Joshua Tree (1 Viewer)

[chap79]

Expect it to be very hot, forecast for 29Palms is 110 on Saturday and there is NO WATER OR CELL SERVICE. Even CB and HAM can be spotty due to the mountain terrain. If sticking to the National Park roads there shouldn’t be any issues as most are paved and gravel roads are pretty well maintained. Trails like Gold Crown and Old Dale have lots of sand and shale rock. Sidewall punctures are a very serious risk.

It’s a wonderful area to explore but this time of year the outlining areas won’t be very traveled. I’ve gone days out there without seeing another car. Take lots of water, some food, sun screen, hat, and some source of shade just in case. Better to be over prepared than under.

As a last note there is also no fuel out there. So filling up at 29Palms will be you’re last stop before entering the park.

 

[martianluther]

Has anyone had any experience out in Joshua Tree? Wife wants to take a camping trip out there and I want to hit some trails. Any suggestions?

ditto! we are going Nov 16th weekend... i'm following all threads looking for insights on what to do. Wifey wants to camp. I want to wheel

 

[martianluther]

I might know a little bit about the area. I think I've wheeled every corner of it. View attachment 1965724View attachment 1965728View attachment 1965729

Ive never been to JT, Wifey wants to go soon. I'm pushing a stock LC with 305 65 18s. I'd love to find some nice camping areas and some fun roads to run the truck over. Nothing too challenging. No winch or lift or any of the goodies for real off roading but if you have any suggestions about routes or places to go or to avoid, i'm wide open for suggestions. Thanks for posting the maps.

 

[martianluther]

I've been out there a bunch too and will be there May 9-12. PM me if you'll be there then.
Old Dale has one short moderate section, and is otherwise easy.
Chap79, how does Berdoo compare? I've only done the north part of Berdoo, which I would describe similarly .

Headed to JT for the first time in Nov. Stock LC 2007 plus AT 3W falken tires. Stock stock..no off road anything on the rig yet.
If you don't mind, what are some good campgrounds to check out, trails to hike or roads for the truck to ride with out too much difficulty?
THx

 

[martianluther]

Expect it to be very hot, forecast for 29Palms is 110 on Saturday and there is NO WATER OR CELL SERVICE. Even CB and HAM can be spotty due to the mountain terrain. If sticking to the National Park roads there shouldn’t be any issues as most are paved and gravel roads are pretty well maintained. Trails like Gold Crown and Old Dale have lots of sand and shale rock. Sidewall punctures are a very serious risk.

It’s a wonderful area to explore but this time of year the outlining areas won’t be very traveled. I’ve gone days out there without seeing another car. Take lots of water, some food, sun screen, hat, and some source of shade just in case. Better to be over prepared than under.

As a last note there is also no fuel out there. So filling up at 29Palms will be you’re last stop before entering the park.

This is the type of info I was hoping to find. Thx
Do you know what kind of weather to expect mid Novemberish time of year?

 

[chap79]

Headed to JT for the first time in Nov. Stock LC 2007 plus AT 3W falken tires. Stock stock..no off road anything on the rig yet.
If you don't mind, what are some good campgrounds to check out, trails to hike or roads for the truck to ride with out too much difficulty?
THx

Most of the roads out in the Old Dale area are passable in a stock Cruiser with decent tires. Stay away from Doberman Mtn though, it has some big rocks and tricky switchbacks. The back loop of Brooklyn Mine Jeep Trail has a few rocks and narrow spots, but we even guided an outfitted Ford Excursion through there once. Stay aware of your surroundings, THERE ARE VERTICAL MINE SHAFTS RIGHT NEXT TO THE ROAD IN CERTAIN SPOTS! Just keep your eyes open and don't blindly drive over hills. Get out and walk blind spots first to ensure everyones safety, especailly if there's only one vehicle is going. And keep eye on children and pets, some of the vertical shafts go down more than 200 ft.

Do you know what kind of weather to expect mid Novemberish time of year?

Mid November time of year expect day time temperatures to be between 65-75. Night time temps probably between 35-50 depending on the wind. And is can get very windy out there, 40-50 mph gusts. If rain is expected stay out of the washes. Flash flooding and washing out the roads with sand does happen. JT park and surrounding BLM areas are probably my favorite SoCal desert areas. Lots of great history to explore.

That said, just a reminder to folks that all stuff out there that has been there for 50+ years has archaeological protection and cannot be removed from the sites. Even if it does just look like trash.

 

[martianluther]

Most of the roads out in the Old Dale area are passable in a stock Cruiser with decent tires. Stay away from Doberman Mtn though, it has some big rocks and tricky switchbacks. The back loop of Brooklyn Mine Jeep Trail has a few rocks and narrow spots, but we even guided an outfitted Ford Excursion through there once. Stay aware of your surroundings, THERE ARE VERTICAL MINE SHAFTS RIGHT NEXT TO THE ROAD IN CERTAIN SPOTS! Just keep your eyes open and don't blindly drive over hills. Get out and walk blind spots first to ensure everyones safety, especailly if there's only one vehicle is going. And keep eye on children and pets, some of the vertical shafts go down more than 200 ft.


Mid November time of year expect day time temperatures to be between 65-75. Night time temps probably between 35-50 depending on the wind. And is can get very windy out there, 40-50 mph gusts. If rain is expected stay out of the washes. Flash flooding and washing out the roads with sand does happen. JT park and surrounding BLM areas are probably my favorite SoCal desert areas. Lots of great history to explore.

That said, just a reminder to folks that all stuff out there that has been there for 50+ years has archaeological protection and cannot be removed from the sites. Even if it does just look like trash.

Fantastic insights. You are a gentleman and a scholar. MUCH APPRECIATED!!!

 

[RET2]

Hopefully you are taking some type of GPS or mapping equipment with you. Getting a map at one of the ranger stations is always a good idea as well.

 

[martianluther]

Hopefully you are taking some type of GPS or mapping equipment with you. Getting a map at one of the ranger stations is always a good idea as well.

Speaking of which, what’s the standard equipment used for this? Downloading to an iPad ahead of time ? Extreme beginner

Maybe there’s a website or business that specializes in essential camping/ off road must haves

 

[Mogwai]

Speaking of which, what’s the standard equipment used for this? Downloading to an iPad ahead of time ? Extreme beginner

Maybe there’s a website or business that specializes in essential camping/ off road must haves

The most rudimentary method is a paper map - you can download topo maps off the Joshua Tree website, but they're a bit of a pain because they are all broken up into small sections. If you know where you're going though you could download and print the ones you need. And/or stop at a ranger station as @RET2 mentioned. The next thing I'd do is go into Google Maps on whatever device(s) you'll have with you, go to Offline Maps, find Joshua tree, and download the whole region. I do this wherever I'm going. Then on top of that, you could pay for Gaia GPS - same idea but they have more detail than google maps. Make sure you download their maps to offline as well. And I'm sure there are a slew of other options similar to Gaia, but that one seems to work.

 

[RET2]

X2 for Gaia however it's not something that you could learn in one day. Another option is a program called Scenic Maps West. It is 1 download and done deal and only costs about $13. Not as detailed as Gaia but for the $ it would do what you need in a quickie.

 

[chap79]

All the maps are on the first page of this thread.

 

[Mogwai]

All the maps are on the first page of this thread.

That's funny, didn't even notice that!