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We just got Indiana Dunes National Park. I've gone there before it was a national park so it will be interesting to go back and see how they have it set up.
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Jul 21, 2020 23:16
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| # ¿ Apr 19, 2024 22:56 |
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My wife and I went to Joshua Tree National Park towards the end of last year. It's something that could be done in 1 day if you had an early start and a full day to dedicate to exploring. Some people do it as a day trip from Las Vegas or LA, I think we ended up having 3 days in the park which was plenty. We had a more relaxed approach - getting up in the morning and seeing a few main things before it got crowded and then finding a quieter place to have lunch / read / nap in the afternoon. Also lol that they warn you about getting there early before the parking lots fill up, when early is like 10 AM local time. Just driving the main loop through the park you get to see plenty of Joshua Trees as well as a variety of rocky outcrops and areas to explore. I'd also recommend driving at least to the Cholla cactus garden which lets you see the transition from the Colorado to Mojave deserts. The Barker Dam trail is the most popular hike at the park, but we did that first thing one morning and only ran into a couple other groups after we got away from the parking area. We also checked out an old ore processing spot near the Barker Dam trail but decided not to try to see the other abandoned house or mine areas. If you are interested in that kind of stuff there is one (Keys Ranch?) where you need tickets to get access which is by tour only. Other highlights: Hall of Horrors - fun rocky area to explore and climb through. 49 Palms Oasis - hike up into the hills through the desert to a palm oasis. There are a few other oasis trails in the area but this was one of the only shorter options. Eureka Peak - ungated entrance to the park on a dirt road that takes you to an overlook of the valley. The view was very similar to some of the crowded main overlooks in the park but we were the only people up there for sunset. Mexican Street Tacos - tasty spot in Twentynine Palms with tacos plus bonus tres leches cake. In Palm Springs there is an aerial tramway that takes you up ~9,000 feet to an alpine forest and views of the valley. It was neat going from desert to seeing snow at the top which was completely different from the rest of our trip. There was a two hour wait for the tram so plan ahead. We ate our packed lunch and read while we waited.
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Jan 20, 2022 16:00
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