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Joshua Tree NEW | |
Dates: |
Assembly Point: Palm Springs, CA/Joshua Tree N.P. |
Tour Cost: $1,995 (includes all lodging, all meals, van shuttles between Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, park entrance fees, leaders, tour maps & narratives ) |
In the eyes of filmmaker Ken Burns, the creation of the national park system is America’s “Greatest Idea”. As an organization whose primary focus embraces the national parks throughout the U.S. and Canada, we are in awe of the enduring commitment to the preservation of these national treasures.
Joshua Tree is a relatively new addition to our national park network. A national monument since 1936, Joshua Tree was elevated to national park protection in 1994, and for good reason. Desert, oases, mountains, slot canyons, mazes of rocks, and, of course, an abundance of the cherished Joshua trees combine to create a region of incredible diversity and, for our benefit, a hikers’ paradise.
Factor in the quirky nature of the area—so close to Palm Springs, yet a world away—and the town of Twenty-Nine Palms, an incongruous blend of weird and sophistication. Twenty-Nine Palms, and the semi-famous Twenty-Nine Palms Inn, will be our home for all five nights.
We’ll gather in Palm Springs early morning of Day 1 and shuttle directly to Joshua Tree. We’re headed to the Indian Cove area at the northern edge of the park on the fringe of the fascinating formations of the Wonderland of Rocks. Early into this “warm-up” hike, we’ll enter the dramatic slot of Rattlesnake Canyon as it twists its way through the Wonderland (3 miles).
We’ll return to the Wonderland area on Day 2 as we skirt its western flank along the Boy Scout Trail (8 miles). Day 3, we’re off to the Cottonwood region at the park’s southern end. We’ll hike from the Visitors Center to Cottonwood Spring and then continue toward the fascinating fan palms and pools at Lost Palms Oasis in the context of a 10-mile hike that many consider to be the park’s premier day hike.
Day 4, we’ll visit the Black Rock Canyon area, situated on the northwestern slopes of the Little San Bernardino Mountains. Much of the terrain in this region sits above 4,000 feet in elevation and supports a range of vegetation not found elsewhere in the park. We’ll hike the Panorama Loop, with its optional scramble to the top of Warren Peak and its unobstructed views of the Little San Bernardino Mountains, Coachella Valley and Mt. San Jacinto (8 miles).
We’ll focus on the Mojave section of the park the morning of Day 5. We’re headed for the summit of Ryan Peak, fifth tallest in the park at 5,457-feet. The good (or bad) news, depending on your personal preference, is that we begin at 4,480’ (3 miles). Later that afternoon, we’ll walk the moderate, but dramatic trail to Barker Dam (2.5 miles), and then return for our final evening in Twenty-Nine Palms.
We’ll head back toward Palm Springs on our final day into the foothills surrounding the town, where Tahquitz Creek and the various tributaries of Palm Canyon Wash have carved narrow canyons containing year-round water that sustains many groves of California Fan Palms. Known collectively as Indian Canyons, we’ll meander in these gorges into the early afternoon, stop for lunch at the Trading Post and then return to Palm Springs.
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