GET OFF THE FUTON!

 

I must admit, when I told friends and family about my plans for this trip to the desert, I didn’t get the same level of enthusiasm that I had on previous trips. It was met mostly with skepticism, “Why would you want to go to a desert? That sounds boring.” or, “You’ll be camping in a van? Better you than me.” Of course, they were probably envisioning simply a vast area of sand. We were going to the Mojave Desert in Southern California, which is a bit different and includes two very interesting National Parks–Joshua Tree and Death Valley. If you have an interest in the natural wonders of the world, I highly recommend including the Mojave on your bucket list. Using a campervan saved time, money, and was quite comfortable. My only regret? I wish we had more time. We covered 914 miles in six days!

The Campervan

A few years ago I read an article about a company that had converted the old VW vans into campervans painted in colorful hippie themes. That just sounded so neat. Why wouldn’t we do that one day? Why not on this trip? Unfortunately, they don’t rent VW Vans in Las Vegas, but we did find Escape Campervans who were a great substitute. Our van was called “Eye Catcher.” It came equipped with a dining area that converted into a bed (yep, a futon). The kitchen in the back of the van had a two-burner stove, small solar refrigerator, and a sink. It included all the essentials. We supplemented with Dollar Store items (e.g., wine glasses).

Joshua Tree National Park

After collecting our van and supplies in Las Vegas, we headed 194 miles to Joshua Tree National Park. The park is in two desert ecosystems: Mojave and Colorado/Sonoran. With just two nights, we planned to explore only the Mojave Desert component. This part of the park is considered the “high desert” and contains interesting boulders and rock formations dotted with the infamous Joshua Trees and Yuccas.

Day #1: No Campsite. Out in the Middle of Nowhere.

It took us longer than planned to gather all of our supplies. Then, we missed a turn, adding 28 miles to the trip. When we arrived at Joshua Tree around 6:00 pm., all campgrounds were full. I knew that the park could get crowded on the weekend, but to be full on a Tuesday was unexpected. It was spring break. Who knew? We had planned to stay two nights at either the White Tank or Jumbo Rocks Campgrounds. Instead, we camped out on a Bureau of Land Management site out in the middle of nowhere. I cooked our first dinner in the dark. Luckily, I had purchased a head lamp. No worries. Sleeping in the van was extremely quiet and comfortable. Facilities, you ask? I’ll leave that up to your imagination.

Day #2: Joshua Tree, Jumbo Rocks

Not wanting to repeat another night without facilities, we got up early and claimed a campsite in Jumbo Rocks by 9:30 am. Even though we had the van, we pitched a tent among the boulders. Call it romantic or practical. Either way we intended to show occupancy should we drive anywhere.

We set out for the Skull Rock trailhead which was just down the road. Skull Rock is a short nature trail to a large area full of boulders. We easily found the granite rock that had been eroded by water to resemble a skull. We saw patterns in other rock formations as well. For example, we found one that looked like George Washington sleeping. We enjoyed watching everyone scramble among the rocks.

The original plan was to head out to Keys View and/or 49 Palm Oasis to hike and see more of the area. But, we found the scenery so interesting here and just enjoyed walking around, so we decided to chill. This gave us plenty of time to prepare the coals for our steak hobo packs and relax with a glass of wine. There is something about camping that brings people together. We met very friendly neighbors and enjoyed good conversation and smores around the campfire.

Mojave National Preserve

When I started planning this trip, I knew nothing about Mojave National Preserve. It is roughly 1.6 million acres in the heart of the Mojave Desert. For me, it was a halfway point between Joshua Tree and Death Valley and it had campsites. It is 178 miles from Joshua Tree to Mojave Preserve and much driving is on grated dirt roads. There is no civilization for miles, so definitely top off the gas tank in Twentynine Palms before heading out.

Day #3: Kelso Dunes and Hole-in-the-Wall

Our first stop in Mojave National Preserve was Kelso Dunes. The dunes cover 45 square miles and rise 650 feet above the desert floor. The plan was to hike to the top to see the surrounding dunes and then run down the dunes hoping to make a “booming” sound. This is a three-mile out and back hike that according to the reviews would take about two hours. Well, after a couple of hours of slogging through the sand we still had a long way to go to the top. We noticed that the wind was picking up. Having no interest in getting sand blasted we decided this  hike was not for us and headed on to Kelso Depot. That turned out to be a smart decision, which I’ll explain later.

Kelso Depot originally opened in 1924 as a train station. Now it is the Mojave National Preserve Visitor Center. This is a good place to get information on interesting sites in the area and to find out about off-road camping should the campgrounds be filled. Camping is allowed anywhere in the Preserve off the main road where signs of previous camping (e.g., fire ring) can be seen. While we made note of this, we preferred an official site with facilities. Our original plan was to go to the Lava Tubes next, but weather was definitely changing. So, we headed straight to the campground.

Hole-in-the-Wall Campground and the Rings Trail

Hole-in-the-Wall Campground isn’t all that romantic. It’s a big open field with driveways for campers. You can’t beat the price though, ($12) and they do have facilities (pit toilets and pump water).

Since it was still early enough for a hike, we set out to find the Rings Trail. It had gotten cooler, so we put on our heavier jackets. I hadn’t fully committed to the Rings Trail in our itinerary, because I had read that it was too strenuous. Now I am glad we hiked it. The Banshee Canyon is amazing. If arm strength is a concern, I recommend the route we took. Follow the road behind the visitor center down to the Ring Trail signs. I used my legs and back against the rocks to climb down into the canyon. No need to climb back up. Follow the trail which circles the canyon and returns in front of the Visitors Center.

