Joshua Tree National Park (Jan/14/2023)
Jan 17, 2023 6:30:09 GMT -8
zeke, MTalpine, and 7 more like this
Post by GaliWalker on Jan 17, 2023 6:30:09 GMT -8
I was in Los Angeles over the weekend. Since this was a first time visit for me, I decided to take the time to make a quick trip to Joshua Tree National Park. Not only was this the closest National Park to LA, with unprecedented rains lashing California I was hopeful that I could get some respite from the wet weather in the drier climes of the Mohave Desert.
I arrived at my hotel in LA around midnight, 2.5hr later than anticipated due to plane de-icing delays in Pittsburgh, followed by problems with getting a rental car. I managed to get one solitary hour of sleep, before it was time to depart for Joshua Tree. The time was 3:20am.
Arch Rock and Heart Rock
2mi, 100ft gain
I reached the Twin Tanks trailhead for Arch Rock around 6:15am. Even though I was resigned to missing out on a sunrise due to overcast conditions, I was delighted to see an intense splash of red painted onto the horizon. I quickly took one solitary photo before it was gone. The rest of my time in the park would feature a colorless sky.
I reached Arch Rock just before daybreak and was extremely pleased to see that I had the place to myself. The setting was stunning, as was the arch.
After taking the time to bask in Arch Rock's favor, I explored its surroundings: I began with making a clockwise circuit around the arch, which included a bit of light but fun scrambling on the gorgeous rock. On the way in I'd noticed a cool rocky rib, shaped like a dragon's back; obviously, I had to ride the dragon.
On my way back to the car I swung by Heart Rock, which was cool, but a bit underwhelming after Arch Rock.
Skull Rock
This was just a quick stop because the feature is located right next to the road. I'd originally planned to do a loop hike there, but with only 6hrs in Joshua Tree at my disposal, I decided to skip the hike.
Hall of Horrors
1.8mi
Until now I'd seen some really spectacular rock formations, but the not the best display of Joshua trees. Hall of Horrors was reputedly a spot to get to see a great crop of them, as well as four or more cool rock outcrops. There are various slot canyons and scrambling opportunities amidst the outcrops, but time management concerns meant that I skipped all of these, and just walked around the place amidst the Joshua trees.
Cap Rock
0.4mi
This was another great place to see Joshua trees. I hiked the short nature trail, enjoying the desert vegetation.
Hidden Valley
1.2mi, 350ft gain
My final destination was Hidden Valley. This is a bowl-shaped area rimmed by gorgeous rock cliffs. After entering the valley, I did a clockwise circuit of the bowl. At the far end I climbed up to a perch in the sky, where I was treated to a lovely view of Hidden Valley.
By the time I was done with Hidden Valley and was back at my car, it was a quarter past noon and time for me to head back to LA. The drive was atrocious. Just 30min after leaving Joshua Tree National Park, as I headed down the jarringly lush green Morongo Valley pass, I ran into monsoonal rain. It took me around 4hrs - one more than my drive out - to get back to my hotel in Long Beach.
What an amazing experience, even if I only got to spend 6hrs in Joshua Tree National Park.
I arrived at my hotel in LA around midnight, 2.5hr later than anticipated due to plane de-icing delays in Pittsburgh, followed by problems with getting a rental car. I managed to get one solitary hour of sleep, before it was time to depart for Joshua Tree. The time was 3:20am.
Arch Rock and Heart Rock
2mi, 100ft gain
I reached the Twin Tanks trailhead for Arch Rock around 6:15am. Even though I was resigned to missing out on a sunrise due to overcast conditions, I was delighted to see an intense splash of red painted onto the horizon. I quickly took one solitary photo before it was gone. The rest of my time in the park would feature a colorless sky.
I reached Arch Rock just before daybreak and was extremely pleased to see that I had the place to myself. The setting was stunning, as was the arch.
After taking the time to bask in Arch Rock's favor, I explored its surroundings: I began with making a clockwise circuit around the arch, which included a bit of light but fun scrambling on the gorgeous rock. On the way in I'd noticed a cool rocky rib, shaped like a dragon's back; obviously, I had to ride the dragon.
On my way back to the car I swung by Heart Rock, which was cool, but a bit underwhelming after Arch Rock.
Skull Rock
This was just a quick stop because the feature is located right next to the road. I'd originally planned to do a loop hike there, but with only 6hrs in Joshua Tree at my disposal, I decided to skip the hike.
Hall of Horrors
1.8mi
Until now I'd seen some really spectacular rock formations, but the not the best display of Joshua trees. Hall of Horrors was reputedly a spot to get to see a great crop of them, as well as four or more cool rock outcrops. There are various slot canyons and scrambling opportunities amidst the outcrops, but time management concerns meant that I skipped all of these, and just walked around the place amidst the Joshua trees.
Cap Rock
0.4mi
This was another great place to see Joshua trees. I hiked the short nature trail, enjoying the desert vegetation.
Hidden Valley
1.2mi, 350ft gain
My final destination was Hidden Valley. This is a bowl-shaped area rimmed by gorgeous rock cliffs. After entering the valley, I did a clockwise circuit of the bowl. At the far end I climbed up to a perch in the sky, where I was treated to a lovely view of Hidden Valley.
By the time I was done with Hidden Valley and was back at my car, it was a quarter past noon and time for me to head back to LA. The drive was atrocious. Just 30min after leaving Joshua Tree National Park, as I headed down the jarringly lush green Morongo Valley pass, I ran into monsoonal rain. It took me around 4hrs - one more than my drive out - to get back to my hotel in Long Beach.
What an amazing experience, even if I only got to spend 6hrs in Joshua Tree National Park.
