Being that I am always on the lookout for a sentence that I can repeat until people either laugh or grab their hair and scream, my most recent trip out of Los Angeles to Joshua Tree provided me with just such a sentence… I’m a recent transplant to LA, and an active rock climber, so I was very eager to get out and explore the local areas to not only rock climb, but to grab a beer when the day was finished. In an effort to do just that, this past weekend some friends and I decided to make the two-hour trek out to Joshua Tree to see what we could find.

Driving to Joshua Tree proved to be fairly straightforward, basically consisting of taking the I-10 (”the 10,” as the natives call it) to CA-62 and making a left; however, the drive is fraught with one danger: the elusive, and notoriously poorly-marked, exit 117. While driving on the 10, one must find exit 117 to transfer to CA-62. Being that our destination is a large national park, one would expect there to be several signs (e.g., “Joshua Tree 5 miles… Joshua Tree 1 mile… You just passed Joshua Tree…”), however there is only one small (and very easy to miss) sign denoting any reference to Joshua Tree. Be sure to keep an eye out for the right exit or you may have to endure several miles of banter from the rest of the occupants of your car while you continue on to the next exit to turn around!

Another adventure which lay in store for any of those adventurous enough to make the trek is the drive through the Banning Pass. This is the section of the 10 which passes through a large windmill farm, and for those of us who have never driven through a forest of spinning “death blades,” this portion of the drive can be oddly captivating (or maybe that’s just me). I’d highly suggest to anyone driving through this area that you try to add sound effects to the spinning windmills by shouting “Whosh! Whosh! Whosh!” as you pass each windmill. The other occupants of your car will no appreciate your efforts to make the experience all the more vivid.

Anyway, back to Joshua Tree. Once on CA-62, one will have to make one more right turn to enter the park. The right turn comes just after a restaurant which should be a key stop on any trip to Joshua Tree: the Crossroads Café and Tavern. Stop in and say hello to Bonnie, the owner, and enjoy a burger, beer, and perhaps some of the local orange cream soda (which tastes oddly just like the orange popsicle depicted on the bottle.)

Entrance to the park does require a fee. If you plan to visit the park more than once in the year (or if you plan to visit any of the other surrounding parks, such as Yosemite or Red Rocks) then it may be worth it to purchase an annual pass. These passes typically cost about $80, where as the daily passes typically start at $15.

One more quick survival tip for all you rock climbers visiting Joshua Tree for the first time: the guide book for Joshua Tree is notorious among all climbers for being completely unorganized and impossible to follow. The only way to actually locate good climbs on your first trip out is to tag along with climbers who have been there before. (If you are in need of some local know-how, there are two climbing shops immediately next door to the Crossroads Café and Tavern.)

For everyone, climbers and non, once you have entered the park, you will finally understand the seed to the sentence which I spent the day repeating: the Joshua Tree. Yes, much to my surprise, the area actually takes its name from a unique tree which is found in large numbers in the area. This tree requires no description, as it will be immediately discernible to anyone entering the park, and should provide endless hours of literary entertainment: “You see that tree? That’s a ‘Joshua Tree’ tree…”

-Justin Beitler

Tags: national parks

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