more information about joshua tree trips
why a joshua tree hiking vacation?
The deserts and mountains of Southern California are home to an abundance of amazing trekking and backpacking adventures. Joshua Tree National Park is without a doubt one of the most worthy on this list, which also includes Death Valley, Big Sur and the southern end of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Joshua Tree is possibly most well known for its rock climbing, which is world class, but the features that make for great climbing – stunning granite monoliths and mazes – are also partly what makes it such a great trekking destination. The Park feels much like a savannah, with vast, open basins covered in other-worldly forests of Joshua Trees. The basins are dotted and sometimes surrounded by jungles of jumbled and broken granite boulders, cliffs, buttresses and ramparts. It is a stunning place to go on a hike!
backpacking trip, basecamp or inn-based?
We offer a camping tour, an inn-based tour that also includes Death Valley, and a backpacking trip that takes guests point to point across the backcountry of Joshua Tree. If you’re looking for an outdoor experience but would rather skip the heavier backpacks of a backcountry hike, then the basecamp tour is a sure choice. If you’d like to experience the best of California’s deserts all in one trip and live it up between hikes, then the inn-based tour is the way to go. And if you’d like an unforgettable adventure, then the Joshua Tree backpacking trip is going to rock your world.
join a hiking tour or do it on your own?
All-inclusive national park hiking packages, like ours, are one option; and of course exploring the Park on your own is always an option. Some of the benefits of joining an organized experience are:
- Travel light and free, without having to worry about gear, food, transportation…etc. and let us take care of all the details.
- Maximize your time by joining experts who know exactly which hikes to do, which highlights to see, where to camp or stay…etc.
- Learn a tremendous amount about the area’s natural and cultural history, which can make a place come to life in surprising and enriching ways!
- Hike with other enthusiastic travelers who are discovering a new place just like you are.
- Enjoy a higher level of safety, particularly in desert environments where things like hyponatremia and heatstroke can ruin a vacation very quickly.
- Eat like a king or queen and get in fantastic hikes.
- Hike the right trails at the right times to avoid potential crowds as much as possible.
- Enjoy top of the line camping and/or hiking gear without having to purchase it or travel with it.
when to hike joshua tree
Southern California’s deserts are primarily best visited in the winter, spring and fall. Summers are often very hot and dry, and even late spring and early fall can be too warm to truly enjoy. Generally speaking, November through March is the best time period to visit, with October and April being transition months that can be excellent or can be a bit on the hotter side of things. We recommend avoiding Joshua Tree from May through September.
Average temperatures and precipitation by month in Joshua Tree are detailed in the following table:
| Average Temperatures (Fahrenheit) |
|
|
Month
|
High
|
Low
|
Rain Days
|
|
January
|
60°
|
37°
|
2 days
|
|
February
|
63°
|
38°
|
1 day
|
|
March
|
71°
|
42°
|
1 day
|
|
April
|
78°
|
47°
|
0 days
|
|
May
|
85°
|
53°
|
0 days
|
|
June
|
96°
|
62°
|
0 days
|
|
July
|
100°
|
71°
|
1 day
|
|
August
|
99°
|
69°
|
1 day
|
|
September
|
93°
|
64°
|
0 days
|
|
October
|
81°
|
52°
|
0 days
|
|
November
|
69°
|
43°
|
1 day
|
|
December
|
58°
|
35°
|
1 day
|
Joshua Tree National Park is in many ways the heart of the vast Mohave Desert. With its signature Joshua Trees spread out across savannah-like basins and walled off by mazes of granite boulders and monoliths, it is an other-worldly landscape. Spending your days hiking to palm tree oases, desert peaks, and remote deserts, and at night sleeping beneath the stars or in nearby, charming lodges, our guests experience the best of this amazing national park in style.
