21. Joshua Tree National Park – Arch Rock, Heart Rock, Skull Rock, Jumbo Rocks, Split Rock, & 49 Palms Trail

We left San Diego early to arrive at our campground in 29 Palms as early as possible.

We pulled in, got set up, & headed straight to town to stop by the Joshua Tree National Park visitor center. A ranger there gave us some great tips:

go super early – think sunrise – & hit the most popular spots first
take a ton of water everywhere you go
download the NPS app and the maps for Joshua Tree
drive around the park that evening to familiarize ourselves with the spots

After a delicious dinner at The Kitchen in the Desert, we headed straight to the park. The town of 29 Palms is great, because it is a straight drive into Joshua Tree’s North Entrance Station, which then leads you around all of the hikes & spots on the map. We were blown away by the size of it all, & sunset is just a beautiful time in the desert!

Taking the advice of the ranger, & fearing the insane spring break crowds I’d seen on the park’s social media posts, we got to the park by 7:00 the next morning. We were delighted that it was basically empty! And, we were so thankful that we’d oriented ourselves the night before by driving through the park. We wound through the park, watching the golden sun light-up everything. Arch Rock & Heart Rock were first on our list. The second the kids got to some boulders, they took off, smiling & laughing & running & jumping.

The arch is beautiful & gigantic. The formations that lie behind it caught our eye, & we scrambled over to explore. We quickly learned how the land captures your curiosity & draws you from boulder to boulder.

We continued on the trail & headed over to Heart Rock.

The 5:30 wake-up call hit this one… she was actually the one who got the rest of us up that morning! She was ready to explore!

Next up was Skull Rock, so we hopped back in the car & headed that way. Again, it was basically empty! We explored there & continued on to Jumbo Rocks. The kids were so happy & adventurous!

It was so neat to see the lines in these rocks. You would notice one, look up, & realize that it went on & on over the boulders!

After that, we were hungry & feeling tired. We drove to Split Rock, had a picnic, fed a squirrel (I know, I know, it’s bad), & drove home to rest. I couldn’t be happier about our spot in 29 Palms – to be able to explore the park & head back home midday is perfect!

After a few hours at home to rest, we headed back into the park to try the 49 Palms trail. This takes you up, over a large mountain & then down into a valley that leads to an oasis. The hike down was long, & we were all quietly worrying how hard the hike back up & out would be! When we got to the oasis we enjoyed a surprise snack that Chase had packed for us.