It was time for another road trip, even though we were still marveling at the wonders that we experienced just last summer on our Oregon Coast - Olympic Park - Mount Rainer trip. But here it was the dead of Winter (January 2026) and the USA was in a cold freeze, so what better time to head to the desert!! The goal was to see two National Parks that I've heard about from so many people and yet, even though they are close, never visited. Time to fix that!
The plan was 6 days, 5 nights, catch the highlights of Joshua Tree National Park and Death Valley National Park. Several times over the last few years when I'd run into a visitor from Europe at a National Park, they'd often tell me their favorite park was Death Valley. My internal reaction was like... "huh? have ya ever been to Yosemite? Sequoia? Kings Canyon? Redwood?" We have a lot of beauty in California and I wasn't sure the desert was the pinnacle (no pun intended, I liked that park, too). But as is often the case with preconceived notions, I was playing with less than full information. This trip gave me much appreciation for the unique beauty that is the Mojave Desert region.
With many dirt roads and sandy areas to explore, this trip would not be in my beloved road-tripper Porsche GT3. Instead, we'd be taking our very off-road capable 2021 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison. The Bison edition was a collaboration between Chevy and AEV Offroad, and came from the factory with all kinds of goodies, including modified control arms and Multimatic DSSV dampers for absorbing bumps and jumps, wrap-around steel bumpers, hardened Boron-steel skid plates, rock sliders, and extra lights, bigger wheels and tires, etc. It's the right tool for this job. And pretty dang comfy inside!! I knew I'd miss the GT3 on the twisties, but not in the deep sand.
With the recently-installed bed cover, we had all the room we needed for our desert adventure, protected from the elements, including a recovery kit I put together for the "just in case" moments.
The emergency kit included: An Etenwolf Vortex S6 Air Compressor and tire inflator, Bunker foldable recovery tire mats (in case of mud or sand), coolant, motor oil, tow straps and hooks, gloves, flashlights, water, etc. Stuff you hope you don't need.
Day 1 Danville → Red Rock Canyon State Park, Ridgecrest (Mojave Desert)
The first day would take us along the very boring section of Interstate 5 down into Bakersfield, where we turn East on Highway 58 through Tehachapi and into the first parts of the Mojave Desert. Our stay for the first night will be near Ridgecrest, a total drive of 370 miles and about 5.5 hours without stops. But we left time for multiple stops along the way. After all, that's what road-trippin' is about: leaving room for discovery of weird and odd and fun things along the way! We know for sure we will be stopping at Red Rock Canyon State Park to do our first hike on the Hagen Canyon Nature Trail.
You know you've arrived in the Mojave Desert when you realize that the road builders had absolutely nothing to get in their way of laying down looooong flat strips of asphalt that would make an Air Force base jealous.
About 4.5 hours to our first stop (other than that In-n-Out double-double back in Bakersfield) was at Red Cliffs State Park. The Hagen Canyon Nature Trail is a short 1 mile, scenic badlands loop with red cliffs, which are "hoodoo" rock formations that remind me of Bryce Canyon in Utah, just on a much smaller scale. We can already see we are going to have a week-long geology lesson out here! (hint: I love geology, so forgive my rock pics).
After a short visit, we were headed to our AirBnB to catch sunset. This is the first time I have had an AirBnB host message me "we will meet you on the main road and show you the way". That's because we had booked some "Eco Pods" in the desert, with about a 15-minute dirt road entry (rough road, too.... happy we are in the truck for this trip). Our host guided us to a secluded spot (Jill wondering to me about maybe getting attacked by critters at night).
But no worries when we arrived! We had a beautiful 3-pod "glamping" home for the night. More than glamping, but less than a full home. Heated bedroom pods with TV, internet, and roll up doors for desert views. A beautiful bathroom with views, and a fantastic set-up for a fire and stargazing, plus a grill for cooking dinner and breakfast. Nobody within miles of us, the owners have something like 640 acres out here and most is surrounded by Federal land. So yeah... secluded !!
We even walked a quarter mile out to a palapa the owner had made for.... IDK. But a good spot for a beer at sunset. We then settled in for an evening fire and some excellent stargazing.
Day 2: Red Rock → Death Valley
Day two was planned for visiting a number of sights in Northern and Western Death Valley on our way to our next stay: 2 nights at the Inn at Death Valley, about a 3 hour 15 minute drive way. But we would take all day getting there.
We headed North on I-395 toward Mammoth Mountain and Bishop. We got gas in Ridgecrest because, like bathrooms out here, get gas when you can, not when you have to. Shortly after leaving Ridgecrest, our first couple stops were unplanned.
We came across what was once a funky roadside attraction, closed for now. But I loved the old car on wagon wheels, seemingly straight outta "The Grapes of Wrath"!
We came across a sign for "Fossil Falls", so of course we had to detour onto the dirt road. Turns out it's an ancient lava flow that was smoothed over by the Owens River and created some cool canyons, all dried up now. We hiked around for 30 minutes or so and got some good lessons in more local geology!
