Joshua Tree National Park
 

I’m heading to Joshua Tree National Park in April with my girlfriend. We are planning a few days of hiking and we will be mostly together. But, we are expecting that we may be going separate ways at times. Since cell phone coverage in the park is often non-existent, I’m considering bringing either FRS or GMRS two-way radios.

I doubt that we will never be more than two miles apart from one another, so FRS should work out fine. Any advantage to getting GMRS radios? Licensing them is not a big issue and has minimal cost.

Not really concerned about SOS issues as our cell phones can connect via satellite for SOS if needed!

Also, any other tips for Joshua Tree first-timers are appreciated.

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it is a interesting and desolate place. I obviously stayed on the roads, and I went for 40 minutes before I saw another human. I would never go out into it on my own on foot.

It did give me a pause as I walked up to a car from 1985 to start and get me home. Of course, my Porsche runs like a Porsche should. And since I do the maintenance on it since I bought it 1995 I felt sure it would get me home in comfort.

Have fun exploring the area. And unless there is a reason to split up, I wuld suggest you stick together. Have fun!

This time of year it won’t be hot however it may get very cold at night, plan accordingly.

If you like climbing rocks you’re set for a treat. Even walking in the open fields will yield a lot of wildlife . . . keep an eye out for snakes.

One year I took my telescope and had a pretty good view of the stars, away from the lights of LA.

I took the line of sight FM radios . .. .they worked pretty well, but it sounds like you’ve got the communications angle covered very well.

We go almost every year in March. A great family trip.

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As noted, comm in JOTR can be extremely limited. If you get lost, you are your only hope. To mitigate that you have to have a plan, and you keep to that plan. Simply wandering around out there is a sure way to becoming lost.

I've done a fair bit of work in JOTR, and have done a well off trail solo overnight hike to Rabbit Peak. It is a spectacular place, but it will not forgive the unprepared.

Having radio comm will be good, but frs is constrained by low wattage and is topographiclly sensitive; any loss of line of site greatly restrictes the radio's usefulness. (I had four mile comm with people in Death Valley - the actual valley north of were most people frequent - because we had good line of site; the moment there were any low knolls in the way, that was it, no comm.

If you plan on being apart in any remote locations, bring USGS maps of the place you plan to explore, have a route planned, and keep to it. Have a schedule for return time and location. These details will greatly assist in being relocated by search and rescue should you miss your return deadline.

When I did my solo hike I planned my route, left notes and details with family and friends, and left a copy of my route in my rig at the trailhead for Park staff should they notice that I hadn't left by the date specified on the permit.

You can download free historical maps from USGS here: https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#4/40.01/-100.02

Given the terrain at JT I would absolutely get a GMRS radio with at least 5w of transmit power and has a removable antenna. Here are a few examples: https://youtu.be/vzjs6uu5MJU?si=IeN2ASqSdFSP2eC4

The extra transmit power is a huge benefit over FRS, gives much clearer transmission in a head to head test I did last year.

The removable antenna gives you flexibility to run a shorty antenna for convenience when you don’t need max range and a bigger antenna for when you do. For example:

Nice short antenna: https://www.smileyantenna.com/shop/p/fnw3258zkpt4fld-zrh97-369hr-dnk9h-dxg2a-jdjm8-9m3yy-7nka8

Bigger antenna: https://www.smileyantenna.com/shop/p/fnw3258zkpt4fld-zrh97-369hr-dnk9h-dxg2a-jdjm8-9m3yy-7nka8

If you buy an antenna for your radio, check to make sure it has the right connector type for your radio.

This guy does some good antenna testing: https://woofthebeatenpath.com/best-gmrs-handheld-antenna-review-of-nagoya-na-771g/

Hiking and sleeping in Joshua Tree 35 years ago is firmly in the top 20 experiences of my life. I was a senior in college and we were in San Diego for a crew/rowing race in March and were left to our own devices for a week after. The desert was so beautiful, it is very unfortunate that I didn't have a camera with me. Two things are burned into my memory, a day of hiking over magnificent desolation finding a single bright pink flower growing out of rocks and second, we camped on top of a boulder bigger than most ranch houses, lying back looking up around midnight, the greatest meteor shower ever beheld rained across the sky seemingly forever. I can still see it today.

