Spring Break mid March, but where to go?

[Yvonne]

It's the time of the year again to start planning my Spring Break. And the funny thing is this year I have no idea where to go.
So far I haven't camped a single night this year and am totally ready for it and stomping with my feet.
It seems that I can afford to get away for 4 complete days without falling behind too much with my really demanding school schedule.

Where would you go in mid March?
I've been in Death Valley for many times, so that's definitely off this year.
Maybe just stay somewhere close to home and do a few days in Nevada? Valley of Fire again sounds nice, also Little Finland, Falling Man. And the temperatures could be tempting too.
Maybe a night at Toroweap CG?


Any ideas for me? I would appreciate your help

 

[Nick]

Head south! Joshua Tree, Anza-Borrego, Mojave, etc... Take advantage of your new home base and expand away from it on the long breaks.

 

[Yvonne]

Head south! Joshua Tree, Anza-Borrego, Mojave, etc... Take advantage of your new home base and expand away from it on the long breaks.

hmm, long time since I've been to Joshua Tree. I always wanted to go back again. Definitely something to consider.
Same with the Mojave Desert Perserve. It's a while too and there are some nice areas. What I also need are some demanding hikes in these areas. Have to figure that out. I did just the usual stuff a few years ago with short hikes and some fun back road drives.
Anza - Borrego, I have to figure out if there are some great campsites near by. Because March is peak season and that can be a mess in that area.

Another idea could be a trip to Cedar Mesa and do a backpacking trip. I wanted to get there for quite a while and maybe March is a good time. Not too hot. I could do an overnighter and one or two day hikes or a longer backpacking trip, maybe 2-3 days.

 

[Nick]

Is anything really too hot in March? Cedar Mesa at ~6000' would be the last place I'd want to go that time of year. Lower Escalante on the other hand...

 

[Yvonne]

Is anything really too hot in March? Cedar Mesa at ~6000' would be the last place I'd want to go that time of year. Lower Escalante on the other hand...

I mentioned the temperatures because they are low in March.
The next available time for me would be May and then again end of July. That's why I mentioned it. And end of July is definitely a no go...

But Joshua Tree, I'm really tempted. Nights in the desert.... that's the way to go I guess

 

[Nick]

Ah, I must not have understood that you wanted to go somewhere colder than where you are at. Most people are anxious to get someplace warmer in the early spring.

 

[Yvonne]

Ah, I must not have understood that you wanted to go somewhere colder than where you are at. Most people are anxious to get someplace warmer in the early spring.

usually I want to go somewhere warmer, but this time I just need to get out somewhere. So I don't mind if it's colder than here in Saint George.

Decisions.... Joshua Tree sounds so good. Especially with all the old stuff out there to explore.
And the possibility of a wildflower bloom

 

[pixie1339]

I was kicking around the idea of going to Valley Of Fire for a 3 day weekend in March. When is your break Yvonne?

 

[Yvonne]

I was kicking around the idea of going to Valley Of Fire for a 3 day weekend in March. When is your break Yvonne?

March 11-15, but with both weekends included basically March 9 - 17.
The first weekend I have to fly back to Buffalo and do some business there.
That means the weekend around March 15 will work for me if you're interested.

And because Nick suggested it and it sounds really good, I will spend 1-2 nights in Joshua Tree NP. I totally underestimated that park and found so many really great desert hikes, I definitely have to stay there a night or two.

I think Joshua Tree and Valley of Fire could be a great combination

 

[pixie1339]

March 11-15, but with both weekends included basically March 9 - 17.
The first weekend I have to fly back to Buffalo and do some business there.
That means the weekend around March 15 will work for me if you're interested.

And because Nick suggested it and it sounds really good, I will spend 1-2 nights in Joshua Tree NP. I totally underestimated that park and found so many really great desert hikes, I definitely have to stay there a night or two.

I think Joshua Tree and Valley of Fire could be a great combination

Cool, I think that could work. I'll have to talk to my boss before I can give you a for sure yes or no, but I'm definitely interested. So would you be going to Joshua Tree first and then meeting me in Valley Of Fire?

 

[Yvonne]

Cool, I think that could work. I'll have to talk to my boss before I can give you a for sure yes or no, but I'm definitely interested. So would you be going to Joshua Tree first and then meeting me in Valley Of Fire?

cool,I'm looking forward to it. Would be absolutely great to explore the park with you.

