Oh Joshua Tree, how I love you.

My best friend is really into music - she knows all the latest and greatest, and is versed on the important classics as well. Her favorite band of all time is U2, who's most sold album is The Joshua Tree. Bono describes the album as being "ecstatic", which couldn't be more in touch with the vibes you get from the actual place.

While on our Palm Springs adventure [see travel guide here] we set aside a day to go out into the desert and experience the mystic wonders of Joshua Tree National Park. Here's what we found and loved...

RELAX

We ventured out to Joshua Tree from Palm Springs, so I don't have any personal recommendations on places to stay right outside the park, but there are some amazing looking spots on Airbnb, so I would check there!

ROAM

Cactus Mart

This was a fun stop! There are all kinds of cactus for sale in the greenhouse, lots of pottery, and friendly chickens running around. You can dig your own cactus, or buy one that's already potted. If you're flying home, don't worry - you can travel with cactus and succulents. Just put it in a small box or bag, and carry it on the plane with you - I've done it many times. Here are some photos I took during our pitstop at Cactus Mart...

Hoof & The Horn

This great shop is located in the Yucca Valley on your way to the northern entrance of Joshua Tree. They have great desert inspired accessories, clothes and decor. I picked up a Joshua Tree sign and a leather ring, but there were lots of other things I had my eye on as well. Check this place out!

Photos from Hoof & The Horn

Pioneer Crossing Antiques

We loved browsing this antique store! They had a little bit of everything, which is what makes antique shops so fun to explore.

The End

I kinda went crazy in this shop and bought lots of goodies. Their shelves are filled with handmade pieces, vintage wares and colorful accessories. I seriously could have bought the place out because I loved so many things! In the end (no pun intended), I walked away with an awesome Joshua Tree pennant and a vintage colorful quilt that gave me all the desert vibes I could ever want for years to come. For sure make a pit stop here, even if it's just to have an impromptu photo shoot with their mural walls. Here are some of my shots of The End...

Coyote Corner

Coyote Corner is styled like an old fashioned trading post, and is located right at the northern entrance of Joshua Tree National Park. They have books, maps, snacks, t-shirts, souvenirs and more. It's a fun little shop that happens to be across the street from the Joshua Tree visitor center - your last chance for a bathroom before going into the park. I bought an awesome handmade clay wind chime that features a cactus design.

Inside the park...

Keys View

Keys View offers you an incredible view of the Coachella Valley, mountains and mesas. It's very windy up there, but definitely worth the stop for an awesome panoramic view! The road leading up to Keys View (Keys View Road) is great - it's filled with Joshua Trees! Probably my only regret from my time here was that I didn't stop along this road to take pictures - so you should! It was the road with the most Joshua Trees right alongside the paved path. I did take some photos from the top of Keys View - enjoy!

Hall of Horrors

Don't let the name scare you - this area is gorgeous. Filled with large rock formations stacked on top of each other, you'll find yourself staring at the surrounding area wondering just how those rocks stay in place.. Or how they even got there. If you're lucky, you might see a brave soul walking a slackline between the North and South Horror Rocks. It was truly an incredible thing to watch.

Photography by Bethany Young Photography

Skull Rock

This rock sees quite a lot of tourists, but it was still fun to stop and take a look at the famed Skull Rock. We climbed up onto the surrounding rocks and got a great view of the area.

Photography by Bethany Young Photography

Cholla Cactus Garden

We got to the Cholla Cactus Garden right at sunset, and since it sits at the bottom of a mountain, the best sunlight was hitting the garden located on the other side of the road. Now you may be thinking, so what? Well, the park has built walkways through the cholla on one side of the road, but not the other. We had been warned about how tricky and painful these cactus are, but we took off into the untouched garden anyway. (Anything for the shot, right?) Man. All three of us got attacked by these monsters at some point - blood was shed, fingers were sore, and shoes had thorns in them for days. No regrets though - I was able to get some awesome shots before the sun took its final bow for the day. If you can though, stick to the garden with the built in walkways. These cactus have a mind of their own!

Photography by Bethany Young Photography

REFRESH

Frontier Cafe

Since we were coming from Palm Springs, we decided to enter the park from the north and head south. We did this because there were several shops in the Yucca Valley that we wanted to be sure and check out before closing time. After exploring the shops, we stopped in Frontier Cafe for grilled cheese sandwiches and chai tea latte. It was delicious and a cozy spot to refill our tanks before hitting the park.

Joshua Tree was amazing, and I'm thrilled that I finally got to explore the desert! Here are a few last tips to help make the most of your time:

Bring water with you. There's no water in the park, so we bought a large pack of water bottles to take with us on our journey.
Bring some snacks. Once you enter the park, there are no places to stop and grab food, so bring along some snacks for your desert drive.
Wear closed toe shoes. It is the desert, so think tumbleweeds, cactus thorns, rocks etc. Protect your feet, friends.
If you enter from the north, and want to make it to the Cholla Cactus Garden before sunset, just keep track of the time as you go. Because the garden sits at the bottom of some mountains, the sunlight is gone before the actual designated sunset time, so get there about 45 minutes+ before the set sunset time of the day.
If you're going up to Keys View, bring a jacket. It was so windy and freezing up at the top.
For all the music buffs out there - You might be wanting to stop by Rancho de la Luna, but unfortunately it's gated with many "no trespassing" signs, and is set back off the road. We didn't trespass and you shouldn't either, but it was still cool to see what we could from the road. Lots of iconic music history made here!

Here is a map of all the stops we made on our trip, so you can see how to chart your own course. Have fun in the desert!