Camping in SoCal - Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park

Dear Soul,

“The beautiful journey of today can only begin when we learn to let go of yesterday” – BK Shivani

 This trip is very dear to me, as I wanted to do camping in SoCal from a long time and I enjoyed EVERY moment of it. I learnt many lessons from the desert: Being flexible and adapt to (harsh) weather/environment, being true to nature from the cold-water springs, knowing self-worth from Joshua tree, being hopeful from desert blooms and having trust in higher self from Oases.

Plan for Spring break:

Since this was a road trip we tweaked it as per weather and started on Sunday instead of Saturday and set to return on Friday. Initially the plan was to do Mohave National Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park, but in order for the kids to enjoy a different scenery, we skipped Mohave and decided to do Palm Springs instead.

Sunday Mar 31: Drive to SoCal

We loaded the car with all the camping and food supplies for the week and started driving south early from the Bay area. Along Hwy 152 (connecting 101 to I5), are a couple of cool spots to stretch the legs: Casa De Fruta And San Luis Reservoir Recreation area (Romero overlook visitor center). 

I5-S along central valley has nothing much to offer, mostly vast plains with occasional big rest area/gas stations. We stopped for lunch at ButtonwillowRest Area – Southbound close to Tule Elk State Preserve, and kids enjoyed playing with hamsters.  As we are approaching SoCal, the snow mountains were a welcoming scene and soon we passed through Six flags and reached our hotel in Beaumont by late afternoon. Heard it’s snowing up in the mountains (Oak Glen – San Bernardino National Forest) but resisted the urge to check it out and rested instead (even made it to my online class), excited for the next day.

 Monday Apr 1: Palm Springs - Indian Canyons

Diving into palm springs, we enjoyed the change of scenery into desert and sands. We stopped by Palm Springs Visitor Center for some pics and info and since Mt San Jacinto appeared to be engulfed in clouds, we decided to do Indian canyons instead of Palm Spring Aerial Tramway. Indian Canyons are the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. There is a fee required for entry PP and we get to explore three desert canyons: Palm Canyon, Andreas Canyon and Murray Canyon. We parked the car in the Murray Canyon Parking lot and did 4-mile Murray Canyon Trail to Seven Sisters, a 12-foot waterfall. We shared the initial trail with horseback riders until a horse hitching area when the trail became more challenging. The first sight of Palm filled Oasis in the canyon was very thrilling.  There were multiple stream crossings (we lost count after a point) along the trail, which was the most fun part in the hike. For the first couple, we managed to cross the stream/creek without shoes getting wet, but soon realized it’s not possible and walked our way through the water going forward- much faster, easier, and keeping us cool to get through the trail.

Hiking in the desert has its own challenges and with my 4-year-old DD2 hiking all the way, it took us way longer than expected and got really hungry by the end. We then drove to Palm Canyon, the world’s largest California fan palm oasis stretching fifteen miles long. It can be seen best from up the trading post which has food options, souvenirs, books etc.

We did lunch picnic and hiked down to palm canyon where kids enjoyed the remnants of the early Agua Caliente society and played in water. Finally, rejuvenated, we went to our KOA campground in Desert Hot Springs to relax for the evening and thanks to the weather, the shoes got dry by night.

Tuesday Apr 2: Palm Springs Aerial tramway and Mount San Jacinto State Park

Ignorant of the huge wait times at Palm Springs Aerial tramway, we spent time roaming around in campground and went to Tramway by its opening time. Little did we know that the ticketing opens well ahead, and by the time we reached, there were lines at the entrance, then lines at the parking for bus transport, then ticketing lines with a 2.5 hour wait time for boarding the tram. So, we picked up the tickets and drove down back to the city and hung out in the vibrant downtown. We shopped around –loved the “Only in Palm Springs” store and had a date shake to beat the heat. We went back just in time for boarding and enjoyed the 360degree view from the rotating tram. It reminded me of Jasper Skytram in Canada, only its even higher and longer. The landing station exits to San Jacinto State Park where my DH and DD1 did the snowy Discovery Nature Trail and Desert View Trail while my DD2 and I spent time playing with snow on concrete pathway to Long Valley and watched the movie on history of the tram. 

On the way down the tram ride, we got to listen to some great songs of all time: “Don’t worry be happy”, “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey.  We went back to campsite for some swimming and relaxing at Natural hot springs as promised to kids and ended the day with a nice dinner. Since the tram turned out to be an all-day thing, we had to skip Date Farm tour (next door to our KOA), Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (for my DD2’s love of animals), Coachella and other preserves around Palm Springs (Palm-filled Oases).

 Wednesday Apr 3: Joshua tree National Park

We packed up our tent and drove to Joshua tree Visitor center at Joshua Tree passing by Yucca Valley and small towns. We took the park map highlighted with must see places in the park and saw exhibits one differentiating Joshua tree from Mojave Yucca. We entered the park through West Entrance Station and did few hikes:

Hidden Valley: As the name suggests, a valley hidden by boulders, what’s believed to be a legendary cattle rustlers' hideout. We first saw rock climbers here in the park.

Barker Dam: Only spot in park with water, constructed by early cattlemen then abandoned. We had lunch picnic in the shade of a Joshua tree here.

Ryan Ranch: Remains of an old homestead of J.D. Ryan who operated the nearby Lost Horse Mine

We skipped Keys View (panoramic views) for Sunset/Sunrise for next day and continued to Jumbo Rocks Campground and were thrilled to see our campsite.

We set up our tent and drove to skull rock (should have taken the trail instead), did rock scrambling around and hiked Discovery Trail. As we made dinner, DD1 explored around with their newly made friends with campsite neighbors. As the night got chilly and windy, and we enjoyed the warmth (and smores) at the campfire and stories from our neighbors.  

Thursday Apr 4: Joshua tree National Park and Drive home

My DH set out to do Ryan Mountain trail instead of driving to Keys View in the morning while the daughters strolled around with their friends and I packed our tent with the windy forecast. We drove south to hike to Arch Rock, Heart rock and had lunch at Cholla Cactus Garden. 

We decided to not be around Joshua tree NP as it got very windy and started driving home. We experienced every kind of weather on our way back home- wind, rain, hail, snow, sun and took a detour on I-5 for the best Chinese dinner at New China Restaurant in Huron, CA (well worth it). We made it home late in the night and relaxed on our own bed, reminiscing about the trip and planning for the next camping trip 😊