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Joshua Tree National Park

Monday, November 4, 2024 - Monday, November 11, 2024 -- $1700 ★


Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California features a desert landscape whose signature plant is the rare and beautiful Joshua Tree. The park boasts unique geological formations such as granite monoliths and rugged canyons. Barren but beautiful, it is a destination that particularly appeals to those who enjoy desert landscapes rock scrambling and mild weather with little precipitation. The park features a variety of elusive wildlife including bighorn sheep, jackrabbits, and coyotes. November is a great time to explore the arid and rocky Mojave desert because the oppressive summer heat is ostensibly gone.


Unlike other Fatpacking offerings, this trip is a hybrid of day-hiking and front country lodging. Many of our potential participants have said they want to hike with us but don't want to go without plumbing and wifi for a week. To address this, our itinerary features a different day-hike every day with a return to your choice of a front country hotel, motel, lodge or campground every night preceded by a group restaurant dinner. Your dinner and accomodations will be at your own expense to match your level of comfort.



Weather

Weather is always an important concern when backpacking. Expect warm, sometimes hot days of hiking. Historical weather averages 60s during the day, which is perfect for hiking, although we might also experience blazing heat during the day or frost at night (important primarily if you decide to camp). Expect 40s at night although on the 2009 trip, it did get down to the low 20s so be prepared for weather extremes.



Probable Trip Leaders

Steve Silberberg
Rick Romine


Difficulty


Some of the trails will be rugged, much of them exposed to the sun all day. On some of the trails, there may be bouldering opportunities for you to climb up or down various rock formations or canyon walls. There are rocks to climb for every ability level or you may not want to climb any rocks at all ... no judgment. Note: You will have to navigate a 30 foot rock scramble downclimb during our hike in Smith Water Canyon



Cost

$1700 per person. You will be responsible for transportation to and from Palm Springs, CA (PSP) as well as personal equipment, any restaurant meals eaten off the trail and any gratuities for guides.


Covered expenses include ground transportation, 6 days of trail lunches, permits, fees, trail mix and trail bars and awesome guides.


Covered expenses include 1 hotel night, 2 nights in front country campgrounds, 6 days of trail meals, airport ground transportation, ground transport to/from Bangor and Baxter, State Park permits and a mediocre guide.


Tipping: In order to keep our prices competitive with (and hopefully favorable to) other outfitters, we shamefully can’t pay our guides as much as we think they deserve. Like most other guiding services, we rely on the generosity of our participants to make up this shortfall by tipping the guides. While tips are not required or expected, if your guides have served you well, please consider a gratuity so they can continue living their extravagant lifestyles of eating powdered meals, sleeping in the dirt and pooping in smelly outhouses and small holes they've dug.



Notes

Unlike almost all of our other trips, you are responsible for booking and paying for your nightly lodging somewhere in 29 Palms. If you have lots of hotel points to use, this could be the trip for you. If you relish the idea of another amazing wilderness hike every day but still want to shower each night and cap the day off with a restaurant meal, this is also the trip for you. Or if that's all too fancy, you stay in Indian Cove campground with the guides if you'd like.


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Itinerary
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Important Note
Difficulty (Please Read)
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Itinerary


Monday, November 4, 2024

Fly or drive into Palm Spring, CA (PSP)

We will have a vehicle waiting at the airport for you. Since people are flying in from all over the country, you may have to wait around a few hours for other participants to arrive. We antiticpate taking 2 trips from the airport to 29 Palms, the area in which the trip is based.

As you arrive, we will perform a a quick equipment shakedown. We expect to have done this online prior to the trip and will only be looking for obvious last minute omissions such as water containers, day pack, hiking shoes etc.

When one of our shuttles is full, we will bring you to 29 Palms, CA and drop you at our "base" hotel

Make-your-own trail mix from our cornucopia of ingredients

Buy last minute and forgotten items at Nomad Ventures, Joshua Tree, 61795 29 Palms HighwayJoshua Tree, CA 92252, (760) 366-4684. This can be done "as needed" during the trip as well.

Go out for welcome / introductory dinner in town. Dinner not included in trip cost

We will drop you at your hotel. Please be in or near 29 Palms, not Yucca or further


Tuesday, November 5, 2024

We will pick you up at your hotel around dawn. Please be ready to go. Continental breakfast may be provided.

Drive to Joshua Tree National Park

Drive to the Boy Scout Trailhead

Begin hiking at the Boy Scout Trailhead, elevation 4050'

Hike 3.6 miles to Willow Hole, elevation 4170'

Hike 3.6 miles back to the vehicles, elevation 4050'

Drive back to 29 Palms

Go to dinner in a local restaurant (TBD). Dinner not included in trip cost

We will drop you at your hotel

Mileage Today: 7.2. Total mileage: 7.2

Possible bailout: Boy Scout Trailhead


Wednesday, November 6, 2024

We will pick you up at your hotel around dawn. Please be ready to go. Continental breakfast may be provided.

