National Park Week Adventure: Death Valley & Joshua Tree Road Trip

This year, to celebrate National Park Week, I decided to take a one-week road trip to two parks I had never seen before – Death Valley and Joshua Tree. Both parks are located in the Mojave desert of Southern California. Each park is unique in its own way.

Death Valley features extreme deserts but offers more temperate climates at higher elevations. Joshua Tree has much of the same in addition to recreational opportunities like rock climbing. Their similarities and differences made for an amazing road trip experience filled with adventures and challenges.

Preparations

I rented a Jeep Wrangler for this trip instead of taking my own. I only had a week for the trip, so burning three days driving across the country was out of the question. The Wrangler was the best option as I already owned several accessories, including a custom air mattress, which made car camping much easier for me and my partner.

Renting the vehicle made sense from an economical and practical point of view since I wanted to do a lot of camping. This decision came with some tradeoffs. Carrying clothes for two people, cooking supplies, and camera gear in the same vehicle you use for sleeping made organization a hassle. Because we would be camping out in pretty remote areas, I packed what camping gear I could in a checked bag and carried it along with me for the entire trip.

Despite doing so, there were still some items to pick up for the trip once we landed in Las Vegas. First, we needed to rent a cooler from REI since checking one was not ideal. We settled on a Yeti 45L, which would keep ice for multiple days. We also picked up other supplies like knives, cookware, and groceries before heading out.

Needless to say, the vehicle was pretty packed.

I booked a hotel for the evening between the two park visits to make things easier. This would allow us an evening to shower, rest and re-organize from our time on the road. I highly recommend doing this if you travel a considerable distance between parks over a few days.

Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park is one of the desert national parks. It boasts the record for the highest recorded air temperature and the lowest elevation in North America at Badwater Basin. The park offers everything from sand dunes to desert flora, fauna and even mountains.

We only spent a day in the park and felt we could have done more if not for the heat and scheduling conflicts. This park offered so much. The first stop on the tour was Zabriskie Point, a beautiful vista with incredible views of the desert and the snow-capped mountains in the distance. This spot seemed pretty popular, likely because of the views and being one of the first landmarks from the eastern entrance.

Much further down the road was the infamous Badwater Basin, a dry lake 230 feet below sea level. The salt deposits on the ground made it absolutely stunning and extremely hot. The hike along the basin is only about a mile round trip. However, the late April temperatures and lack of cloud cover made it a challenging hike. Regardless, it is a must-see if you are visiting the park.

Artists Palette in Death Valley National Park

The drive-through Artists Palette was decent but not overly impressive. I would say the terrain at parks like Petrified Forest is better when it comes to the view, but our visit was in the middle of the day when the light was not very favorable. It was still worth the short detour back from Badwater.

Another surprise was the sand dunes of Mesquite Flat. The heat stopped us from actually hiking, but the views from a distance were still stunning. Although, be warned that a hike on these sand dunes during the summer could melt sandals, according to the park guides.

But my favorite part of the park had to be the Wildrose area. Wildrose is the portion of the park at a higher elevation in the mountains. This brings cooler temperatures and pretty amazing views. There were signs, both man and animal-made, of burros and wild horses at this elevation, although we didn’t get a chance to encounter them until we were headed down to lower elevations.

And that encounter was quite an interesting one…but I’ll leave that story for another day.

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park, the desert sister of Death Valley, is home to the Joshua Tree (of course) and quite a few beautiful boulders. For me, this was the highlight of the trip. The park is bordered by the town of Joshua Tree to the north, which made re-supplying a breeze.

Once you are in the park, there are several places to check out. The drive through the park is pretty awesome. I recommend stopping by the Cholla Cactus Garden on the south side for a quick walk.

The Jumbo Rocks area, featuring Skull Rock, is also quite a site. We took some time to walk around the area. Another interesting viewpoint is Keys View, which overlooks the Coachella Valley. Unfortunately, we learned what we thought to be dust was pollution, reducing our visibility. Regardless, the view was breathtaking.

If you are into rock climbing, Joshua Tree appears to be the place. Each time I turned my head, someone in climbing gear was either repelling down or climbing up the rock formations. It was an impressive sight to see.

Desert Reflections

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the desert. Even though it was hotter than I would have liked, it was great to experience these parks. They quickly earned a spot in my evolving top 10 list. I learned a lot about navigating the deserts and even picked up tidbits of information I never considered, such as the dangers of leaving your America the Beautiful park pass in the window during a stop in the desert!

If you plan to visit, here are a few pieces of advice:

Plan for at least 2 days in each park.
Ask the park rangers for a temporary pass in lieu of the America the Beautiful pass.
Visit from November through early April to beat the heat.
Drink a lot of water, including the week before your trip.
Enjoy the visitor centers to learn about the park and the area during the hottest parts of the day.
If you enjoy astrophotography, visit during the moon's new phase.

Camping

Our camping experience started with a snag on the first evening. I scouted out some Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in Nevada before the visit. Still, I had to make other arrangements when we diverted to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area before heading to Death Valley. This route took us through Pahrump, NV, where we had to look for some dispersed camping spots.

Initially, I chose a plot of BLM land near the California border but quickly decided against it due to its proximity to the highway and somewhat sketchy nature. So…we ended up staying in the parking lot of a casino instead. Much less sketchy…

Our next campsite would be inside Joshua Tree National Park at the Indian Cove campground. This campsite was excellent. I rarely pay for campgrounds when BLM alternatives exist, but this one was well worth the $25. We were lucky enough to reserve a site without much hassle.

Our site backed up to the beautiful boulders of the area, which was perfect for cooking. I tested it by making carne asada tacos, which we enjoyed over the fire before going down for the night.

The next evening, we took advantage of the swathe of BLM land outside the park’s southern border. There were no accommodations, which was expected, but the area was wide open with a view of mountains on both sides. Even though we could see Interstate 10, you could not hear any noise. The open area was great for making burgers and resting before heading to our next destination.

Camping Reflections

Camping out is a great way to experience the parks, regardless of if you decide on inside or outside the park, but preparation is huge. Knowing our options ahead of time made locating camping options much more doable. Having a game plan for whether you are going to car camp or tent camp is also helpful.

Regarding cooking, it helps to get your ingredients when you are near grocery stores. Luckily, Joshua Tree’s north side borders a town with plenty of options, but you still need to be prepared with a way to keep and cook your food. I utilized a grill setup from Barebones that worked out pretty well, but having wood and firestarters are still required ahead of time.

Even though there were some hiccups, I enjoyed this desert camping experience much more than my previous one in Western Texas. I took the lessons from that experience and made some adjustments, making this a much more enjoyable camping experience.

However, camping in these harsh areas is not for the faint of heart, which brings me to the following advice:

Scout out potential camping areas beforehand and know what amenities are available.
Make sure you have a well-insulated cooler for perishables.
Bring a grill with a charcoal pan for cooking and building fires.
Utilize leftovers to cook multiple meals.

Mesquite Flats in Death Valley National Park

Conclusion

This trip was a fantastic way to experience National Park Week. The desert sisters are amazing, and I have many fond memories from the trip. These parks are treasures for everyone, and we should treat them as such. I would recommend anyone on the fence about visiting the two national parks in Southern California to do it now…well, probably wait until November because it’s about to get toasty.

Death Valley & Joshua Tree Road Trip