Joshua Tree? No, not the album!

[wardsgirl]

Hey VFTTers!

I am going to be in LA the week after next, and I will have some time on my hands. I am thinking of heading to Joshua Tree National Park, Anzo-Borrego State Park, and/or Los Padres NF (aka Big Sur). Is one better than the other in December? What kind of temps can I expect? What hikes or overnight backpacking trip is not to be missed in these areas?

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[DSettahr]

I've only been out there once, but if I were to go again, and really wanted to see some cool stuff, I'd go to the Mojave National Preserve instead. Fewer crowds, better sights. I highly recomend Kelso Dunes. Enormous sand dunes (600+ feet tall), and they are getting bigger all the time, so there are no concerns with erosion, and people are allowed to explore them as they please. Plus, when you run down the side, the dunes hum... it's quite an amazing thing to witness.

If you do go to Joshua Tree, I know that Ryan Mountain is the one mountain everyone climbs... so avoid it or choose that as a destination, depending on what you're looking for.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Plus, when you run down the side, the dunes hum... it's quite an amazing thing to witness.

Good call. Not much cooler in nature than singing sand dunes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/25/science/25find.html

 

[Chugach001]

J-Tree can be quite cold in the winter with howling winds. I spent a week there one January many years ago. The rock climbing is great but everything else is mediocre.

Though further, Death Valley is pretty awesome and (IMHO) a much better destination. I also think Hwy 395 is perhaps the most scenic in the US and worth a drive.

The Kelso dunes look pretty cool. Walking into Dunes and being surrounded on all sides is a pretty neat experience.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

I think your best bet for predicting temps is to go to Weather Underground and type in places - the suggestions people have made already cover a big chuck of real estate. Right now the temps where I live can range in the night from the teens to the 30's, and during the day from the 40's to the low 60's. And I agree with Chugach001 - US395 is perhaps the most scenic in the US. I live along side it, in the upper tip of the Mojave, just below the Owens Valley. If you do choose to drive a section of it, drive it as far as Bishop or even Mammoth, and either stay the night there, or turn around. It's pretty further north also, but not quite as much.

This time of year Death Valley is a great place to see and hike as the temps are mild. A couple of my favorites are Corkscrew and Wildrose, with Corkscrew being the longer hike. If you do Wildrose you'll have time to check out the charcoal kilns at the trailhead - they're big stone structures resembling bee hives. The road continues up to Mahagony Flats, the trailhead for Telescope. While the Panamint Range (where Wildrose & Telescope are located) hasn't received much snow this winter, the Park Service typically gates the road above the kilns in late November, as it can get icy even without much snowfall. A call to the Visitor Center will tell you the status.

If taller peaks appeal to you, Baldy (10,000') is quite near LA. You'll need crampons. Another good one is San Jacinto (11,800') near Palm Springs. Take the Tram up to 8,500' and hike to the summit. Bring crampons and some winter gear for those peaks.

I've put GPS tracks of those peaks on my account at Wikiloc.

Enjoy - there's a wide variety to geography to experience.

 

[TomD]

Doesn't look like much snow at Mt.San Jacinto yet. I was there in Feb. and there was a lot of snow-I was on skis, but saw a few snowshoers as well.
http://www.pstramway.com/
The site has a webcam setup, plus weather.

Mt. Baldy is open for skiing, but not sure about the conditions- doesn't look like much snow there either looking at their webcam, but crampons would be a good idea because it is thawing and freezing, so it could be icy. You could ride the chair lift up and hike from the Notch (at the top of the lift from the parking lot) since most of the runs aren't open yet.
www.mtbaldy.com

 

[erugs]

I enjoyed a trip to the Anza Borrego Desert about a dozen years ago, but that was in March. While I enjoyed my visit, I would say it wasn't enough of a calling card for me to return without seeing other places first. We went to the Wind Caves and Palm Canyon Trail. A nearby town, Julian, is known for its apple pies, if I remember correctly. I think the main interest people have in going there is to see desert flowers in bloom in spring, but I might be wrong about that. I have a guide book to the area. If you want to see it, just let me know.

 

[DrJJFate]

A trip to CA isn't complete until you visit IN-N-OUT.

A Double-Double with grilled onions cannot be beat!