Drive to Joshua Tree National Park, Pleasant Valley Backcountry Board, elevation 3300'

Hike about 4.3 miles on the Fried Liver Wash Trail to the Hexahedron Mine, elevation 4300'

Hike about 4.3 miles back to the vehicles at the Pleasant Valley Backcountry Board, elevation 3300'

Drive back to 29 Palms

Go to dinner in a local restaurant (TBD). Dinner not included in trip cost

We will drop you at your hotel

Mileage Today: 8.6. Total mileage: 15.8

Possible bailout: Pleasant Valley Backcountry Board


Thursday, November 7, 2024

We will pick you up at your hotel around dawn. Please be ready to go. Continental breakfast may be provided.

Drive to Joshua Tree National Park, Juniper Flats Backcountry Board, elevation 4340'

Hike 3.7 miles on the California Riding and Hiking trail (CR&HT) to the Stubble Springs Loop trail, elevation 4700'

Hike 3.4 miles on the Stubble Springs trail to the Fan Canyon View, elevation 4900'

Hike 5.1 miles on the Stubble Springs trail and CR&HT to Juniper Flats, elevation 4340'

Drive back to 29 Palms

Go to dinner in a local restaurant (TBD). Dinner not included in trip cost

We will drop you at your hotel

Mileage Today: 12.2. Total mileage: 28.0

Possible bailout: Juniper Flats


Friday, November 8, 2024

We will pick you up at your hotel around dawn. Please be ready to go. Continental breakfast may be provided.

Drive to Joshua Tree National Park, Cottonwood Backcountry Board, elevation 3000'

Today we are hiking a reverse lollipop loop to Victory Palms

Hike 1.7 miles to Mastodon Peak, elevation 3285'

Hike 3.7 miles to Victory Palms, elevation 2680'

Hike 5.1 miles back to Cottonwood, elevation 3000'

Drive back to 29 Palms

Go to dinner in a local restaurant (TBD). Dinner not included in trip cost

We will drop you at your hotel

Mileage Today: 10.5. Total mileage: 38.5

Possible bailout: Cottonwood


Saturday, November 9, 2024

We will pick you up at your hotel an hour before dawn in anticipation of a long day that requires us to shuttle vehicles and take 2 trips into the park. Please be ready to go. Continental breakfast may be provided.

Drive to Joshua Tree National Park at the head of Smith Water Canyon dropping one vehicle off at Uphill Rd, 29 Palms, trailhead elevation 4650'

Hike 3.9 miles down beautiful and ever-changing Smith Water Canyon to the Quail Springs Trail, elevation 3650'. Please note: There is a 30 foot downhill rock scramble that may unnerve you so please be mentally and physically prepared for it.

Hike 4.1 miles out of the park to Uphill Rd. in 29 Palms, elevation 3250'

Shuttle back to Smith Water Canyon to pick up vehicle

Drive back to 29 Palms

Go to dinner in a local restaurant (TBD). Dinner not included in trip cost

We will drop you at your hotel

Mileage Today: 8.0. Total mileage: 46.5

Possible bailout: 29 Palms


Sunday, November 10, 2024

We will pick you up at your hotel around dawn. Please be ready to go. Continental breakfast may be provided.

Drive to Joshua Tree National Park, Covington Backcountry Board, elevation 4820'

Hike 3.8 round-trip miles to Covington Crest, elevation 4890'

Take an aimless driving tour around the park

Drive back to 29 Palms

Mileage Today: 3.8. Total mileage: 50.3

Possible bailout: Covington Crest

End of hiking

We will drop you at your hotel to get ready for dinner

We will pick you at your hotel for an early closing dinner

Go to dinner in a local restaurant (TBD). Dinner not included in trip cost

Awards Ceremony

If you have a red-eye flight, we will take you to the airport in Palm Springs

This is the official end of the trip. You are welcome to spend the night at the hotel, however if you drove and would like to get on the road or if you flew and would like to schedule a late flight (or a red-eye if this is a West Coast trip) you can definitely do so.


Monday, November 11, 2024

We would like to get everyone to the airport in a timely manner and not have people sit around all day waiting for their flights. We expect to shuttle everyone early in the morning in one shuttle to make sure those leaving earliest can catch their flights. This will depend greatly upon how many participants we have and when their flights are. As we get closer, we'll have a better idea of how to proceed.


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