Name: 4 Day Joshua Tree Backpacking Hiking Holiday in Yucca Valley, California, USA
Brand: Lasting Adventures
Price: 1600 USD
Availability: InStock

USA Hiking Holiday

While mountain ranges all over the American West succumb to cold winds and deep snow in the fall through spring, Joshua Tree’s desert climate remains relatively temperate, making the area a backpacking paradise for these typically colder months. The subtle beauty of Joshua Tree National Park makes it a special place for backpacking. Spend time in this beautiful park getting to know the landscape. Lasting Adventures's itinerary will take you to big vista campsites with incredible sunrise or sunset views, past 100 year old mining ruins, and through a bizarre landscape of contorted rock piles.

Highlights

4 days of activities
Daily wilderness hikes
Explore desert sunsets and rocky canyons
Wildflowers, desert, and mountain sceneries
3 nights accommodation
Tasty meals

Skill level

Intermediate
Advanced

4 days with instruction

Group size: Minimum of 2 participants

Program

This park straddles the border of the Colorado and Mojave Deserts. As a result, an amazing array of plants and animals find their home in this seemingly barren landscape. For thousands of years, wind and water from the powerful but brief desert storms have carved away at the earth here, resulting in bizarre rock pile formations strewn across the desert floor. Just a short drive from Los Angeles, Joshua Tree has a real wilderness character and a variety of challenging adventures for every skill level.

This is a sample itinerary only. Joshua Tree offers many terrific itineraries and specific itineraries will be dependent on permits received with final changes made in the week's preceding departure date. Typical daily mileage ranges from 5 to 8 miles (8 to 13 kilometers). All trips are subject to itinerary changes for a wide variety of reasons including, but not limited to permitting, weather, forest fires, park or public land closures, and road closures.

In most situations, Lasting Adventures will offer an alternative itinerary of equal value and quality or credit through the end of the following season. All trips are subject to Lasting Adventures obtaining the necessary wilderness permits. Although their success rate is very good, should they not obtain the exact trailhead, a trip of equal quality will be obtained. Should weather, fire, and delayed seasonal openings affect the chosen itinerary, a different itinerary will be offered.

Lasting Adventures is recognized for its commitment to safety and risk management. All trips are pending permit availability which they typically gain five to six months in advance. Please refrain from making travel arrangements until they have confirmed dates. Pack extra water bottles for the drive-in. There is no potable water in the park past the entrance gates.

Mileage: 18 - 25 miles (29 - 40 kilometers)
Difficulty: Moderate

Daily itinerary

Day 1

Meet your guide at 2:00 p.m. in Black Rock Campground. After a quick orientation to your trip, you will do a gear sort where you will decide what items to bring and what can be left behind. Enjoy a hearty, fresh meal prepared by your guide and settle in for your last night in the front country before starting your adventure.

Day 2

Embark on your first hiking day in the vast Mojave desert. Your hike will begin surrounded by an open desert with views in all directions as you walk towards a distant rock outcropping. Enjoy lunch on a high overlook before descending through rocky canyons towards your camp for the night. The desert sunset will illuminate the rocks near your base and off in the distance to make you feel like you are on a different planet.

Day 3

Another full day of hiking brings you past more interesting geologic phenomena and many wildflower clusters hiding amongst the cacti and rocks. Take another lunch break with meals provided by your guide and trail games to pass the time. After making your final camp, wait out of the tent for a magical star show in this designated international dark sky park.

Day 4

Savor the cool morning air as you pack up your final camp and hike towards your finishing point. A filling lunch and cold beverages await your arrival at the trailhead. They aim to be wrapping up lunch and have guests on their way by around 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. to allow for travel time.

Traditional backpacking

Lasting Adventures runs “traditional backpacking” trips. This is done without the use of porters, stock, or other outside assistance. You will be expected to carry all of your own personal gear, a share of the group gear and food in a backpack for the duration of this trip.

The weight can be expected to be 30 to 50 pounds and no more than the recommended one-third of your body weight. As needed, it is recommended that participants discuss their ability to conduct a backpacking trip with their doctor, including (but not limited to) the ability to carry heavy loads over long distances and strenuous and uneven terrain.

Staff schedule

Due to the nature of backpacking, the guides work long hours. In order to provide the best possible experience to their guests and guides, they limit the number of hours that their guides work to 15 hours per day. Guides will not be required to be available from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. unless a different time period is agreed upon by the group prior to this standard break period. This varies on the summer camps, where their outdoor educators are available as needed at all times.

During time off, the guides will be available for emergencies, but should be allowed to rest and should not be considered available for other purposes outside of working hours. Please refrain from requesting non-time-sensitive assistance from guides during this period. Guides are also entitled to take 10 minutes every four hours, as well as 30-minute meal breaks every five hours, between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. They appreciate your cooperation with these scheduling requirements.

Firearm policy

Lasting Adventures understands that firearm laws and policies vary in every area they operate in. Regardless of local laws and policies, Lasting Adventures does not allow firearms on any of their trips. Participants who bring firearms will not be allowed to participate while in possession of their firearms.

Location

Joshua Tree National Park

The holiday will take place in Yucca Valley, California, United States. Come enjoy the world-famous desert sunsets and sunrises each day. Photo-worthy moments await you throughout the day with the rock structures and Joshua Trees. Nighttime skies will complete the package as you fall asleep to the sound of the desert at night.

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Food

All meals are included in the price. Although Lasting Adventures is able to accommodate many specific dietary constraints and choices, they prepare foods in a facility with peanuts, gluten, soy, and other major allergens and are not certified as an ‘allergen-free’ facility. They take steps to limit the risk of cross-contamination, but they cannot guarantee that the foods they prepare will be fully free of major allergens. They have experience accommodating a variety of dietary choices and concerns, including, but not limited to:

Vegan and vegetarian
Peanut and tree nut allergy
Lactose intolerant
Celiac’s or gluten-free
Kosher

If they have questions or concerns about the information on your medical form, they will call you the day before your trip to ensure they are packing foods you are able to eat without issue.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Drinks

The following drinks are included:

Water
Coffee
Tea

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
Lactose Free

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

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