And yeah, I would go to Joshua Tree first and then meet you in Valley of Fire.
I would recommend Arch Rock Campground, less RVs and the sites are nicer

 

[pixie1339]

cool,I'm looking forward to it. Would be absolutely great to explore the park with you.

And yeah, I would go to Joshua Tree first and then meet you in Valley of Fire.
I would recommend Arch Rock Campground, less RVs and the sites are nicer

Awesome! That sounds like a good plan. I would love to go to Little Finland, so I would definitely be open to spending a day in that area, as well.

 

[Yvonne]

Awesome! That sounds like a good plan. I would love to go to Little Finland, so I would definitely be open to spending a day in that area, as well.

I'm open for everything. Little Finland is definitely an overnight location. During the day it's kind of boring, the real magic of that place comes with sunset and sunrise. There are some camp spots close by, but nothing like the awesome one we had there a few years ago near the 7 palm trees.

 

[pixie1339]

I'm open for everything. Little Finland is definitely an overnight location. During the day it's kind of boring, the real magic of that place comes with sunset and sunrise. There are some camp spots close by, but nothing like the awesome one we had there a few years ago near the 7 palm trees.

Maybe we could camp there one night and Valley Of Fire the other night.

 

[Yvonne]

Maybe we could camp there one night and Valley Of Fire the other night.

sounds good to me.

I thought I had a few shots of Little Finland taken at sunset, but they are all gone with the rest of my external hard drives
Here is one of the area I saved on my website.
Taken around sunset and a little teaser

 

[pixie1339]

Great shot Yvonne! Do you know close can you camp to Little Finland? I know you mentioned before that some of the areas are closed off now.

 

[lostlandscapes]

If you end up with two vehicles for a shuttle, the California Riding and Hiking Trail in Joshua Tree National Park is a gem. It runs for a total of 35 miles through the park, but you have a few options to shorten it. Many moons ago, I did the 22 mile version, starting from Lower Covington Flat at the end of La Contenta Rd at the western end of the park, and finished over on Wilson Canyon Rd near the White Tank Campground in the north/central part of the park. While we were setting up the shuttle we stashed a few gallons of water at the half way point, just off of Key's View Rd. Dispersed camping is allowed anywhere along the trail, as long you as you are one mile from any road and 500 feet from any water source. Gorgeous scenery and flora the entire way.

 

[Yvonne]

Great shot Yvonne! Do you know close can you camp to Little Finland? I know you mentioned before that some of the areas are closed off now.

right now it's about half a mile away. The BLM shut down the last half of a mile with a gate, so you have to camp next to it. There are some decent spots but nothing compared to the old spot.

 

[Yvonne]

If you end up with two vehicles for a shuttle, the California Riding and Hiking Trail in Joshua Tree National Park is a gem. It runs for a total of 35 miles through the park, but you have a few options to shorten it. Many moons ago, I did the 22 mile version, starting from Lower Covington Flat at the end of La Contenta Rd at the western end of the park, and finished over on Wilson Canyon Rd near the White Tank Campground in the north/central part of the park. While we were setting up the shuttle we stashed a few gallons of water at the half way point, just off of Key's View Rd. Dispersed camping is allowed anywhere along the trail, as long you as you are one mile from any road and 500 feet from any water source. Gorgeous scenery and flora the entire way.

Thanks Tim.
This sounds like an awesome hike. I have to check it out at home tonight and see if it could be an option for me.
What about the roads? Are they eventually doable by bike? This could be an option for a point to point hike instead of two shuttle vehicles.
Lisa will only join me in Valley of Fire, I will do the Joshua Tree part of the trip by myself.

There are really a lot of good day hiking options, I just have to figure out which one will be the best for me. I'm still pretty amazed because I underestimated the park so much in the past.

 

[pixie1339]

right now it's about half a mile away. The BLM shut down the last half of a mile with a gate, so you have to camp next to it. There are some decent spots but nothing compared to the old spot.

Take a look at this link. It sounds like as of May 2012 the gate is no longer there. Who knows if anything has changed between then and now, but this sounds hopeful. I guess we'll just see when we get there.

http://parkerlab.bio.uci.edu/nonscientific_adventures/LittleFinland.htm