Where to Stay

Where you stay depends on what you want.

1. Do you want to be remote, in quiet desert wilderness? Or would you rather be in a town where you can walk to some things or take a quick drive to a restaurant?

I wanted a more remote feel for our trip. I wanted to sip coffee in near silence, looking out at cacti and desert flowers in the early morning sun, feeling far, far away from the city and civilization.

2. How many days will you be visiting Joshua Tree? If only once, then maybe you don’t mind driving an hour to get there and back. If you plan to be inside the part daily for more than two days, you might want to be closer to the park entrance.

If you want to be in the park often, staying in Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree Town, or Twentynine Palms would all be really close. Morongo Valley is also a great option. If you don’t mind driving further, you could stay in Palm Springs and have a split experience of nature/city.

3. What type of accommodation are you comfortable in? Hotel, Airbnb, camping?

We stayed in an Airbnb. We wanted the option to cook at home, sprawl our stuff out all over the place, and have outdoor space for morning coffee or evening tea. One of my requirements was a hot tub, and I preferred it be private, rather than a shared one at a resort.

Where We Stayed

We chose an Airbnb that seemed to fit the bill but ended up being less than ideal. It was in Indio Hills, which is very close to the national park, but pretty far from any park entrance. It was about an hour drive for us to get into Joshua Tree, which we did two days in a row. It was fine, but if we had to do it a third day in a row it would have been annoying. The Airbnb we chose also had no bathroom door, which was kind of wild and a surprise I will have to be more on the look-out for when accommodation-hunting. Not exactly a recipe for romance. Lastly, we were unable to get the wood-fired hot tub at our Airbnb to work, so that was a bit of a fail.

On the bright side, the place was cute and clean, the bed was comfy, and we loved cooking and dining in the space. We got to have quiet mornings sipping coffee on the patio, and the piping hot outdoor shower almost made up for the lack of usable hot tub.

If you are looking at accommodation in the Sky Valley/Indio Hills area and want to steer clear of this place, DM me and I’ll send you the link.

Day 1

Desert Hot Springs

Spa Day

We spent our first day at The Springs Resort and Spa, where we soaked in the hot spring-fed pools, sweated it out in the sauna, and got a 50-minute relaxation massage. The hotel is small and quaint, with only three pools of varying temperatures, and about a dozen guest rooms, but it was quiet and perfect for a day of relaxation. When you book a spa service, like massage, you get two hours to soak in the pools, enjoy the well-kept grounds, and take in the Swedish and infrared saunas. They have fire pits and lounge chairs for relaxing, as well as tea, coffee, and fruit-infused water, for a refreshing, indulgent experience. Mariah, my massage therapist was excellent.

If you want a couple days of pure, quiet relaxation, you may want to stay in the guestrooms on-site, but we opted instead to head to our cute Airbnb, which was about 15 minutes away.

Check-In

We spent the night unpacking our bags  and cooking a pasta dinner in the  cozy afterglow that followed us from the spa.

Day 2

Joshua Tree National Park Day I

Hiking

After a home-cooked breakfast, we headed for Joshua Tree and our first hike of the trip. I had meetings scheduled in the morning and the afternoon, so we had about 6 hours total to play with. I picked the Warren Peak via Black Rock Trail and Panorama Loop from Alltrails, and we were not disappointed! This hike is an 8-mile loop, rated Hard on Alltrails, with an elevation gain of 1,689 feet. The highest elevation we reached was about 5,200 feet, which, after coming from sea-level San Diego, was quite a noticeable altitude. All in all, we spent 3 hours and 9 minutes hiking this trail, quicker than we expected.

The trail starts off flat and sandy, then moves into more rock and packed trail as you get into the elevation work. I assume this is a popular trail, but on the day we went, mid-week at the end of January, we saw only a handful of other hikers throughout the day. The views on the Warren Peak trail were gorgeous, and if you’re choosing between the regular peak trail or the one with the extra loop added on (which we did), let me tell you, do the extended trail. The views on the Panorama Loop were so, SO worth the work and extra time. If you do this route, you’ll have two peaks, one along the ridgeline of the San Bernardino Mountains, and Warren Peak. All in all, we spent 3 hours and 9 minutes hiking this trail, quicker than we expected.