Remember the sand blasting we experienced at the dunes? The wind picked up quite a bit more and it got much colder. Both of us received warnings on our cell phones to expect 60 mph winds. We were so happy to have the campervan to eat and sleep in. Those in tents did not fair so well. One car packed up and left.

Day #4 Morning: Lava Tubes

The next morning, we had a choice, continue as originally planned to Teutonia Peak to see the largest forest of Joshua Trees in the U.S. or see the Lave Tubes we missed yesterday. There are extensive forests of Joshua Trees everywhere in Mojave, but I didn’t know if we’d ever have another opportunity to climb into a Lava Tube. The Tubes are a short detour off Kelbaker Road (check with the visitor’s center for exact directions). We got there at a perfect time (between 10 am and 1 pm), so we did catch the famous “shaft of light.”

Death Valley National Park

It is about 200 miles from Mojave National Preserve to Death Valley, so definitely stop in Baker to get gas. Also, check out the World’s tallest thermometer. We made the mistake of eating lunch in Baker. Don’t make the same mistake. We only allocated about two days in Death Valley, but definitely allocate more time if you can. There is so much to see. There are plenty of places to stay. We stayed at the Ranch at Furnace Creek Campground, which is an RV park. It wasn’t very romantic, but, we did have access to showers, a pool, and restaurants, a high priority at this point.

Day #4 Afternoon: Death Valley National Park, Zabrieskie Point Overlerlook

I highly recommend Zabrieskie Point Overlook be your first stop in Death Valley National Park. This is the most famous viewpoint in the park. It is an elevated overlook of the unusual, but colorful landscape. It is a great first introduction to Black Mountains, the badlands terrain and the canyons and gulches. Many return here for the sunset view.

Day #5: Death Valley Must See Sites

There is a lot to see and plenty of hiking in Death Valley National Park. We fit in as much as we could into the few days we had. These are what we narrowed down as the top sites. We would have to save Ubehebe Crater, Golden Canyon, Racetrack Playa, and so much more, for another visit.

Salt Creek and Pup Fish

Salt Creek is one of the few places to find water in Death Valley. The water is very salty, four times more saline than the ocean. This stream is the only home of the rare Salt Creek Pupfish, the last survivor of Lake Manly. Spring is spawning season for the Pupfish, so they were quite active and there was plenty of water. We feel lucky to have seen them.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes is one of the five major sand dune areas in Death Valley. We love the contrast of the dune with the mountains in the background. If your are a Star Wars fan, you can imagine C3PO and R2D2 when they were lost in the sand dunes of Tatooine. We’d had enough of sand, so we opted to just enjoy the scenery.

Mosaic Canyon

Mosaic Canyon is a stunning display with its smooth polished marbled walls. It’s an easy hike from the parking lot to this first part of the canyon. Many people stop here.

We decided to go the full trail, which is 3.5 miles out and back hike. The trail begins along a gravel dry-bed, which I found long and hot. Thanks to encouragement from returning hikers, we kept going and it did get interesting but fairly difficult

We had to climb over many rocks, some quite worn and slippery. Finally, we came to the first, small dry waterfall and thought, “Oh my, do we need to climb this?” Going up would be doable, but we were not experienced enough to climb down. There had to be another way. We retraced our steps and found the easier path up. After more scrambling over rocks, we arrived at the end. The reward is a large 25-foot dry waterfall. We stayed awhile in the shade of the canyon and imagined the water that must have flowed here millions of years ago.

Devil’s Golf Course

Devil’s Golf Course is an odd-looking area. It is a salt pan that has been sculpted by wind and rain into jagged salt pinnacles. It was named from the well-known statement, “only the devil could play golf on such rough links.” Pictures on site show a lot more salt and some that even look like golf balls. We didn’t hear any pops from the salt crystals. Perhaps it wasn’t hot enough, yet.

Badwater Basin and Salt Flats

Badwater Basin is the lowest point in North America at roughly 282 feet below sea level. It is a surreal landscape of vast salt flats covering over 200 square miles. It is amazing to see that much table salt spread out for as far as the eye can see. There are no paths. You can walk out as far as you want.

Artist’s Drive and Artist’s Palette

On the way back to our campsite, we took the 9-mile detour along Artist Drive. It would have been a great stop for a sunset, as many were doing. But, we’d had enough for the day. Artist’s Palette is an area on the face of Black Mountains noted for the variety of rock colors. Beautiful colors not fully captured by my camera. Lots of orange, pink, yellow and some bluish-green.

Day #6: Death Valley Canyons and Badlands

This was our last morning in Death Valley. Our goal for this morning was to experience the Death Valley Badlands.

Badlands Loop

Badlands Loops is a 2.5 mile hike into the Badlands below Zabrieskie Point. The trail winds down into a Gowers Gulch as seen from above at the Point, meanders up a badlands slope and then back down into the gulch. This is surreal landscape with amazing views of yellow and tan striped mudstone.

 

Twenty Mule Team Canyon

On the way out of the park we took a detour down a 2.8 mile dirt road through canyons and badlands know as Twenty Mule Team Canyon drive. Here is more picturesque views of the badlands as well as old mines established in the early 1900s by prospectors looking for borax and gypsum. The canyon is named for the famed mule team wagons that brought Borax from Death Valley to the rail lines to the south even though they did not actually pass through this canyon.

Dante’s View

Our final stop before heading back to Las Vegas was a winding and steep drive up Black Mountains to the Dante’s View Overlook. The panoramic view of Death Valley and Panamint Range simply cannot be captured in a picture. Just imagine, at this point you see Death Valley’s two extremes:  the Badwater Basin salt flats at 282 feet below sea level and Telescope Peak, the highest in the park, at 11,049 feet.