Has Anyone Been To Joshua Tree National Park?

[Garak]

Hello everybody - I'm heading down to Palm Springs for a week for a wedding and will have some time to kill between the suntanning and golfing, and was wondering if heading up to Joshua Tree National Park was worth it.

It certainly looks beautiful, and I'm also a U2 fan (just got my tix for Oct 28th show in Vancouver!) so I'm really thinking about heading up - it's pretty big though, anywhere in particular I should go?

Please, tell me everything you know.

 

[teya]

All I can say is that it's gorgeous at twilight. The Joshua trees silhouetted against the setting sun are positively eerie, in a truly beautiful way.

 

[Garak]

Sounds romantic, I might have to bring my girlfriend!

If she behaves.

 

[Mallory]

My wife and daughter have both been there and both thought it was worth the visit. Unfortunately neither one is available at the moment. I'll see if I can get some more details and suggestions later for you.

 

[JustKate]

I have been there many times (I used to live in 29 Palms!), and it's one of my favorite places. This is a great time of year to go, too.

Be careful about hiking in the Wonderland of Rocks area, though. It's lovely, and I strongly recommend it, but it's unbelievably easy to get lost there. I tell you this and I just know that you'll get there and say, "This isn't that confusing." But it really, really is. One gigantic pile of rocks looks so much like another gigantic pile of rocks, and there are so many gigantic piles of rocks!

King's View is also simply fantastic, and there's an area called, I think, the Cholla Garden that I've always liked, too.

Oh, and the 49 Palms oasis (which is entirely separate from the 29 Palms oasis). Lovely, if the water is flowing.

And you might want to finish off by visiting the 29 Palms Inn. It's a very cool joint that's been there a long, long time.

 

[Misfit Toy]

My wife and daughter have both been there and both thought it was worth the visit. Unfortunately neither one is available at the moment. I'll see if I can get some more details and suggestions later for you.

Dude, it's Garak! You don't want your wife or daughter anywhere around him!

 

[kimc]

I was there once. It's a beautiful park. We even saw a lynx.

 

[bigdaddy]

It's just an ugly "tree" to me and I love nature.

I have never been, but I have seen pictures.

 

[Garrovick]

Be carefull...

Once we were playing tag football and a friend ran into a joshua tree and had to have outpatient surgery to remove three thorns from his face.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

It's a beautiful park, and definitely worth the visit. If you go, make sure you stay through the awesome sunset and well into the night, because the view of the stars is absolutely astounding, especially if you're from an urban area and not used to seeing the night sky in its full glory.