Checkers & Chill at Airbnb

We got back to our Airbnb and spent an exorbitant amount of time trying to warm a wood-fired hot tub, eventually giving up, taking a scalding hot outdoor shower, and happily devouring our Uber Eats pizza. We played three moves each of a checkers game and were in bed before 10pm. It was a chill, successful first day in Joshua Tree National Park, and we had big plans for Day 2.

Day 3

Joshua Tree National Park II

For the second day of our quick trip to Joshua Tree, we decided to make it a big one. We set our alarms for 4:30 am, and were out the door in the cold, black desert air by 5.

1. Sunrise at Keys View

We drove an hour and twenty minutes to Keys View, where we took in the sunrise. It was frigid out—19 degrees—but totally worth it. From Keys View you can see the Coachella Valley, the San Andreas Fault, and Mount San Jacinto.  We were stoked to be up so early, ready to start our day, and I planned two awesome hikes for us.

2. Drive to Ryan Mountain

This is its own segment, because the twenty-minute drive from Keys View to Ryan Mountain, especially in the early morning light, was simply spectacular. It is a flat drive with a sea of Joshua trees on either side of the narrow road. It is the perfect place to stop and take a photo—especially if you’re there right after sunrise and have the park largely to yourself. Regretfully, I didn’t think of this until we’d passed by and we didn’t want to turn around. But you should totally pull over for a quick photo-op here.

3. Hike Ryan Mountain

The peaks in Joshua Tree National Park are relatively low, which is why I chose Ryan Mountain—the highest one—to hike. It is a simple trail, a series of clean, stone steps for much of the way, and wide, obvious dirt and rock trail for the rest. It is 2.9 miles to the peak and back down with a peak elevation of 5,500 feet. It is super windy at the top, so wear layers. Great views at the top.

4. Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail Hike

As soon as I saw this one on Alltrails, I knew I wanted to do it, and it ended up being my favorite hike and one of the best things overall in our quick trip to Joshua Tree. Being an East Coaster, the desert is totally foreign and kind of magical to me. And visiting an actual OASIS was like a double shot of whimsy.

The hike is rocky and dry, red and brown; A true desert landscape, reminiscent of the Aggro crag or far-away planets in sci-fi novels. When you get to the “end” of the out-and back trail, you find you’ve hit the jackpot– An oasis, just as promised. Lush palms sprouting up in vibrant green to tower over the beige and otherwise scraggly landscape. They look completely out of place, which makes them so special. When we arrived, I laid myself flat on a boulder to soak in the sun and look up at the giants before me, watched their fronds swaying gently in the breeze. It surprised me, how beautiful it was, but it was just as the pictures and description had promised.

The Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail is a 3.2 mile out and back trail. It’s rated moderate, which seems accurate. I give it a 10/10 for a chill but solid hike with a truly great reward. Click here for trail information on Alltrails.

Day 3 Part II

Desert Vibes

5. Joshua Tree Town

After a long drive, a stunning sunrise view, and two great hikes, we were done with the national park portion of the day. And it was only noon! We drove the few minutes to Joshua Tree town to check out the local scene.

We stopped by The Dez for some much-needed caffeine, and then bopped around the little boutiques, thrift and gift shops in town. It’s kind of just how I expected; small, weird, in a hipster way, dusty and deserty.

We had lunch at Food For Thought, a vegetarian café housed in the Joshua Tree Retreat Center. It was a weird but fun vibe. The café is a mid-century modern cafeteria, surrounded by glass overlooking the grounds. There are sculptures and water features on property, it was quiet and peaceful. I can totally see a retreat happening here, though it seemed dead on the day we stopped by. To read more about this place, see their events calendar, or just stop by the café for some delicious vegetarian food, check out the Joshua Tree Retreat Center website.

6. Pioneertown

Next, we drove to Pioneertown, an 1880’s-themed town and production site. It’s basically being inside a western movie. (But with ice creams and tee shirts and souvenirs.) We wandered around, popping in and out of shops, bought a tee shirt, and watched some farm animals going about their business.

