Over MLK weekend, my friend Camilla and I did a little road trip from LA to Joshua Tree National Park and Palm Springs. The park was extra crowded because we went on a holiday weekend, so I wouldn’t recommend doing that. This trip was mainly focused on hiking/outdoor activities, but I went to Palm Springs for the first time last year and did a lot of the touristy things then. You can read about that 4-day trip with family here.
Day 1 – Saturday, 1/13
I woke up early and made a bunch of PB&J sandwiches for the trip. Camilla is gluten intolerant so I found some gluten-free bread and it was awful but had to be eaten. I drove over to Camilla’s and picked her around 7:45am and then we headed to Pioneertown, which I first visited on my Indian Wells trip last year. We went through a few of the shops, and then sat and watched part of a live action western show that was starting. It was silly, so we didn’t stay for very long.
Pappy & Harriet’s is supposedly the best restaurant in Pioneertown, and there’s usually a long wait for dinner, but we were there around 11:15am and there wasn’t a wait. I got the eggs benedict which I don’t think was the right thing to order, I think their lunch and dinner items would have been better. There’s a stage inside, so I think there must be live music at night.
After lunch, we went to the “World Famous Crochet Museum,” which was small and quirky. In search of souvenirs, we went to the Coyote Corner Gift Shop and the Joshua Tree Visitor Center (Park Blvd location) across the street. We were successful! I got a magnet and Camilla got a postcard.
We drove into Joshua Tree National Park around 1pm and wanted to do the Hidden Valley Nature Trail, but it was so packed that parking was impossible, so we moved on to our next stop. Barker Dam Nature Trail was an easy little trail that you can do in tennis shoes. The dam was rather unimpressive, but crazy to see some water in the desert.
THINGS TO REMEMBER FOR JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK:
- Download the Google Map for the park since there isn’t service in most of the park
- Make sure you plan to get gas
- There aren’t bathrooms everywhere in the park, so go when you can
- There is very little shade in the park, so I would be very cautious if it’s above 75 degrees
Then, we did a photo stop and quickly got out of the car to see Skull Rock. It’s visible from the road, so no hiking is necessary.
Next, we did Arch Rock Trail, which wasn’t very long or strenuous of a hike. We couldn’t find Arch Rock, but we followed signs for the Heart Rock trail and found that very easily. On our way back, we spotted Arch Rock. It was kind of tucked away behind some other rocks. You could scramble up and stand on it, but we just took some photos from below.
Our last stop in the park was Cholla Cactus Garden. Although they look fuzzy from a distance, these cacti spikes are extremely sharp and you definitely do not want to touch one. I had been before and had witnessed someone regret wearing flip-flops. There’s a short, flat boardwalk trail but other than that, there’s not too much to see here.
We left the park around 5pm, and the sunset was beautiful. This was probably my favorite part of the day. The landscape of Joshua Tree isn’t that interesting or varied, but the sunsets are nice.
Downtown Palm Springs is a little under 2 hours from JTNP, and we stayed at a little motel called Delos Reyes Palm Springs. We were traveling on a budget, so this totally worked for us, but there are a ton of nice boutique hotels in Palm Springs if you’re looking for that kind of a vacation.
After checking in, we went to The Heyday for dinner. It was my first time trying smashburgers and honestly not impressed, but I do like that I didn’t feel bloated and gross afterward since it was less meat than a regular burger. For dessert, we went to Monster Shakes, which was kind of far from downtown. The shakes looked cool, but I wasn’t that hungry, so I just got some froyo.
Day 2 – Sunday, 1/14
For breakfast, we went to Koffi North. Camilla got a coffee and I just had a PB&J. Then, we went to the Palm Springs mural at the Palm Springs Visitor Center for some quick photos on our way to the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.
The tram takes you up 6,000 feet into the Mount Jacinto Mountains. A limited quantity of tickets are available to purchase ahead of time online, but we just went early in the morning at 8:30am and bought our tickets at the station. We were able to get on the next tram. It carries around 25 people and takes about 10 minutes. It is really cool, but also kind of scary because you’re so high up and the tram rocks a bit.
Since you’re at such a high altitude, it is a lot colder, probably by about 20-30 degrees, which I imagine would be such a relief from the heat in the summer. We went in January, so it was probably around 40 degrees at the top and there was snow and ice on the ground. Camilla had microspikes for her hiking boots, while I just had basic snow boots so I was careful to mostly walk in the snow and not slip on the icy trails. A lot of families with kids brought little sleds and things to play in the snow with.
We did the Desert View Trail, which was around 2.5 miles and had 5 different “notches” or viewpoints. It was challenging to avoid the ice, but the views were pretty majestic.
There are places to eat in the lodge on the mountain, but we took the tram down around 11:20am and went to Peppers Thai for lunch in downtown Palm Springs. We walked pretty much the entire downtown area and then had some free time. We read at the pool for a little bit, but it was cold outside so we ended up back in the motel room and did personality quizzes before dinner.
We had a 6:15pm reservation at Tac/Quila in downtown Palm Springs. It’s kind of fancier Mexican food, and I highly recommend the short rib birria tacos. Service was pretty fast, and the ambiance was great. For dessert, we went to Great Shakes which was a great idea. There are a ton of flavors, but Palm Springs is supposed to be known for dates, so I tried a date shake. It just tasted sweet and had little chunks of date in it, so I preferred the salted caramel one I got last year.
Day 3 – Monday, 1/15
We went to Sherman’s Deli for breakfast, which is a Jewish deli/diner restaurant. This place also usually has a super long line, but not at 8:15am on a holiday Monday! I got the Deli Omelette with corned beef, pastrami, and salami, 10/10 would recommend. Sherman’s Deli also has a great bakery section with cakes and pastries, so we each got a slice of cake to go. I saw that one of their specials of the month was orange creamsicle on their Instagram, so I got that one. I’m not a cake person, but their cakes are delicious.
On the way out of Palm Springs, we stopped at Robo Lights, which I discovered on last year’s Palm Springs trip. It’s a house with a bunch of sculptures all around the yard. We also stopped at the Cabazon Dinosaurs for some quick photos.
Overall, this was a very cheap trip, I think Camilla and I each spent a little under $300 for food, gas, and lodging. I still have yet to go to Palm Springs without needing a jacket, so one day I’ll go when it’s warm!
Google Map of everywhere we went:
RECOMMENDED READING:
4-Day Palm Springs Winter Vacay
30 Hour Arizona Road Trip: Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend & Sedona
ClassPass Review: 14-Day Free Trial in Los Angeles
