Disappointing First Camping Trip of the Season at Joshua Tree | 4WDTalk - Overlanding and offroad Forum
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Disappointing First Camping Trip of the Season at Joshua Tree

TacoMe

TacoMe

Well-known member
Hey fellow campers,

I hope you all are enjoying the great outdoors this season! I'm here to share an crappy experience that took place during our family's first camping trip of the season at Joshua Tree National Park. We literally just got back after cutting the trip short. It was meant to be a fun and exciting weekend, but it turned out to be quite disappointing (you'll see what I mean).

We had been eagerly looking forward to this trip as a chance to reconnect with nature and enjoy some quality family time. Little did we know that our experience would be marred by the carelessness and irresponsibility of other campers.

As soon as we reached our campsite, we were greeted by a disheartening sight - garbage strewn all around the area. Plastic bottles, food wrappers, and discarded cans were scattered haphazardly, making it clear that the previous campers had no regard for the environment. It was disheartening to see such a beautiful location tarnished by litter.

But the worst was yet to come. Our kids, who had been looking forward to exploring and climbing the nearby rock formations, were left disappointed when they discovered used toilet paper and evidence of human waste buried nearby. It was a heartbreaking moment for them and for us, as we had to explain why they couldn't play around the rocks.

Not only did these careless actions ruin our family's weekend, but they also pose a threat to the park's ecosystem and wildlife. It's disheartening to see people disregard the Leave No Trace principles and treat such a breathtaking place with such disrespect. Joshua Tree is a unique and fragile environment, and it's our responsibility as campers and visitors to protect it.

I sincerely hope that this post serves as a reminder for all campers to be mindful of their actions and adhere to the Leave No Trace principles. Let's make sure we preserve the beauty of our natural world for future generations to enjoy.

If anyone has recommendations for cleaner, family-friendly camping spots in the area, please share them. We're looking for a better experience for our next trip.

Rant over.

Stay safe, and happy camping!
 
That sucks.
Years ago Joshua Tree camp grounds were not too bad. During Covid it got bad and I don't think it ever recovered.
Myself, I tend to shy away from main camping areas.
If you went to Joshua Tree, your moderately close to me. Depending on what you want in a camping area and where your coming from, I know of quite a few places.
 
Thank you, where are you going in that area if you don't mind me asking? Any spots with water (rivers or lakes)?
 
I rarely go there any more. I prefer the terrain in the Mojave. Joshua Tree is a bit too volcanic. That makes the roads rougher. I have a few sort of remote area I go there away from people. The area is popular so its hard to be very remote.
If I want water, I head to Big Bear area or further up 395 into the sierra. My trips are based on what the temperature is outside. Most of the fall through spring I'm out in the desert.
Do you have Gaia and what area do you come out of. If you have Gaia, I can share some of my folders with you but, there's a ton of routes and info. I don't categorize them by easy/hard. Almost all of them can be done with a stock vehicle as long as you have good tires.
 
Down to side to the main public getting into camping, they don't respect and have no regard to 'no trace'.
 
Many of the once pristine spots around here have been taken over my urban campers and for the most part have been kept up, however what takes away from the experience for me, is the volume of people in these spots and the noise pollution is way up. That's what gets me, the noise.
 
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