GORP - Joshua Tree - Top 10 Winter Family Getaways

Sign Up |
Feedback

Home
Destination Guides
Activity Guides
National Parks
City Guides
Outdoor Gear
Adventure Vacations
Campgrounds

Destination Forums
Parks Forum
Gear Forum
Food
Pets
Family

Search:

from Away.com

Related Guides

California Vacations
Twentynine Palms Vacations
Twentynine Palms Hotels
Twentynine Palms Flights
Twentynine Palms Trips
Twentynine Palms Airports
Hiking/Trekking

Popular Cities in California

Palm Springs
Los Angeles
San Francisco
San Diego
Oakland
Sacramento
Santa Barbara
San Jose
Long Beach
Hollywood
Manhattan Beach
Pasadena
Santa Monica
Big Sur
Monterey
Anaheim
Laguna Beach
Oceanside
Napa
South Lake Tahoe


	Introduction
	Methow Valley
	Lake Tahoe, CA
	Joshua Tree NP
	Rocky Mtn. NP
	Taos, NM
	Upper Peninsula, Michigan
	Snowshoe, WV
	Kiawah Island, SC
	Sanibel Island, FL
	Waterville Val., NH


	Summer's Top Parks
	Summer Mountain Festivals
	Beach Travel Blog
	Parks and Outdoors Guide
	2008 Summer Buyer's Guide from Outside Online

COMMUNITY




		Winter Family Getaway Spots
		By Alice Cary, GORP Family Expert

Desert Delights

	Joshua Tree National Park, California

How about a winter retreat that offers something besides skiing or surfing?

Take your family to Joshua Tree National Park, where you can bask in the sun while exploring some amazing desert scenery. Here two deserts at different altitudes meet — the high Mojave and the low Colorado — resulting in nearly 800,000 acres of spectacular sights.

Joshua Tree's namesake

The park gets its name from the spiky, crooked, and very dramatic"praying plant" — one of the most spectacular plants found in southwestern deserts. The tree can grow as high as 40 feet tall.

The park offers many short nature walks perfect for families. In addition to the abundant natural highlights, man has left his mark too. For instance, check out the Indian rock paintings along the 1.1-mile Barker Dam Trail.

Don't miss the Desert Queen Ranch, built in the early 1900s, that has been restored. The grounds include the house, a small school, a store, workshop and replanted orchard. The 90-minute, ranger-led walking tour covers about a = mile of territory. Kids will be fascinated by this peek at bygone days.

Teach your kids the meaning of the word "oasis" with a visit to one of Joshua Tree's five lush spots. Families with a bit of energy will love the 3.7-mile trek to the largest, the Lost Palms Oasis, a perfect picnic destination.

Resources
Joshua Tree National Park, California

GORP's JTNP Homepage
All the information you need, from how to get there to what to do. Includes information on hiking, camping, horseback riding, rock climbing, nature trails and mountain biking, as well as contacts and lodging information.

Be sure to check out nearby San Bernadino National Forest and Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, two of many great southern California desert destinations.

Still haven't gotten enough desert? Learn more at Palm Spring's Desert Museum (www.psmuseum.org), which features exhibitions, tours, programs, and sponsored hikes — rated from easy to strenuous — twice weekly.

GORP's Southern California Map
Plan your whole trip by seeing Joshua Tree in relation to its neighboring points of interest.

GORP's California Homepage
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Golden State. Enjoy your trip!

Back to