Description:

Joshua Tree National Park is 2 hours away from Pasadena and a completely foreign landscape. It might not have the beauty of Yosemite but it's just..."different". And spring is the perfect time to visit due to the temperatures plus the possibility to see wildflowers.

The plan is to do a day trip to Joshua Tree on March 23rd (that's a Monday). We'll leave early and drive out to Joshua Tree, probably coming in the south side to look for wildflowers. From there, we'll head in the direction of the northwest entrance and, in the process, do three hikes - Ryan Mountain, the Maze, and the Baker Dam Loop. We'll eat lunch on the trail and that should take the whole day. If not, we'll find something else to do (not very difficult at Joshua Tree). We'll find somewhere to watch the sunset (maybe from Keys View) and then head back to Pasadena, stopping for dinner on the way. However, this is all very flexible and if people have suggestions, please let me know. I've linked to trail guides from Modern Hiker below.

We're definitely doing some off-trail hiking, so if you're not comfortable with this, please don't come. I'm also going to strongly recommend (and possibly enforce) that you need hiking boots for this. We will be going off-trail and likely going through some boulder fields that would be much easier and safer with sturdy boots. We will be gone the whole day, but it is the "break", so it's a good time to get away, if only for a day. I'm also limiting this to three cars (if we get that many).

In terms of costs, this is going to be more expensive than most hikes. We're going to be covering about 380 miles which is going to translate into about $35/car. Entrance fees for Joshua Tree are $15/car, although I have a park pass so that'll remove that from at least one car. Plus we'll have dinner somewhere, depending on what we feel like, so count in something for that.

If you're interested, please e-mail me ASAP so that we can work out details. It's going to be a great time and something that you'll definitely remember!

Links:

• My pictures from last year (wildflowers, Baker Dam, and other things)
• Modern Hiker Trail Guide: Ryan Mountain
• Modern Hiker Trail Guide: Baker Dam Loop
• Modern Hiker Trail Guide: The Maze