We continued North on I-395 to Highway 190 East. I went this direction because it allows you to enter Death Valley from the heights above at the Father Crowley Overlook. You really need a high-clearance vehicle to go to the terminus of the Father Crowley overlook, but that didn't stop a couple intrepid visitors in a rented Camry from taking the rough road anyway. Never buy a used rental car!
The overlook lets you see what is coming, which is a crazy set of switchbacks taking you quickly to the valley floor.
So, down we went!! Kinda missing the sports car right then. But then... the road opens up for a straight shot into the Valley of Death! Trivia: the name of this place came from a set of pioneers know as the Bennet-Arcane party (Aka the "Lost 49ers"). They got lost on their way to the gold fields of California and upon finally getting out of the valley up into the Panamint Mountains, one of the members was reported as turning back to say: "Goodbye, Death Valley"
Next stop was Mosaic Canyon, which turned out to be a spectacular walk through granite canyons with amazing stratification and a combination of very tight formations and less-consolidated rocks. Clearly this canyon went through some crazy times during the Earth's formation. Its story is told in layers that are mesmerizing in the clear desert sun.
Our next stop, just minutes away, were the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, where you can walk for miles and miles if you care to. For me, the first 1/2 mile or so was a great lower leg workout! Shoes off, of course, for this very fine sand! Felt like a movie scene out here.
Our final drive was into the town of Furnace Creek and The Inn at Death Valley. Formerly known as the Oasis in the Valley, for good reason. It truly is.
We had a beautiful 1-bedroom casita with a patio overlooking the interior gardens. Very welcome after a long day in the desert.
We had a great 2-night stay here, and a wonderful dinner at The Dining Room at the Inn. I had a perfect pork chop and Jill had a very tasty pasta with mushroom and truffle. Sorry, no food pics. I was done clicking for the day. But the service was great, and the food fantastic
Day 3 Death Valley exploration
Our maps for the day mainly just took us down Badwater Basin Road into the salt flat core of the valley, bounded on both sides by colorful mountains.
Our first hike was a 3.5 mile round trip through Golden Canyon up to Red Cathedral. I'm glad we started early because the lighting was beautiful. Also, the weather was a perfect mid-60s. January-February-March are great months to visit here. I can't imagine doing this in 100 degree summer heat.
The hike through Golden Canyon takes you through a narrow valley carved by water and ice, surrounded by lots of layers of unconsolidated muds and silty shales of golden brown. The farther you go, you start to see the red cliffs in the distance.
As you get closer to the Red Cathedral cliffs, the gorge gets narrower and rockier. Watch your head! Although these boulders look smooth, they are very hard granite with sharps sands. I'm used to High Sierras granite that's been polished, either in rivers near Tahoe or on my kitchen counter. These were neither of those.
The last 100 yards or so is a scramble up some pretty steep rock with loose gravel and soil. But TOTALLY worth it. The views up here were magnificent. Then we just did the reverse... back down the same way we came. It was 1.7 miles each way, with about 650 feet of elevation change.
Back to the truck and we headed back to the resort for lunch. Tried to get into the Wild Rose Tavern, which is part of the Furnace Creek Ranch area (also owned by the Inn), but it was closed for lunch that day, so we ate on the back patio of the Inn. Food was average (I'm being generous), but the shade and views were nice.
We headed south again toward Badwater basin, the lowest point in the Valley, which is also the lowest point in North America, at 282 feet below sea level. On the way, we spotted an unplanned stop. The "Devil's Golf Course". As we drove out the dirt road to see what it was all about, it became pretty clear why the name. Imagine the torture of finding your golf ball out here!
Approaching Badwater Basin, we saw that there was actually water here, which is somewhat rare, but not unexpected given the big rains that hit Southern California in January. The water was drying out, so we got interesting transitions from the hard salt crystals to the briny water. Normally, you could for walk miles out here, but not today! BTW, this salt is NOT like soft sand. The crystals are rock-hard and pebble-sized. Check out the close up.
Next stop was a drive through the dirt road known as Artist's Loop to Artists's Palette. Volcanic activity has laid down lots of differing minerals and colors here. Then on to Zabriskie Point, a great valley lookout at 713 feet above sea level, which puts it about 1000 feet above the valley floor
Back to the resort at end of day, cleaned up, thought about the pool (maybe next time) and headed to "The Last Kind Words Saloon" for dinner. It's' part of the Furnace Creek Ranch complex, which also has a general store, ice cream shop, museum, cafe, etc. Our spot was a classic old Saloon they've recently refurbished, and I felt like Clint Eastwood pushing through the swinging doors. We finished the evening with a bit of stargazing from the Inn's dedicated terrace.
Day 4 Death Valley → Joshua Tree (5+ hrs)
We left the resort and headed to Joshua Tree. Along the way, we had several stops in mind. But the overall distance was going to be 275 miles and about 5 hours, with our Joshua Tree afternoon goal being the Hidden valley Trail.
