! Golden Canyon. We did the Golden Canyon to Gower Gulch trail. 4.2 miles. The Golden Canyon was more crowded and was a gravel wash until you get to the Gower Gulch trail. Once we turned off we were on our own. This is kind of a maze area as 30-foot rock walls are vertically on either side of you. There are several opportunities to get lost explore on your own, but the trail you should be on is clearly marked. Taking this trail has you going through the badlands that you saw from Zabrinski Point.

The way up was a lot of fun. Once we got to the top I would advise you to turn around and return the way you came because it is long, hot, all downhill, gravely way back to the trailhead. If you turn around you get the beautiful view again and I promise you will not miss out on anything by not doing the loop. It might be too steep to return that way though. The sand on the rock did make it slippery and some of it might have drop-off areas, so use caution if you go back the way you came.

The heat took a lot out of us on that hike. It was all exposed and we both had headaches from the heat. We decided to head to the hotel and get checked in, see what there was to do around there. We drove through Furnace Creek and got gas. FYI DO NOT GET GAS HERE! There is also gas at Stovepipe Wells (where we were staying and wish we knew) and it was normal price there ($6/gallon range). Stovepipe Wells has gas, a general store, pool, restaurant, saloon, rooms etc. The “village” shuts down by 8pm. We checked in, took food to-go and headed over to the Mesquite Flat Dunes which was right next to Stovepipe Wells to watch the sunset. The sunset and sunrise at the Dunes are gorgeous because the mountain range behind the dunes turn purple. If you have been to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, do not expect this to be the same. These are very small, but still beautiful!

Day 5:

We went to the Dunes to see the sunrise and then drove to Mosaic Canyon for a 4 mile hike. This hike also included some scrambling up rock and sliding down other rocks. The trail is clearly marked with arrows that someone has placed on the ground with rocks. We followed some of the arrows while other arrows looked like it would lead to certain death. Be selective and if the arrows end at a cliff, probably do not keep going :).

A last minute decision had us go see Ubehebe crater and Little Hebe Crater. I am not into geology so I thought this would be super boring, plus it was 1.5 hour round trip drive and did you see what we paid for gas? Becky thought it might be worth it. In the end we went for it because we are only in Death Valley one time (seriously I do not think I will ever return to this park) and otherwise we would just be driving to Vegas and walking around there. Becky was right and it was certainly worth it! You can take the hike around the crater-which is how you get to see Little Hebe, but you can also go down 777 feet into the crater as well. It is quite the workout to get out of the crater as the entire thing is straight up and a sand/gravel mix so every step you take, you slide down to where you started. This was my 2nd favorite thing to do in this park! Do not skip it! Once we worked our way out of the crater we walked the rim over to Little Hebe. If you go counter clockwise you can get to little Hebe faster if you are not excited to hike around the rim of the crater.

We then headed to Vegas to stay the night for our flight home the next day. The Bellagio was so nice I wanted to sit by the pool and relax all day. A quick trip but we did everything we wanted to do in these two parks. The only thing we could not do was hike Telescope Peak due to needing an Ice Axe and Crampons to go over narrow edges with drop offs.

These two parks were definitely different than the other National Parks we have visited. It was peaceful and serene in Joshua Park. Death Valley was hot but a pretty landscape. I would definitely not recommend Death Valley in the summer. It gets very hot and there is no service in the park if you need help. I think the record was 136 degrees in July one year. There are signs saying not to hike after certain times and the visitor centers are not open in the summer. This is definitely not a park that you take just a bottle of water into. I would not go on any hikes without a 2-3 liter water bladder in my camelback.