 

[weatherman]

I went to Anza-Borrego several early Decembers ago in conjunction with a day to kill after a meeting in San Diego. It was worth the 100-mile drive, though maybe would not be worth a 300-mile drive. I was a desert newbie at the time, so anything like that would have been fascinating. At the time, the most interesting thing was the Palm Canyon Trail, a 3-mile one-way walk through beautiful but largely featureless desert to a very nice canyon with a stream and a large bunch of palms. I heard that it was washed out in a flash flood a few years later, after having been around for probably hundreds of years!
Julian was a cute little town, though I did not find the people particularly friendly, and for a New Englander, the apples and pie were nothing out of the ordinary.

So, perhaps worth a short trip, though do your Web homework first.
Enjoy.
Weatherman

 

[psmart]

...the Palm Canyon Trail, a 3-mile one-way walk through beautiful but largely featureless desert to a very nice canyon with a stream and a large bunch of palms.

This was a wonderful walk when I did it a number of years ago. Hope it's still there!

 

[wardsgirl]

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions! I'm going to print out all these destinations and see what I can put together for a week of exploration!

 

[Snowflea]

Where exactly will you be in LA? This is key because "LA" is huge, and traffic is usually a nightmare.

If you don't want to drive too far and want to experience warmer temps (you ARE in Southern California after all, so why not?), check out the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the Ojai area, or the mountains near Santa Barbara. All have LOTS of miles of trails, and you will most likely be able to wear shorts.

I live in the general area, Ventura County, where it was in the 70s today (aaah...). Please PM me if you'd like more info.

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

We were in the LA area in February and we really enjoyed our visit to Joshua Tree. Steve also spent three days in Death Valley and liked that as well.

In Joshua Tree we didn't do as much hiking - more seeing the sights. We did hike Ryan Mountain, but there were few people and I liked it.

Our pics from the trip are posted here (also includes the Channel Islands) if you want to get an idea for the parks: Southern California trip

Whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll have a great time. Enjoy!

 

[Paul_Bear]

I was at Joshua Tree for 3 days over Thanksgiving. Days varied from a high of 40 with a 20mph North wind (cold!) to calm and upper 50s (warm).

There are lots of nice short to medium day hikes which is what I did. The 7.5 mile Boy Scout Trail / Willow Grove hike was an excellent overview of the park (and almost entirely flat). There are half a dozen or so nature trails anywhere from a quarter mile to a mile or two. All were very nice and you can fill a day if you do a bunch of them. The 3 mile round trip to the 49 palm oasis was another nice short hike.

I saw some backpackers headed out on the Boy Scout trail for overnight hikes. I suspect the park doesn't get a lot of backpackers.

Big Sur is awesome too. I know I've done a bunch of hikes at the various state parks in the area, but I really can't remember the names of any of them.

 

[marty]

Hi Wardsgirl,

Joshua Tree is nice. We chose the Lost Horse Mine hike over Ryan Mountain, since it was a longer hike and a loop. The highlights were a bald 360 degree summit, the mine itself and tons of Joshua Trees on the descent (we went clockwise).

Our favorite place to hike is the Indian Canyons, just south of Palm Springs. It features massive fan palm oases, fast running creeks and spectacular views of the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains.

For easy hikes, I recommend the Murray Canyon/Coffman/West Fork Trail loop. Murray Creek is the largest of the creeks. You can continue beyond the main trail and take a path to the Seven Sisters Waterfalls. We got close to the falls, but turned around when my wife fell into the creek during a crossing.

Another nice and easy hike is the Palm Canyon/Victor trail loop. It is a bit more crowded, though.

For a longer hike, we LOVED the Maynard Mine Trail. It is about a 6.5-7 mile RT. It climbs up to a ridge and then downhill a bit to the mine. the views are amazing, especially after you get up and over the ridge, as you are right at the base of the snowcapped San Jacinto Mountains. Murray Canyon is right below you and there is a loud roar from the stream. You eventually come to a plaque for the mine and have to scramble to the right downhill to get to the mine itself, which is very impressive.

Please note that there is an $8.00 per person entry fee and the owners (Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians) give you a trail map at the entrance. You will find lots of tourists, but if you get a ways from from the parking lots, the crowds dissipate.

We are heading back to the area in March.

Have fun!

Marty

 

[wardsgirl]

Thanks Marty! I am in LA right now (where it was 70 degrees and sunny today!) and have lots of options for next week.

I think I'll head to Joshua Tree and check out some of the hikes you and the others have mentioned. Then I'll head further north to the Mojave and the Rt 395 thing. Stinkyfeet gave me a lot of great ideas right in her stomping grounds too!

I only have one week! LOL!

 

[wardsgirl]

Thanks you guys!

I just posted my TR here:

http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=38919