Joshua Tree National Park, California

This week, we continue our series in California with our visit to Joshua Tree National Park. As I write this, Joshua Tree National Park is temporarily closed due to COVID-19 and we look forward to the day when people and dogs are able to visit the park again.

About Joshua Tree National Park

Type: National Park
Size: Large
Traffic: Moderate
Route Type: Paved Paths & Car

Markus wondering if this is the Joshua Tree at Joshua Tree National Park in California — Markus wondering if this is *the* Joshua Tree at Joshua Tree National Park in California

If you're like me, you know about Joshua Tree National Park because of U2's Joshua Tree album. In addition to that, it is also one of the most popular national parks in the US and we were excited to be able to visit it. Located in Southern California, the park is a desert that includes beautiful geological formations, and a variety of animals and plants. As its name suggests, the most popular plant in the park are the slow-growing Joshua Trees (which are in fact, not trees, but Yucca plants).

The Joshua Trees are unique looking plants that are scattered throughout the park. They resemble mini trees that only grow leaves at the end of their branches, which gives them the unique Dr. Seuss-ian look. While doing our initial research, we wanted to find the Joshua Tree from the U2 album and we were disappointed to find out that the photo wasn't taken at Joshua Tree National Park, but 4 hours north somewhere else. Actually, the tree in the photo doesn't even exist anymore. Dang.

Aside from trying to look for a tree that doesn't exist, visitors of the park will also do things like camp, hike, rock climb, horseback riding, stargaze or in our case, admire the beauty and unique qualities of the park like the Joshua Trees and the rock formations.

Since we had a dog with us, there were very strict rules and restrictions to what we were allowed to do. For this Pawcific Explorer update, we wanted to share about our time at Joshua Tree National Park with a dog.

But first, why the rules?

Markus showing he can still have fun while staying within the rules

The biggest reason what there are strict dog rules at the Joshua Tree National Park is that the presence of pets alter the natural behaviour of wildlife. The odours that dogs leave behind from their waste can prevent other animals from accessing those areas, which can be harmful to the ecosystem.

Another reason for the restrictions is for the safety of your dog. There are plenty of areas with cacti, which can be painful for dogs to step on. We won't notice it as much since we have shoes on, so we need to be careful where our dogs are stepping. In addition to that, there are other wild animals like rattlesnakes in the area that might not be afraid of your dog. Some animals might view your dog as prey and that's something to avoid.

What are the rules?

The rules are fairly straightforward:

Dogs are only allowed up to 100 feet from the paved roads, parking lots or camping grounds.
Dogs are not allowed on the hiking trails.
Dog are not allowed off-leash, so they need to be in a crate, carrier or on a leash of no longer than 6 feet.
Any droppings your dog leaves behind must be picked up and either thrown away or taken with you.

So what can dogs do in Joshua Tree National Park?

Markus blending in with the rock formations at Joshua Tree National Park. It’s his natural colour.

Despite these restrictions, there are still quite a few things you can do with your dog. As long as you're in a car, there are plenty of stops that fall within the restrictions. Obviously, you won't get to experience the entire park like doing hikes and trails, but you will get an overall feel of the park and for us, that was enough.

We entered the park through the Joshua Tree Visitor Center and our goal was to work towards the Cholla Cactus Garden, which is near the center of the park. On the way there, we had a one planned stop at Keys View, but the rest of the trip was just us pulling over at any parking lot that we thought had nice rock formations, views or Joshua Trees.

Keys View is the highest point of the park and it is worth going to. The whole area is paved, so you can go up with your dog and the view at the top overlooks Coachella Valley, which is beautiful.

Cholla Cactus Garden where it’s not safe for dogs

The farthest point of this trip was the Cholla Cactus Garden, which we didn't let Markus out of the car for some of the reasons stated above about a dog's paw stepping on thorns. The garden did have very cute looking cacti that can only be described as mini Joshua Trees!

From this point, we turned back to start heading out of the park. We were leaving by the Oasis Visitor Center, which is a bit further down from the entrance that we had come in at and on the way out, we made a stop by Skull Rock. The rock, as its name suggests, is shaped like a human skull. It's not too far off from the road, so you can quickly pull over (there will likely be other cars parked on the side already) and walk up to the rock within seconds.

Considering we weren't planning on staying overnight there, this was enough time for us to experience the park without doing a hike. Also given the fact that we were limited to what we were able to do with Markus with us, I'd say it was the right amount. If you're hoping to do more things like rock climbing or hiking, I'd recommend just leaving your dog at home for this one, since it gets extremely hot, even if your dog is indoors in the camping grounds.

Next Stop: Las Vegas!

Note:

My understanding is that Service Animals need to adhere to the same rules and restrictions as all dogs.
There was also no reception for the majority of the time while we were in the park and we were lucky to have our GPS in the car. I'd recommend downloading the map of Joshua Tree National Park on Google Maps on one of your devices so that you can use it offline.
Be sure to gas up. There are no stations inside the park, so you need to be able to do the duration of the trip on one tank.
Be mindful of the time of the day or the year you're visiting because you're in a desert and it gets extremely hot. Make sure there's enough water for you and your dog.

What we liked

You get to see and experience so many different things: the views, the Joshua Trees, the rock formations, cacti, etc.
We're glad that there were plenty of things we could do even from just hopping from parking lot to parking lot. We got a very good feel of the park, even though we weren't able to do things like rock climbing or hiking.

What we didn't like

While understandable why they're in place, the dog restrictions make it harder to enjoy the park. At least one person made a comment about us having a dog at national park, even though we read and fully understood the rules, but we didn't want to argue with them.

Our Recommendation For Reactive Dogs

You should be fine bringing your dog into Joshua Tree National Park. Your chances of coming across another dog are not very high since the entire park massive. Even though the dogs are condensed into the areas by parking lots, paved roads or camping grounds, there are still plenty of room to walk without having to ever meet another dog. There are other risks of bringing a dog into Joshua Tree National Park than your dog reacting.

Disclaimer

Markus is a reactive, but not aggressive dog. His instinct is to avoid other dogs and he may growl, bark or lunge if provoked, but will not attack. We normally do not have issues with leashed dogs when both sides are controlled, but we will be on guard when an oncoming dog is not leashed. There are varying levels to a dog’s reactivity and only you can decide if this park, trail or hotel is appropriate for your dog. Our visits generally will not include off-leash areas; most experiences shared on The Markus Project are within leashed or undefined areas.

Please remember that our past experience visiting a park, trail or hotel may not be the same as your experience at the same park, trail or hotel. We have no control of who visits the park and whether they adhere to park rules - like leashing their dogs on leash-required paths - or not. Please use your discretion with the information provided and with your personal knowledge of your dog’s reactivity when visiting these parks, trails or hotels.