7. Dinner in Palm Springs

After a shower and lazing around the Airbnb, we headed out for a late dinner in Palm Springs. The area where we stayed was pretty remote, and by the time we were hungry it was well into the evening. Unless we wanted a roadside hamburger, we had to drive a bit to acquire food. We had a good but not memorable dinner at Boozehounds Palm Springs. The vibe of the restaurant is very mid-century palm-springs cool, and the bar is beautiful. Big recommend for ambiance alone, but beware the broccoli rabe is served cold.

7. Checkers & Chill

We finished the night drinking tea and playing checkers in bed, me eating the last of the mini bundt cakes from my birthday party and thinking about how lucky I am.

Day 4

Go Home Day

1. Last Day in the digs

We kicked off day four in a way that I assure you would NEVER have been my choice. An ICE Bath.

What happened was (because this bit of insanity requires explanation) we could not get our wood-fired hot tub to work. We tried at it for a couple hours and ended up feeling smoky and hangry instead, with only lukewarm water to show for our efforts. On our final day, determined to use the outdoor tub, my travel companion had the bright idea of a cold plunge. She dumped all the ice from the freezer into the already cool water and actually SAT in it. I sat in a patio chair, sipping my hot coffee, watching this madness from the comfort of my cozy robe. But you know me; I may hate the cold but I also hate being left out. So, in I went. An ice bath in the morning in the desert. To be honest, it wasn’t soooooo bad.

2. Breakfast in Palm Springs

After packing up our home away from home, we hopped in the car for the drive back to San Diego. We decided to stop in Palm Springs for breakfast and we had a great experience at The Farm. Despite it being a Thursday morning, the restaurant had a line out to the sidewalk for brunch. We sat in an outdoor patio space that, thankfully, was shielded from any wind. I ordered basically everything on the menu and we ate our little faces off. I definitely recommend having breakfast or brunch  at The Farm, but make sure you pee before leaving the house. There are only TWO bathrooms for the whole restaurant!

3. Outlet shopping?

While driving by the outlet stores in Palm Springs, the little devil on our shoulders told us to stop, be spontaneous! Go shopping! But we realized, after parking and walking around the complex for only a few minutes, that neither of us really wanted to shop. We had been trying to extend our trip a bit, I think, having had such a good time on our Joshua Tree getaway. The outlet shopping stop wasn’t for us, but if that’s your thing, then stop by on your way to or from Joshua Tree National Park.

Check out the retailers here: Desert Hills Premium Outlets

4. Home Sweet Home

It is nice that after such a fun trip, I still have something to look forward to at the end. Our three-day trip to Joshua Tree was QUICK, and so much fun we could have easily extended it another week. In the past, I have felt a certain kind of way about going “back to reality” after a great trip. But today, I live in a place where going home feels almost like a getaway.

Driving up my palm-lined street with the craftsman bungalows, in the land of perpetual 70 degrees,  having a helping hand unloading all my over-packed bags, walking past the porch furniture I bought and the tree with the hummingbirds, and stepping into the place where I live but don’t see nearly often enough is the perfect way to close out any trip.

I had exactly three requirements for my birthday trip this year: To be outside in nature, to not be in freezing weather, and to sit in hot water. Though the weather in Joshua Tree was a bit colder than I would have liked, even that blip in my plan had some benefit—the park was largely empty for most of our time there. We had plenty of layers to bundle up, and it was so much fun that the cold was forgivable. The other requirements were executed perfectly, and this getaway solidified my thirty-ninth as one of my favorite birthdays of all time.

If you are planning a quick trip to Joshua Tree, I hope this mini-itinerary helps. Be sure to make time for Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail if you’re into hiking, and especially if you don’t live in the desert yourself. Now that I have my annual National Park Pass, I’m looking forward to more quick trips to Joshua Tree, more hikes, more weird desert vintage shops, and definitely more hot water. There are a plethora of hot springs spas in nearby Palm Springs, which I am keen to check out as well.

If you’ve spent time in Joshua Tree or Palm Springs, please share your recommendations in the comments below or DM me on Instagram. Accommodation, hikes, restaurants, weird-but-cool things to do, and, of course, hot springs recommendations are all welcome!

Here’s wishing you all a weekend full of hot water, chill evenings, and sick views.

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