We’re in Joshua Tree for a couple weeks as we chase warmth. There have been a few frigid nights (one night it was 18!), but the days warm up into the 60’s and 70’s. This place isn’t new to us, we’ve been here a few times over the 7+ years we’ve been full time in our rv. We did try to find some new to us hikes and we succeeded!
First up we hiked to Barker Dam and Wall Street Mill. If you only have limited time, I’d skip these because there are so many other hikes in the park that are AMAZING. They are nice because the distance is shorter for people who can’t hike as far; the way we did this was a bit over 4 miles. This trail is full of Joshua Tree’s iconic monzogranite boulders and namesake Joshua trees.
Barker Dam was constructed by early cattlemen, including C. O. Barker, in 1900 and raised in 1949 by rancher William F. Keys. It is a gathering place for desert wildlife, including many species of birds and desert bighorn sheep but we didn’t see any sheep. Apparently it doesn’t always have water in it, just after periods of rainfall so we were lucky to see it with water.
We continued on the trail to see some petroglyphs and then up to Wall Street Mill. Unfortunately after hiking out to the old mill, we encountered a trail closed sign and they were doing restoration work. So, back we went. Nevertheless, it was a great first day in the National Park.
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