Trip | A Joshua Tree camping weekend | Joshua Tree, CA | 3 days
Day 1 – Arrive and Hidden Valley
12:30 PM | Eat | Crossroads Cafe, 61715 Twentynine Palms Hwy, Joshua Tree, CA | The last real meal before the park
1:30 PM | Do | Joshua Tree Visitor Center, 6554 Park Blvd, Joshua Tree, CA | Maps, water and your park pass
3:00 PM | Stay | Jumbo Rocks Campground, Park Blvd, Joshua Tree National Park, CA | Reserve ahead; there's no water here
4:30 PM | Do | Hidden Valley Nature Trail, Hidden Valley Picnic Area, Joshua Tree National Park, CA | An easy 1-mile loop among the boulders
8:00 PM | Other | Stargazing at camp | Let your eyes adjust for 20 minutes
Day 2 – The park's classics
7:00 AM | Do | Ryan Mountain Trail, Ryan Mountain Trailhead, Joshua Tree National Park, CA | 3 miles round trip and steep; start before the heat
10:30 AM | Do | Skull Rock, Skull Rock, Joshua Tree National Park, CA | Right by the road near Jumbo Rocks
12:00 PM | Do | Cholla Cactus Garden, Pinto Basin Rd, Joshua Tree National Park, CA | Stay on the path; the spines stick
2:30 PM | Do | Arch Rock Trail, White Tank Campground, Joshua Tree National Park, CA | A short walk to a natural arch
5:30 PM | Do | Keys View, Keys View Rd, Joshua Tree National Park, CA | Sunset over the Coachella Valley
Maybe | Do | Barker Dam Trail, Barker Dam Trailhead, Joshua Tree National Park, CA | An easy loop with old petroglyphs nearby
Day 3 – Pioneertown and home
9:00 AM | Other | Pack up camp
10:30 AM | Do | Pioneertown, Mane St, Pioneertown, CA | A 1940s movie-set Main Street
12:00 PM | Eat | Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace, 53688 Pioneertown Rd, Pioneertown, CA | Check the hours; it's closed some weekdays
Maybe | Do | Noah Purifoy Outdoor Desert Art Museum, 63030 Blair Ln, Joshua Tree, CA | Free outdoor sculptures