Day 1: Boy Scout Trail

We drove to Joshua Tree National Park and spent our first night backpacking on the Boy Scout Trail. I admit that it was fun, but it wasn’t our original plan. We wanted to car-camp that weekend, but we were too late in starting our plan, and there were no campground reservations left for a Friday and Saturday night in April, at the peak of the Spring season at JTNP. So we got two wilderness permits instead. We only had to hike a mile or so in order to camp legally, and then the rest of our trip could be spent driving and dayhiking around the park. We did, however, get car-camping reservations, at various campgrounds, from Sunday to Tuesday night. JTNP is a really big place, and we wanted to explore a lot of it.

After a three hour drive north from San Diego, we arrived in the town of Joshua Tree. We bought some dinner at a fast food place, then headed to the trailhead near Indian Cove. It was hot, but it was also late afternoon, and the air would be cooling soon. We made some last-minute gear changes to our big backpacks, and headed west on the Boy Scout Trail.

We arrived at the Boy Scout Trailhead near Indian Cove in late afternoon, prepared to backpack overnight

Me at the Boy Scout Trail in Joshua Tree National Park, hiking into the late afternoon sun

Vicki and her backpack on the Boy Scout Trail in Joshua Tree National Park — Vicki and her backpack, ready for an easy hike

All of the campsites on the Boy Scout Trail are numbered, and are reservation-only. That’s because it’s so popular. Other trails in the park give hikers a lot more leeway as to campsites. I chose Site #1 as it was the closest spot to the car. Yes, I was lazy, but Vicki wasn’t in top hiking condition, so it seemed like the best idea. The hike was fairly flat, and didn’t take very long. We were hiking directly into the sun initially, but soon enough it descended below the wall of hills to the west.

View east from the Boy Scout Trail in Joshua Tree National Park — View east from the trail with some high clouds

We were relieved when the sun went behind the hills to the west

Looking north toward the town of Twenty Nine Palms from the Boy Scout Trail — Looking north toward the town of Twenty Nine Palms

The trail was well-marked, and we headed north on a side trail to Site 1, which was over near some big granite rocks. There was a post near there, and a few spots for tents. There was also a sign with rules. Very official.

The Boy Scout Trial is so popular that even the individual campsites require reservations

Campsite Number 1 on the Boy Scout Trail was next to a large granite outcropping — Campsite Number 1 was next to a large granite outcropping

Park Rules were plainly posted at the campsite on the Boy Scout Trail in Joshua Tree National Park — Park Rules were plainly posted at the campsite

We set up camp and hung out for a while, waiting for sunset and the temperature to cool a bit. We had already eaten, so this was an easy evening. We got out the map and made a general plan for tomorrow. I wished that we could hike further on the Boy Scout Trail, but it really required two cars to hike the whole thing.

Vicki in the tent at Campsite 1 on the Boy Scout Trail at Joshua Tree National Park — Vicki in the tent as the desert cooled in the early evening

Sunset light on the clouds to the south, above the rocks of Indian Cove

We went to bed fairly early, as we wanted to get back to the car before it got too hot. Our timing wasn’t great, it seemed, as there was a heat wave coming this weekend, the first week of over-90 degree days that year. That’s just great, we said sarcastically, but we drove up here just the same. We’d have to find a way to make do in the heat.

Unfocused night shot from the Boy Scout Trial with the lights of Twenty Nine Palms — Unfocused night shot from camp with the lights of Twenty Nine Palms

We woke up before dawn, but we didn’t work too hard getting ready. We were on vacation, after all, and we only had a mile to hike. Plus, the Visitor Center didn’t open until 8am. So we ate breakfast and packed up our gear in a leisurely fashion. All in all, both of us agreed that it felt good to spend a night in the desert.

Sunrise on the Boy Scout Trail at Joshua Tree National Park — Cloudless “desert rainbow” at sunrise – soon it would be getting hot

Stony granite hills in the morning light from Campsite 1 on the Boy Scout Trail — Stony granite hills to the west in the morning light

Eating breakfast with a view from our camp on the Boy Scout Trail at Joshua Tree National Park — Eating breakfast with a view over the Mojave Desert

We packed up our gear and headed back to the car

As we hiked back to the trailhead, we noticed plenty of flowers blooming. We were glad that we got here at the beginning of the first heat wave of the year, because the flowers hadn’t withered away yet! Some parts of the desert floor were coated with tiny flowers, giving the land a yellowish sheen.

Close-up of a Pennyroyal Flowerhead on the Boy Scout Trail in Joshua Tree National Park — Close-up of a Pennyroyal Flowerhead

Close-up of marching dragons, or at least these flowers looked like dragons

Blooming cholla cactus in Joshua Tree National Park — Blooming spiny cactus

Multiple flowers on a Prickly Pear Cactus at Joshua Tree National Park — Multiple flowers on a Prickly Pear Cactus

Close-up of what looks like desert dandelions at Joshua Tree National Park — Close-up of what looks like desert dandelions

In late April, the desert floor near Twenty Nine Palms was covered in small yellow wildflowers — In late April 2024, the desert floor was covered in small yellow wildflowers

In contrast, there were still a few cacti that were very un-flowerlike, especially the ones of the cholla variety. We were glad to note that the worst of the cholla species (the “Jumping Cactus” we’ve so often experienced in the Anza-Borrego Desert) didn’t seem to exist up here in the Mojave Desert, where Joshua Trees and yuccas predominated.

Vicki standing next to a very large Pencil Cholla Cactus in Joshua Tree National Park — Vicki standing next to a very large Pencil Cholla Cactus – Ouch!

It took less than an hour to reach the car. We put away our gear and prepared some snacks and lunch for the daypack we’d be using the rest of the day. The big backpacks would be used again in the evening, after the temperatures dropped, just like last night. Desert creatures hide from the blazing sun and roasting temperatures of the daytime, often by hiding in holes or under rocks where it was cool, and then come out again at night. Modern humans use air conditioned cars, instead.

We arrived back at the Boy Scout Trailhead on Indian Cove Road in Joshua Tree National Park — We arrived back at the Boy Scout Trailhead on Indian Cove Road

After that, it was time to check out more of the park. Good-bye, Boy Scout Trail!

For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page

For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page

Onward to Day 2 >>

Share this: