Spring Break 2025 - Palm Springs & Joshua Tree

For spring break this year we stayed in California and headed south to the greater LA area.  This was largely driven due to the exorbitant costs of flights to Hawaii and Costa Rica, but I'm really glad everything worked out this way.  

Part 1 - Grand Hyatt Indian Wells

We started the trip with two nights at the Grand Hyatt Indian Wells near Palm Desert.  The place was beautiful and we had a room overlooking the pool area with a king size bed and a L shape pull out sofa.  The kids found the couch comfortable so we didn't even use the pull out.  

The grounds had multiple pools, hot tubs (both adult and family), lazy river, and two large twisting slides.  I also appreciated that we could awake slowly, meander down to the pool area around 8/8:30 and still find plenty of chairs to grab for the day.  (Unlike Cancun or Hawaii where they get snagged up by 7am).  The food at the Hyatt was expensive, however the pool lunches were also quite good, so at least you got what you paid for.  I highly recommend the fish tacos.  For breakfast we ate at the market (not the $40/pp buffet) though we probably could have bought a few things for the room from the grocery store in town (we did this for beer as a $12 beer at the pool was $2 at Ralph's).  For dinner we ate one night at the resort (Carmocha) and one night out at Katsuyama down the road.  I definitely recommend eating out; while the food at the Carmocha was good, we spent about $200 for 3 plates and one drink and left still feeling hungry.  

I'll also note the daily kids activities, like bingo and watermelon eating contest, as well as the evening pool movies.  We also enjoyed walking the grounds, the free bikes, and the game lawn where we had some epic games of giant Jenga. The game lawn also had some foosball and ping pong tables and giant connect four.  

Part 2 - Joshua Tree

After 2 1/2 days at the resort it was time to head to Joshua Tree.  We stayed at an Air BNB called "Desert Julep" with an outdoor hot tub and cowboy pool, wrap around porch, and master loft.  It's also located just outside of the west entrance to Joshua Tree and 2 block from 'downtown'.  

The place was beautiful and we wished we could have spent more than two nights there.  We really enjoyed the evening hot tub soaks while looking up at the night sky and sipping wine.  The photo to the left is from the hot tub. The kids are now at an age where they can come out and relax with us and we had some really lovely conversations.  

Day 1 - Hiking

Of course our main purpose for visiting was to see the park.  So we spent most of our two days there.  The first day we headed to Arch Rock and Heart Rock and actually met up with some friends of Jesse's who were also in the park for Spring Break.  We scrambled around boulders, meandered through valleys and just spent a lot of time enjoying the area.  Pro tip - fresh bread from a market & some salami & baby bell and laughing cow cheese make a great and easy hiking lunch.  

Heart Rock

Wandering Around

Arch Rock

After lunch we parted ways with our friends, who were headed back into town, and drove down to the Cholla Cactus Garden.  While the trail itself was closed, we were able to park on the side of the road and check out the very unique cactus that grow in this area.  From there we headed to Skull Rock where we scrambled around some more and took in the views.  Every time I turned around Jesse was up on some other type of boulder, declaring Joshua Tree the best park he's ever visited.  That evening we headed to town for some shopping at Coyote Corner and pizza.  (The pizza wasn't so great, so nothing to write home about there).  

Day 2 - Hiking and Bouldering

Hidden Valley Hike

The next day we went back into the park, this time via West Entrance which was just down the road from our Air BNB, and started with the Hidden Valley hike.  This is definitely a must do if you're in the park.  It's only about a mile round trip but takes about 1 hour because you'll wind up stopping to explore some side trail or scramble up some boulders.  

From there we headed to Trashcan Rock and did some bouldering.  Well, Max and I bouldered, Jesse and Jeremy took the time to scramble around the rocks.  I'll say a few quick things about bouldering in Joshua Tree.  First, the rocks hurt.  Everything is very sharp as the rock itself is made up of thousands of smaller rocks.  This put a pretty quick cap on the length of time we spent bouldering before our fingers were screaming in pain.  Second, it's beautiful.  It's been years since I'd had the chance to boulder outside and I forgot how much I really enjoyed climbing outdoors.  I also really enjoyed spending time with Max watching him work out the problem.  We did the traverse and then walked around the whole area finding other little problems to work out.  I didn't have a guide book with me, as I knew we'd only be there a short while, so I can't tell you more the exact problems we did.  

Leaving Joshua Tree we knew we hadn't seen everything, but we also know that we will be back someday.  I'm eager to have the energy at night to drive into the park for star gazing or heading to Key Views for sunset. 

Part 3 - Palm Springs

Aerial Tramway

The last part of our week found us in Palm Springs.  Here we stayed at another AirBNB, which was nice but not noteable enough to call out.  Upon arrival, around 3pm, we dropped our stuff and headed to the Aerial Tramway.  We got lucky as there was no wait and we were able to jump on the very next arriving tram (about every 12-15 min).  I would recommended tickets in advance, however you cannot buy them day of.  The tram is a really cool experience.  It's about 12 minutes up (and back) and the floor rotates about 3 times so no matter where you are standing you get to see all directions.  This also means people aren't trying to push or move around the tram.  The views are spectacular, and not just of the town, but also all the different climates that you pass through on the way to the top.  In fact, it was about 60 degrees at the bottom and snowing at the top!  Yes, snow.  We were the last ones allowed outside to the top observation area before they closed it and we were glad to have our puffies and hats.  It was also beautiful from the top overlooking the town.  After a quick hot chocolate for the kids, we took the tram back down. Once at the bottom we watched a few videos of the history of the tram before heading out.  Overall its about a 1 hour activity but worth it if you're in the area.  

ATV & Tahquitz Canyon

We started our first full day with some ATV riding.  The only place that allows kids to have their own bikes is Off Road Rentals of HW 111.  They do have smaller bikes for kids but Max and Jesse were both old enough and tall enough to use full size adult ATVs and picked up shifting pretty quickly.  After a short safety video we were off tooling around the sand and dunes.  There are several areas to play and drive around.  To say that the kids had fun would be an understatement.  Jesse was a mad man, laughing and screaming with joy the whole time.  They had so much fun that they begged us to go back the next day and even used their own money to pay for the second experience. 

After ATV riding we stopped for a quick lunch back at the house and then headed to Tahquitz Canyon.  To note, last entry is at 3:30 (this time of year) and you must have at least 1 liter of water per adult and 1/2 a liter per child (they check).  After paying the entry fee, we headed onto the trail.  The whole hike is about 2 miles which makes for a nice quick afternoon hike, though it is also mostly exposed.  After about 1 mile of hiking we reached the waterfall and pool at the end of the trail.  The water is snow runoff, so much like Yosemite, it's quite cold.  Still, there were folks venturing into the pool and Max even got himself fully in a few times. While we were hiking back down we were lucky enough to see a group of big horn sheep!  I like to pretend they were mountain goats.  

We ended the evening walking around downtown Palm Springs and grabbing some burgers at Coachella Brewing, sitting outside on the deck by the fire and doing some people watching.  We also swung by some of the sites, including of course, Marilyn Monroe.  And, of course, we ended the night with a dip in the hot tub (which was a common theme of this trip).

Ladder Canyon

The next day we awoke very early and headed down south to Ladder Canyon.  We knew we wanted to be one of the first ones into the slot canyon so we planned to arrive there by 8am.  (We managed 8:15).  I'd got up early enough to make togo breakfast burritos and we swung by the grocery store for a fresh baguette for our lunch.  

*Note, make sure you check the weather before venturing into this canyon.  It is a slot canyon and any little rain in the forcast anywhere in the area can cause a flash flood.  Don't do it.*

The drive south was fine, but the real interesting part comes in the last 5 miles which are over a very bumpy dirt 'road' which is clearly marked as 4x4 only.  Our Nissan Murano made it just fine, but it hadn't rained in weeks and there wasn't any deep sand parts when we went.  The canyon is on BLM land so you're also able to camp there if you'd like.  We saw a few people doing this and I have to imagine that the sky at night is incredible.  I also happen to note that when we ended the hike it was only 78 degrees out and it felt like 90, so those tents were probably toasty during the day.  But, I digress.  As you travel into the canyon area, you'll pass a bathroom (the only one) and have to continue on for another 1-2 miles until you come to the trail sign and the end of the road.  Park here, grab your stuff and head into the canyon.  