Hope you have a great trip Paul, please take pics to share!

Might I ask why? I would not hike alone in a remote area.

What if one of you suffers an injury? Or a snake bite?

Then what?

A lot of my friends who are heavily into backcountry adventures - solo cycling across great distances, or just skiing, hiking or gravel cycling into remote areas are swearing by the Garmin inReach. I see them for around 300 bucks; you'll also need the subscription, but that's cheap if you're lost or hurt in inhospitable terrain.

Grandson is going down there for spring break

My brother and I and cousins would go to JT around Easter each year at the same campground. Dads and kids and sometimes friends.

It was always spectacular, but the weather (e.g., high winds) could make things challenging. One year we had to go into town for dinner because we could not sustain fires.

So do plan for a variety of weather.

Just be careful of the rattlesnakes. Even though it's winter, they may still be out and about. I went for a hike in the local hills last month, and one crossed the trail. A couple weeks ago, I was called to see someone in the hospital who had been bitten by one. That antivenin costs $6000 per vial. It would not be unusual to need 6-12 of them over the first couple days.

The differences between the California high Deserts and the low Deserts is not subtle. Both are different worlds and yet the same in some aspects. Both can define what hot is every sense.

I climbed there many weeks when I lived in cali. Great air and it was very quiet at least on the weekdays. I’ve heard it’s much more crowded now.

I’ve wasted days and days searching for climbs in the wonderland of rocks. Never felt like we were ‘lost’ but we sure couldn’t get to where we wanted to be and we wouldn’t always walk out to the parking lot. Specifically in wonderland of rocks I’ve never been in a place that was so hard to navigate. One of the climbs we did was called ‘lost in the wonderland of rocks’. I also remember that we’d completely lacerate our hands on the first day, then next few days we’d superglue them and after a week or so we had enough callouses. Those big sharp crystals are nasty so bring tape and superglue.

My vote for your first visit to this particular new place you should stick together. Bring food and water and a foil blanket and don’t worry about radios. Have fun and enjoy the air. Get some chicken and coals and have a cookout under the stars.

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There is one place where the two deserts meet. The blend is very unremarkable or subtle. But a few miles into either one, and there is a big difference.

Yep, getting bitten by a venomous snake is no joke. I've read about bills that were $100k plus for one person and one bite with the antivenin being a big part of that.

I wouldn't separate, personally. When things seem the most innocent that's when most folks let the guard down.

It's beautiful, desert camping is incredible and something I never thought I'd get in to doing. We were there when a storm came through 2 years ago in April and the weather can be brutal, anyone in a tent was holding on for dear life.

Might want to stick some gloves in your pocket if you go bouldering/climbing, the rocks are far from smooth, I exfoliated my callused hands pretty effectively. There plenty of places to explore off the road that are away from where the tourists congregate, and IIRC it's a pack in/pack out area.

The beauty is unmatched, enjoy every second of it but don't forget where you are.

my brother and I both bought Garmin GPS radios for when we hunt together. I think the latest model is the Rino(?). anyways, they are 5W GMRS radios and we just use them.

line of sight the range is pretty stellar. easily 3 miles. the radios have a neat feature. one you key to talk..it sends the coordinates of the other user immediately. you can then tell the radio to take you to them and it will guide you there. super helpful when my brother tells me. "deer down, can you help?" our radios are not sold in pairs. mine is junkier than his. but they talk to each other.

I love Joshua Tree and have spent many long weekends out there rock climbing, hiking, stargazing, telling lies around a campfire at night. A favorite desert destination.

As others have stated, it is desolate, difficult to navigate by topography, and there are snakes in April, a dozen varieties of cactus that can really bite. I too would recommend against hiking alone until you have significant time out there. Fall off a steep rock formation alone and it could be bad.

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Drink enough water when you are hiking that you need to stop and pee occasionally