Things to know before you go to Joshua Tree National Park in the Summertime...

Do’s and Don’ts 

Do start driving as early as possible in the day.  

By the time the sun creeps above the horizon it’s already starting to heat up.

Do make sure the air conditioning in the car is cranked up as high as it can go.  (Our AC lasted just long enough to make it through the hottest parts of our trip – it died when we got to San Francisco which was ok because we didn’t need it from then on).

Don’t wind the car windows down for fresh air – there isn’t any!!  The ambient temperature feels like you’re sticking your head in an oven.

  

Don’t take your children on a 1km hike through the desert without expecting a lot of comments such as, “Do we have too?”, “How long do we have to walk for?”, “Oh it’s so hot”,  “I don’t want to walk anymore”, “Are we there yet?”, “How much further?”, “Water. I need water,”

In saying that do take them on the walk anyway – it’s well worth it – even if it’s just to be able to legitimately pour cold water over them!!! 

Do call into the Visitor’s Centers along the way.  They have a wealth of information at their disposal and give free information about the best things to see and do.  We avoided a 300km drive through desert country after being told about a short cut through Joshua Tree National Park.  (300km with a TT in tow equates to about 4 ½ hours of driving time).

Do avoid being hot and sweaty (a difficult thing to do in 40+ degree heat) when you stop off at the restroom in Joshua Tree National Park.  There are bees here that swarm anything that has moisture on it.  They (and their swarm of buddies) can become aggressive if you start swatting at them.   We spotted them buzzing around taps and toilets at a few of the restrooms along the way.

Do give yourself plenty of time to travel and stop along the way.  The desert landscape has Joshua Trees in large numbers and is vast and eerie and quite unlike anything else we have seen.  It really is a photographer’s paradise.

 Don’t forget to travel even a small portion of Route 66.  Hotels and businesses still exist here even though the main highway is a ways away.  Hackeberry’s was a highlight for us.  But more on that in our next blog….

 

Did I mention it was hot?  Yep sure was.  But we’d do the trip again anyway – even in the middle of summer. But preferably in the spring or fall.  On our next visit we’d take a little more time to explore this region, which is full of history and natural fascination.