Three Easy Stops For A Joshua Tree Day Trip

The highlight of our winter break was visiting Joshua Tree National Park. This was only the second time we have visited a national park more than once (the other being Hawaii Volcanoes National Park). Joshua Tree is the closest national park for those of us living in Southern California. I have to say, our second visit left much more of an impression on me. We went the day after a rare rainstorm, and the clouds were magnificent. I could not stop taking pictures of the beautiful desert landscape.

I understand that some people might be weary of visiting a national park right now. However, I felt quite comfortable with the precautions that we took. We left our house at 6:30 in an effort to avoid the crowds as much as possible. I bought the entrance pass online beforehand. This made entry “contactless” since we just had to show the pass on my phone to the park ranger. We wore masks during our hikes, as did our fellow hikers. Everyone was courteous in giving each other personal space. The park is so vast, that it never felt crowded. I did note that the line of cars to enter the park was quite long by the time we left. Like many other places, the key to avoiding crowds is to arrive early!

I would have loved to camp overnight like during our first visit, but campgrounds are currently closed due to the pandemic. Also, it would have probably been too chilly for tent camping anyway. The three stops that we made are all family-friendly hikes that provide a good taste of the park in a few hours.

Barker Dam Trail

Our first stop was Barker Dam, which is a popular destination in the park. I think it is a good idea to go here first so that you can nab a parking space. There is an easy and scenic 1.1 mile trail.

Hidden Valley Trail

Our next stop was Hidden Valley. This is another easy, 1.0 mile trail.

We came upon a small patch of ice.

k pretended to go ice skating.

There are several picnic benches set up near the Hidden Valley parking lot. We packed sandwiches and had a nice lunch, although the wind did start to pick up.

Hall of Horrors

This was an area recommended to us by a rock-climbing family that visits the park frequently. There is not one defined path, which makes it easy to socially distance. Even without a path, it is straightforward to navigate. If you make a loop around the “hall” you will end up back at the parking lot.