Our annual National Park visit took us on an overnight glamping trip to Joshua Tree. It's about 3.5 hours outside of Vegas and beautiful. Somehow even with living so close neither of us had been to Joshua Tree. We stayed one night and opted to splurge at a site with extra amenities.
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We paid for our stay with our Capital One Credit Card points. This card has a higher annual fee but comes with some unbeatable travel benefits so it's been worth it to us! I also have their free card, which has been great. It's so easy through the Capital One app to book travel with points. There were tons of options and we chose one that was both baby friendly and dog friendly. There was an extra pet fee for Star which definitely isn't unusual.
Here’s a link to our glamping destination.
AutoCamp Joshua Tree, CA:
We’d go back in a heart beat!
We arrived in time for our 4pm checkin since we wanted to maximize our time at the site. They were a little late getting our room ready and offered us each a snack from the mini deli. This was perfect for us and we were happy to wait.
The actual site had so much to explore! Sunny especially enjoyed stacking the giant jenga blocks and putting rocks on the swings. We also loved listening to the live music provided in the lobby and wandering around the campground.
We chose a campsite with its own fire pit, table and chairs. It also happened to have both an indoor and outdoor shower. We brought hotdogs, chips, drinks, beans and s’mores for dinner. Sunny's a big fan of hotdogs and our dog of course is too! The site requires you to use their specific firewood rather than bringing your own. They also have a general use fire pit available for anyone staying on site. I really appreciated that there weren't any cars allowed in the campground area. They provided wagons to transport luggage to and from the parking lot. It made wandering with Sunny feel extra safe.
The cabin we reserved had two sections: a bedroom and a main living room/kitchen area. There was just enough space for Sunny's pack n' play in the room with us. We learned the hard way on this trip that her best sleep happens when she's in a separate space from mom and dad. It was way too exciting to have us in the room with her and I don't think any of us had more than a collective 2 hours of sleep- except the dog, who slept like a dream. We just kept seeing her little eyes peeking over at us from the pack n'play at the edge of the bed. Thinking back on it, even two hours would have been amazing. I eventually moved from the bed to the small couch/futon in the kitchen area. Star was thrilled and made herself at home right next to me. After this experience in Joshua Tree we decided to bite the bullet and buy the SlumberPod. We now bring that 7lb sleep tent with us everywhere we go, ha!
Day 2
The next morning we had an early start with making breakfast burritos in our mini kitchen. We hoped Sunny might sleep in but no such luck this time! We hit the road and were in awe from the moment we entered the park. Driving through the west entrance we were amazed by the size of the Joshua trees. The landscape comes with its own special beauty that we can so easily take for granted living in a desert.
We were fairly limited with our time in the actual park so we prioritized hitting a few highlights rather than try to fit everything in. There's so many things I'd love to go back and see! I particularly would love to be there on a clear night to see the stars. We happened to plan on our trip on a cloudy/rainy weekend which brought it's own kind of magic.
Sites/Hikes
Hidden Valley: We absolutely loved this spot! We let Sunny climb around in some of the more open areas and we enjoyed hiking around as a family. We spent about an hour exploring Hidden Valley and likely could have spent much more time there. It's perfect for kids!
2. Skull Rock: A quick stop with lots to explore! The main site is just a short walk from the parking area. We loved this unique rock formation. Sunny especially enjoyed adventuring through a nearby tunnel just her size.
3. Cholla Cactus Garden: My personal favorite and our last stop before heading home! I've never seen anything like the Cholla Cactus Garden. It's hard for any pictures to do it justice. It was a bit out of the way but totally worth it. We had to keep Sunny in her carrier because there are needles everywhere. Evidently the cholla cactus are very prone to falling off almost at random and clinging to people. There's a path that winds through the garden and if you stay on track you'll be safe from these "fluff" balls.
We'd love to go back to Joshua Tree National Park. It really blew our expectations out of the water. I definitely wouldn't want to visit during the summer but March was perfect!
Have you been to Joshua Tree? What were your favorite sites? We'd love to hear!
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