Come on out this Spring Break and see the real thing for yourself!
Slightly longer route which goes by Visitor Center: Follow Highway 62 to the town of Twentynine Palms. Enter Joshua Tree National Park at Twentynine Palms, where you'll find the Visitor Center. (If you're a first time visitor, I'd recommend this route)
Shorter, more direct route: In the town of Joshua Tree (on Highway 62), look for the sign indicating the National Park Entrance, and enter the park via that route.
Once in the Park, follow the road toward Jumbo Rocks Campground (look for signs). Our campground is on the right, before Jumbo Rocks. If you entered the Park via the town of Joshua Tree and have reached Jumbo Rocks, then you've gone too far.
We will be at Sheep Pass Campground, Site #5. See you there!
WHAT TO BRING: Bring whatever food and drinks you will need to sustain you for the duration. There is no drinking water at the campsite.
Tasty drinking water is available at the Twentynine Palms Visitor Center. If you don't want to haul around full containers for the entire drive to the Park, you can bring empty containers and fill them at the Visitor Center.
Also, this is the last contact with running water sinks and flush toilets, so you may want to take advantage of them while you can!
Unless you are an extremely rugged individual with a sense (or lack thereof) for truly "roughing it", you will probably want to bring a tent and sleeping bag. A good beach or lawn chair is handy as well.
If possible, bring some firewood so we can have that good ol' campfire experience that is so essential for a complete outdoor adventure. A bundle from Vons or Lucky will suffice quite well.
This isn't Black's Beach where we're going, so you'll want to have some clothing. The days can be quite warm and the nights can be rather cool, so pack your duds accordingly. Include a hat to shelter your cabeza from the rays of the nearest star to us. The elevation where we'll be camping and frolicking is over 4000 feet above sea level, so the starlight (both night and day stars) is more intense than at the beach. This brings me to my next item of recommendation: don't forget the sunscreen!
Other than these items, bring whatever else will make your stay pleasant (within reason, no firearms or lawyers please). There are no electrical hookups, so forget the hair dryer, OK?
Here is weather information for the Joshua Tree National Park. Click this link for a ten-day weather forecast for the Palms Springs region, which is near the Park. These two links will provide you with an idea of what kind of weather to expect before you leave. Subtract about 5 to 10 Fahrenheit degrees from what you find in Palm Springs, due to the elevation difference between Palm Springs and the National Park.
One last note: If you pack it in, then make sure you pack it out!
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