An unexpected gem: Joshua Tree National Park

After living in the desert for eight years, I was not in a hurry to visit Joshua Tree National Park, in eastern California.  More of the same?  No, it definitely offered some new Couch Potato hiking opportunities with dazzling scenery.

An alien on Mars? No, this is the rock formation known as Skull Rock on "Park Boulevard" in Joshua Tree National Park.

An Oasis in the Desert

Entering from the Oasis Visitor Center, we took the opportunity to see the exhibits, and then headed out to the wheelchair-accessible Oasis of Mara trail.  Only a half-mile long and paved, the trail gives a good view of the shaggy California fan palm trees that benefitted from the water at the oasis.  There are interpretive stands along the way to explain what you are seeing.  For instance, Indians left the area about a century ago and settlers planted cottonwoods and willows.

The Oasis of Mara at Joshua Tree National Park is an easy beginning introduction to the park.

After seeing the Oasis of Mara, we headed into the rest of the park.  The entrance gate, where you would pay $15 for a carload of people – with the pass good for a week – gives you miles to drive until you reach the campsites and hiking trails.  The trail descriptions in the brochure do not begin to provide a complete view of what each trails offers.  We arbitrarily chose the Hidden Valley Trail first.

Hidden Valley Trail

With only about a mile to hike, the Hidden Valley Trail would appear to be an ideal Couch Potato hike.  There are sections that are totally flat, but there are areas where you would climb step-like granite rocks.  The trail is definitely not for wheelchairs and, if you are a beginning hiker, you would want to pace yourself and bring water.

A flat area of the Hidden Valley Trail offers some contrast of colors and contours.

The granite rocks are rounded, golden-colored mounds that are quite unusual.  As you weave your way on the trail, you find yourself looking at the climbers, spiderlike on the nearly vertical surfaces.

A climber has climbed the vertical crevice in this formation in Hidden Valley at Joshua Tree National Park.

Pets are not allowed on the trails, so it was with great surprise that we saw a dark, furry Samoyed dog heading toward us on the trail.  The poor thing had gotten away from his owner.  We briefly adopted the dog and a kind person offered a plate to give the dog water.  Eventually, the owner turned up.

Note: Cell phone reception is extremely poor in the park, so we couldn’t contact the park rangers or the dog’s owner, whose number was on the dog’s collar.

There are restrooms, but they are the open pit in the shed variety, so best to use the restrooms at the visitor center.

Barker Dam

With a late start in the park, we ran out of time to try out the Barker Dam trail. Although only a one-mile loop, there was a mob of tourists who descended at the same time, so we opted just to see the entrance to the trail, which was flat.

Anyone who makes the trip to Joshua Tree National Park will find some new vistas to explore.  There is not much going on in the adjacent towns, so enjoy your slice of nature and the peace.

And, as we always caution, bring water, sun block, hats, a hiking pole and comfortable, protective shoes.  Bring your own snack and food supplies if you’re going to be visiting, since there is no snack bar inside the park.

How to get there, where to stay, food options

Located near the Marine Corps base in Twentynine Palms, Joshua Tree National Park has three entrances, two on the north off route 62, and one off Interstate 10 near Indio.

If you’re visiting, several accommodations are available in Twentynine Palms.  We enjoyed our stay in the one-year old Holiday Inn, which has terrific amenities, including the complete breakfast, plus heated pool and spa, and a great workout facility. The staff was also friendly and extremely helpful.

There are other name brands like Fairfield Inn and some local motels to spend the night in the Twentynine Palms area.

We picked up some great sandwiches at Staters, a local supermarket.  There are restaurants with cuisine options ranging from Mediterranean, to fast food, to ribs, etc.

Enjoy your hike!

Free – yes FREE – National Parks Days in 2012

They say that nothing is free in life, but there are days when there is something free!

The fabulous National Parks Service has published the days in 2012 when people can get into the many National Parks for free.

The dates are:

January 14 to 16 (Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend)

April 21 to 29 (National Park Week)

June 9 (Get Outdoors Day)

September 29 (National Public Lands Day) and

November 10 to 12 (Veterans Day weekend).

If you have been reading our blogs on this site and, perhaps, our affiliated travel blog – traveltipsandadventures.com - you will notice that we really like national parks. National Parks include a multitude of parks, national monuments and other locations that are generally well-signed and can offer a variety of great outdoor activities.