Our first unexpected detour was on a dirt road that was labeled "Twenty Mule Team Canyon". We knew the reference was to the famous mule teams that used to haul the Borax out of the valley (making several people rich and the reason the Inn and town of Furnace Creek are still here now). Borax is the valuable mineral salt used for laundry softening and whitening. "Twenty Mule Team Borax" was an ad I recalled from being a kid, and apparently it is still around! So off into the Canyon we went! And glad we did, because it was an interesting winding dirt road through sandy - muddy rolling hills with a moon-like feel. Definitely worth the 20-minute detour.
We passed through Shoshone and through Death Valley Junction, which truly looked dead, and eventually turned off onto a dirt road that would take us into the Mojave National preserve to a feature called the "Lava Tube". This is the first time we had to "air down" the tires to lower pressure, as the road was part soft sand and part hard washboard ruts. But the ZR2 Bison was built for this and loved this road at a nice 45 MPH clip, soaking up the bumps as well as one could hope. Beautiful desert out here.
About 20 minutes down this road, we arrived at the spot on our map, but it didn't look like much. Lots of black lava and we were now searching for a hole in the ground... one that would lead us to a lava cave. We found the hole. Looked down with a bit of trepidation, then grabbed onto the old ladder and descended. The first look appeared to be a very small opening, but crouching low, we got through. Very cool cave, both aesthetically and temperature-wise.
Back out on the highway, we stopped to air the tires back up. We didn't see another car for 30 minutes at least. You could walk down the road like the star of an apocalyptic movie. Emptiness! If you like alone-time, this is your place.
But then we had to make sense of the sign that admonishes you to "Drive Like A Tortoise". Not being sure what that might entail, I tried my best.
Our nest Stop was Kelso Dunes. Fun feature, but slightly anticlimactic after seeing the larger structure of Mesquite Dunes. Still, a fine walk in the desert sand.
Next we drove to Joshua Tree, going through the very strange empty and abandoned huts of "Wonder Valley". We learned later that this area outside Twenty-Nine Palms, CA was an area where, post WW2, the Government would give 5 acres of land to any homesteader who would build on it and live there for 5 years. By the looks of the place, that's about how long it lasted. The 1-room box houses were all abandoned and broken as we drove through with "Wonder".
But then we arrived! Joshua Tree did not disappoint. Our first taste was a hike through the 1-mile loop of "Hidden Valley" which makes you appreciate the rock formations of this park. Coming in, I had expectation of lots of Joshua Trees, and that was about it. Yet I got so much more than trees, as the rocks here rival Utah and Colorado, although again on a smaller scale. But oh so beautiful in the desert evening sun.
We then headed out to check into our AirBnB for the next two nights. Shout out to this place: I don't know why you'd stay anywhere else in the area! It's perfect! Called "Sphere in the Rocks", it's a beautiful spot just a couple minutes outside the gate of the National Park. Set up beautifully to enjoy the magic of the desert, and with really cool host/owners. We even had a visit from a Roadrunner. So then the cartoon Roadrunner song ran through my head for a couple days.
That night, we ate dinner at the highly-recommended "Kitchen in the Desert", about 20 minutes away in Twenty Nine Palms. The chef is from Trinidad and the fantastic and broad menu is impacted by Caribbean and Mediterranean influences. We shared the Roasted Cauliflower with yellow curry and chickpeas, the Shrimp Al Ajillo, and the amazing Chimichurri hangar steak. Everything was delicious, even if my photos don't do it justice. GO HERE!
DAY 5 Joshua Tree
Our last day was a whirlwind of Joshua Tree sights. We hiked Ryan Mountain (3.5 miles round trip, 1000 foot elevation gain) to a great 360-degree view of the valley. We tried to drive to the Cholla Cactus garden but it was closed. We stopped into Pioneertown, about a 25 minute drive away, for lunch, hiked the Skull Rock trail and drove out to the Keys view overlook which provides vistas from 5000 feet up down into Palm Springs and the Salton Sea.
My phone says we covered 18,340 steps and 8 miles. And it felt that way! So dinner was a bottle of wine at the great AirBnB and a hot tub while watching the stars. Overall, a great one-day run around Joshua Tree. The hike up Ryan Mountain was definitely a highlight and I would suggest going in the morning before it gets hot! (or windy).
DAY 6: Drive home to Danville
We left early and hit the road home. Navigation from Waze said it was 7 hours and 42 minutes to go 474 miles. But I don't take Waze as a guideline, I take it as a challenge. We did it in under 7 hours with three stops for gas and coffee! When all was said and done, we had done 1530 miles over 6 days, 5 nights and about 137,523 bugs on the front of the truck. Plus of course, the obligatory two new National Park Stickers for my water bottle.
The beauty of the desert is a real thing, and it's waiting for you. Take the drive!