I'll note a few things here that were highlights for us, but if you're going to take this hike, I recommend reading this blog.  The hike is about 6 miles round trip (per our GPS) and takes you through an amazing slot canyon, up onto a ridge with breathtaking views, then back down into a larger 'painted' canyon before finishing up the loop back where you started.  Also, I'm a huge fan of hiking in keens, but this is not the hike to do it.  You're hiking through mostly rock and sand, which isn't pleasant in keens.  As the name implies, there are a handful of ladders you'll need to climb and descend to get into and out of the slot canyon.  Though they may feel a bit sketchy, we found they were all fairly stable and the ladders were part of the fun and excitement of the hike.  I'll also note that Max and Jesse both put this hike in their top 5 of all time hikes.

The hike begins by entering the slot canyon about 0.4 miles into the big canyon.  Keep your eyes peeled and you'll see the first ladder off to the left of the main trail.  (there's also the start of many rock arrows leading the way).  This first entrance you can either use the 'up' ladder, scramble the boulders, or use the hidden 'cave ladder' which of course Jesse found and used.  That one was quite the squeeze for Jeremy and I.  Upon entering the canyon you're overtaken by how unique the passage is.  Jeremy and I have been to Antelope Canyon before, but this is just as amazing and was the first time the kids had been in a slot canyon.  We had so much fun following the narrow path and using the ladders to get up and around.  After some time we exited the main slot canyon and entered another slot canyon with lower walls.  From there we were dumped into an open area that required some scramble up to reach the ridge (don't worry, you aren't lost).  

At this point we took the time to enjoy the amazing views, take some photos, and look down upon the canyon we'd just exited.  The ridge hike is just as unique as the slot canyon and part of what makes this whole hike so great.  We also appreciated the winds as the day was warming up (it was still only 10:30) and the sun was starting to bake on us.  

After walking about 2 miles across the ridge (again, watch for the rock arrows), we headed back down a precarious trail into Painted Canyon. 

Painted Canyon

Take one look at the walls of the canyon and you'll understand.  This third part of the trail is a large wash out area and can be done by itself by skipping the slot canyon and just walking straight from the trail head.  We found all types of different rock in the canyon along the hike.  The kids were also excited to come upon two more ladders (and a rope) that lead us into the last parts of Painted Canyon.  

We ended the hike after about 3 hours, who's counting, and about 6 miles total.  When we got back to the car there were about 15 other cars in the parking lot, so we were happy to have started early.

Palm Springs

We spent the rest of the day ATV riding, again, and hanging out at the house.  For dinner we went back to Clandestino for the second night.  The food is great, drinks are great, and the weather was perfect for this outdoor restaurant.  

Indian Canyon

On our last day we spent the morning hiking in Indian Canyon before driving home.  The hike through Murray Canyon and Seven Sisters Falls is incredible. Pictures don't just do it justice. It makes my top 10 hikes of all time and is about 4 miles round trip. This hike through desert canyon quickly drops into a palm spring oasis with a flowing snow fed stream between canyon rock.  Simply stunning.  The trail itself ducks in and out of the palm oasis and across the stream several times, ending in a small pool and mini waterfall.  Overall the trail is easy to follow and only has a few challenging spots where you'll have to watch your footing.  We spent some time here having lunch and relaxing before heading back down the canyon.  

Indian Canyon

After Murray Canyon we drove up the road further to the trading post and the West Fork Waterfall area.  This is a short downhill jaunt off the parking area and another great way to see an oasis if you aren't up for the Murray Canyon hike.  

Before heading out of town we stopped at the The Sandwhich Spot for lunch (highly recommend).

And with that we wrapped up a great week off and an unexpectedly fantastic week in Palm Springs area.