Joshua Tree National Park was the grand finale of our trip to Southern California. We planned three days in the park to sight see and hike. Joshua Tree was definitely one of the most unique places I have ever been; there is truly no other place like it that I know of. I think Joshua Tree was also Norah’s favorite part of the whole trip. Joshua Tree lends itself to easy hiking and scrambling over moderate terrain, so we were able to turn Norah loose and let her hike, climb, and explore on her own free from the backpack.

Over the course of our three days in Joshua Tree National Park we visited most of the unique natural areas including Skull Rock, Jumbo Rocks, Arch Rock, Cholla Cactus Garden, Keys View, Cap Rock, and Barker Dam. We also did one longer hike to the summit of Ryan Mountain. I was happy that we were able to let Norah hike more on her own at Joshua Tree National Park and she really liked playing in the sand and exploring the rocks.

We’ll definitely be back to Joshua Tree on a future trip. There are an infinite number of places to explore in JTree, and once Norah gets a little older I’ll introduce her to rock climbing!