The Weekender’s Guide to Climbing in Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree, an oasis of wide -open land with Monzonite Granite formations scattered across the desert floor, exciting climbing that will put you in check and beautiful sunsets. No matter where you are coming from in Southern California it is only a short 2–3-hour drive. If you are coming from further destinations it is a trip well worth any lengths.
If you are anxious to leave town, hit the road, and have a weekend of climbing but just did not put in the effort with meal prepping or hitting the store don’t fret. Sit back, relax and know that maybe you’re just better off saving the time and stress by filling up your cooler once arriving.
There are plenty of options as far as stocking up in town for your weekend food supply. Actual health food stores like Joshua Tree Health Food, for the ones who like to eat organic and don’t mind spending a few extra dollars. Or there are less expensive options like Walmart or Dollar General, for those who are more on a budget and know how to get creative while shopping.
Arriving in Joshua Tree on the weekend is a bit of a gamble when it comes to trying to find a camp spot. Three out of eight campgrounds are first come first serve, Hidden Valley, White Tank, and Belle. Hidden Valley is the first campground you will cross and most popular with the climbers due to close proximity of climbing. Formations like Intersection Rock and The Old Woman are located right across from the campground.
If you are planning ahead for this trip and want to secure a spot you have the options of other campgrounds like Ryan, Jumbo Rocks, Black Rock, Cotton Wood and Indian Cove. The great thing about any of these campgrounds in Joshua Tree is that they are all amazing in their own ways and all have awesome climbing close by or even in the campground.
If you hadn’t already booked a campsite for your weekend visit and end up in the scenario of no available campsites you can always go for the approach of trying to see if other campers will let you share a site with them, here are a few approaches for that method:
Offer to split the cost of the site
Offer to pay for the site
Offer to provide firewood or food (some campers are hungry and will budge for a free warm meal)
In some cases, you might just encounter people who are more than welcoming and let you join their site. If you’re lucky enough to get together with people like this, be kind and show some appreciation for their generosity!
Keynote: If showing up in the morning make sure to check ticket stubs on the campsites to verify the dates. Sometimes it just takes a little bit of effort with investigating (it can seem like people are camped there but if you’re lucky its really just an old ticket from previous campers)! If all else fails and there is not any chance of finding a campsite inside the park there is always free camping outside the park on the lakebed. BLM dispersed camping on the lakebed is a great alternative. The primitive camping on the lakebed is about seven miles past Park Blvd and off Sunfair Drive. There are no bathrooms or running water out there so please remember to practice clean camping habits and pack out your trash!
What’s great about camping in the Hidden Valley area is the plethora of climbs extremely close to the campground. A very popular formation is Intersection Rock which includes routes ranging from the 5.6 – 5.10 range like “Mikes Book 5.6” a great two pitch route that will give you a good introduction to JT trad climbing, “Overhang Bypass 5.7” an awesome and exciting adventure up and over the roof of Intersection Rock, and also the “Ski Track” routes visibly seen from the campground side of the rock and also probably the most popular routes on the formation.
If you’re not much of the kind to rope up and are out in JT for some gritty bouldering there is more than enough to keep you and your group busy for the weekend. The Hidden Valley has multiple bouldering circuits in the area with standout problems such as “False Hueco V2” a pumpy traversing type problem and “Stem Gem V4” which will put your stemming skills and rubber to the test. Across the street from the campground, you have other circuits like the Manx Boulders and Real Hidden Valley. A classic problem in the Real Hidden Valley circuit is “Saturday Night Live V4” which is considered to be one of the best problems in the park due to an amazing dyno move. A must do if that is your type of thing!
Joshua Tree has all types and styles of climbing from humbling boulder problems, exciting sport routes and adventurous multi-pitch. Do your research beforehand to know your goals and most of all remember to know your limits. A lot of the park rangers here are climbers themselves and are always happy to give insight on the climbs. During peak season from October through April on Saturdays and Sundays, 8-10 am they hold “Climber Coffee” where you can score a free cup of coffee and chat with a local ranger to get all the great inside scoops of climbing in the park. A cool and interactive thing to do while there that really shows JT’s sense of community.
No matter what your camping situation is or what type of climbing goals you have for your weekend in Joshua Tree just try to make the best out of it and enjoy your time while in this desert playground. Remember to respect the land, be safe and practice good habits while there so that our future generations can have the same opportunities to do so.
About the Author:
Alex Sanson is a Client Relations Specialist with Occupation Wild and climber and surfer based out of Southern California.