A weekend in Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley and Pioneertown
This winter, Tristan and I spent a weekend in Joshua Tree while we were down in Palm Springs to break up the winter and soak up some sunshine. I had only been to Joshua Tree once for a one day photoshoot with my friend Jenna years back and haven’t been back since. And Tristan had never been!
We opted to stay in an Airbnb that had high ratings and was doing their part to diligently abide by cleaning/safety measures. For those looking to stay in Joshua Tree, look no further than the Palo House — I’m telling you, you will NOT be disappointed. The desert aesthetic is on another level (an interior lover’s dream!) and the location of the home itself is perfect — centrally located within Joshua Tree, near the West Entrance of the park and all the sights/things we had planned to go and see. The house is tucked off the main drag of Joshua Tree so it gets a little road noise, but nothing outrageous. It’s a spacious home (3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms). It also has a great kitchen if you opt to cook “at home.” I could go on and on about our stay here, but I’ll continue on with the rest of this guide…
We got in later on Friday evening after working all day so we opted for In-N-Out dinner and checked into the Airbnb when it was dark — needless to say, I was antsy to take all the pictures of this place I could! But I had to wait until morning. We ended up watching TV and planning out our weekend itinerary on Friday night.
Day One | Saturday
This was a day to go explore Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree and Pioneertown. We saved the park for Sunday because we read that the park isn’t as busy on Sundays.
First, we bopped around downtown Joshua Tree, it won’t take you long to wander up and down the main road. There are a few shops and restaurants along the way. We ventured to a local coffee shop that wasn’t anything to write home about — overpriced and the coffee wasn’t spectacular. After that we decided to check out The Station — a gas station with the “world’s tallest Josh” and a funky store filled with knick knacks. We also popped into a couple other nearby galleries including the Crochet Museum along with some vintage shops. We decided to stop into the park visitor center to get our entrance tickets and maps for the next day.
By mid-afternoon, we’d seen all there was to offer in Joshua Tree and hopped into the car for Yucca Valley. There are a couple of fun shops in Yucca that are a must visit — my personal favorites were The End Vintage (funky curation of clothing, accessories and home goods) and Acme 5 Lifestyle (interior heaven!).
We opted to go to Pioneertown in the early evening since we knew we’d be at the park the majority of Sunday and didn’t want to feel rushed. Pioneertown is a decent drive away from Joshua Tree — you won’t have service as you make your way out there and while you are there, so plan accordingly with navigation. We popped into Moon Wind Trading Co. on the way and the curation of this shop was a delightful surprise in the middle of the desert!
Once we got into Pioneertown the first item on our agenda was to see what the wait was for takeout at Pappy + Harriet’s, a very hyped up BBQ spot. Pretty much every Joshua Tree guide has this restaurant on the list and we were curious about if it was indeed, THAT good. We roamed through Pioneertown as we waited, in an out of the general store and various other shops and museums. It was like you stepped back in time or were in the middle of an old black & white Western film. After checking back at Pappy + Harriet’s, we decided to come back on Sunday so we ended up heading back into town to get take out at Joshua Tree Saloon for dinner.
Day One | Sunday
On Sunday, we woke up early and packed up for the park.
I highly recommend packing the following:
-Plenty of water!
-Layers (sweatshirt, comfortable shoes that are good for hiking, socks for hiking, a hat)
-Sunscreen
-Chapstick
-A fanny pack or backpack
-A map
-Snacks (protein bars, fruit, sandwich)
-Portable charger for your cell phone
-Camera
-Bandaids
Even though we left early, there were still quite a few people lined up at the west entrance to get in. There are several entrances and some are less busy than others, but we opted for the west since it was closer to our Airbnb. We mapped out all of the places we wanted to check out in the park prior to entering so we had a clear itinerary and custom mapped out how to navigate the park. Granted, you could spend way longer than one day in the park itself, but we wanted to see the highlights and get a little sweat in. We aren’t big hikers so we tend to stick to the more moderate and well-marked trails.
These were some of the places we visited inside the park:
Hidden Valley Nature Trail - We loved this hike! Not strenuous but you get a good introduction of the park and can soak in lots of beautiful views of the rocks and desert foliage.
Skull Rock Trail - We decided to do the loop that trails you through the park, climbing/walking over large rocks, however, the trail was poorly marked halfway through due to COVID reconfiguration and we ended up getting lost and wandering through unmarked areas and winding through an RV park until we finally asked a park ranger where the trail reconnected. Once we made it back to the main trail, the hike itself was steady but when we ended on skull rock we found it to be full of tourists, so we didn’t get too close.
Keys View - a quick jaunt up to a look out that overlooks the desert, it was a little socked in with smog when we went, but was still fun to soak up 360 degree views at the top.
Cap Rock Nature Trail - an easy trail that winds you through rock formations and desert foliage. We saw several people bouldering while we walked which was fun to see.
Cholla Cactus Garden - we ended at the garden and the change in landscape was incredible. It’s amazing to see how vastly different one side of the park can feel and look from the other.
After our day of hiking/wandering through the park we ventured out to stop by Monument House, three colorful buildings quite literally in the middle of the desert. I had spotted these on Instagram years back and had no idea where they were located so spotting them on our way out of the park was such a treat.
Once we left the park and cleaned up at the Airbnb, we decided to head back to Pioneertown to grab a bite at Pappy + Harriet’s. I am not going to lie, that BBQ was unreal. We highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area (it IS worth the long wait!) Mac and cheese, pulled pork and ribs hit differently after a day of hiking and being in the sunshine.
If you find yourself visiting Palm Springs, I recommend a 1-2 day trip out to Joshua Tree. Joshua Tree and the surrounding area is an experience - it’s a funky place where you can choose to slow down, relax, shop, explore or be active. There’s a range of activities for different personalities!