Joshua Tree Quail Mountain

One weekend in March we decided to hit up Joshua Tree for a short backcountry trip. On the way over, we made a quick stop in Redlands to Visit Neil's Mom and Kermit for lunch. We entered Joshua Tree via a dirt road side entrance in the west end of the park. We set up camp in the covington flats area after about a 2 mile hike on Thursday night. The moon was so bright!


The next day we had a solid 10 mile hike through the park and up to the peak of Quail mountain, the highest point in Joshua Tree. It took a bit of guessing and checking, but we made it to the top of the mountain! Neil decided to hike in sandals that day so after the hike her feet were destroyed. We made it back to camp just as the sun was setting. We cooked some nice dinner with no utensils (Neil forgot to pack them). It was a cold night, and we (Matt) were (was) not prepared. We swapped sleeping bags/pads throughout the night to ensure everyone stayed warm.

Come sunrise we were packed up and headed out by 6 am despite the time change from daylight savings. It was a pretty amazing hike that morning with the sun rising to our back, and the moon and snow peaks ahead of us.

Total Mileage: ~14
Elevation Change: 1400