We have traveled to National Parks in many states and will offer recommendations as we revisit some that we have not seen for some time.

My personal favorite is Bryce Canyon National Park (in southern Utah), which is as if the earth created a play land with varying rock colors and formations. It has overlooks for those less physically able, but hiking trails that are easy for most. The win-win situation at a National Park is that you get the health benefits of hiking – or walking at a more leisurely pace – while seeing the most fabulous scenes of nature.

Plan to have extra charged batteries if you like photography when you visit the National Parks because you will want to take photos – galore! On my first trip to Bryce, I think I took 12 rolls of film (that was when digital cameras were not yet available).

You will find great experiences when you visit National Parks – especially terrific Park rangers who seem to have endless patience for the many tourists who probably ask the same questions hundreds of times a day. How many people could have the same questions asked over and over and still smile!

Even if you are contemplating visiting a National Park when it is not free to get in, it is still very reasonably priced. (Rates vary, but there are special park passes for those 62 and over – buy it once for $10 and you get a permanent pass for life that is good for everyone in the vehicle!) Depending on the park you might pay just a few dollars, again for everyone in the vehicle. Or, you could buy an annual pass that is currently $80.

So, pick your paradise! There are National Parks in every type of environment from “sea to shining sea,” so take the opportunity to visit a National Park. (State Parks are often great, too, but today we’re featuring the National Parks.

In the USA, we are fortunate to have these National Parks! Thank you to Ulysses S Grant for setting up the first National Park in 1872!

What’s a Couch Potato hike?

If you’ve been a Couch Potato, we’ll assume that you are not – instantly – planning a 20-mile hike with major uphill components.

Time to set the ground rules:

When we say it is worthy of a Couch Potato, our hikes would mostly be level, with possibly one or two rises where you might wind up doing a little panting. But, for the most part, they should be easy! (The good thing about going up is that you usually also get to go down, which feels like fun and always seems to take less time than up.)

The emphasis of a Couch Potato hike would be a place where the path is obvious and the views are in some way interesting. If there’s not much to see, there’s less motivation to keep going.
Sometimes, however, you might need to push yourself, just to get some exercise. That’s when you might just walk along a street or around the block. It might not be inspiring, but it qualifies as exercise.

Frances Short Pond - along the Flagstaff Urban Trail System (FUTS - that might have you FUTSING)

There’s also another thing we’ve noticed about Couch Potato hikes – the return trip always seems shorter. Sometimes, regrettably, the speedier return is because you are rushing and don’t take the time to look around.

So, Couch Potatoes! Savor the experience. It is amazing what you might see – a duck, a pond, an old interesting building, flowers in bloom. You’ll never know unless you look around!

Bird enjoying a visit to a blooming saguaro in South Mountain Park, Phoenix, Arizona

South Mountain Park Hiking with the Couch Potato

South Mountain Park in Phoenix, Arizona has hikes for Couch Potatoes. It also has some more challenging hikes and some terrific views. As the largest City Park in the US, South Mountain is the magnet that draws everyone from bicyclists, to families, to singles people with dogs. You can count on a greeting from most people you pass on the trail.

This time of year, heading out early is the only way to avoid the heat. Temperatures climb to the 90s by late morning. Water – in abundance – is the most important thing to bring, in addition to wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sun-block. You don’t like sunblock? Then expect to turn a bright shade of red – very colorful – and probably painful!

Our recent hike –

If you take the west loop beginning near the end of Pima Canyon Road, at the following GPS coordinates you have a great view of Tempe, Arizona. (Latitude 32º21”58’ N, Longitude 111º 59”21” W)

This gecko did not offer us an insurance quote!

We took our Hiking Couch Potato along on a recent hike to see what it was all about. Along the way, we saw a gecko – no he didn’t offer us an insurance quote! – and a bird enjoying the nectar of a saguaro cactus in bloom.

Saguaro in bloom with bird tasting the nectar

We were out on the trail over an hour, but anyone can easily enjoy anywhere from 15 minutes to hours in this area of the Park.

Late Spring is a great time to meet Mother Nature and see this desert park in bloom. Later in the season, it is hard to be there after 8 or 9 AM. Even the most intrepid hiker clears out by late morning. We had a late start – and the parking area was almost cleared out by the time we finished around 11:15 AM.

The whole idea is – get up! Get out early – and go back to bed, if you must, when you’re done. Exercise – you’ll feel so virtuous when you’ve hiked! And the views can be stunning!