Pet Friendly Guide to Joshua Tree National Park (Barker Dam Optional)

You would think that Joshua Tree NP, like many other National Parks, is not pet friendly. And you would be right, partially. One of the rangers at the Visitor's Center shared with me some insider intel and directed me to a few select spots where we could explore with our little Fiona (on-leash of course).
He also shared a few hikes that were short enough to leave our pet in the car with the windows cracked open on cool days (it was about 16 degrees celsius, 61 degrees Fahrenheit when we visited). Please do not leave your pets in the car on hot days. Nobody wants this, especially not Fido.
We felt that the ability to share this experience with our pet greatly enhanced our visit. We would not have been able to visit the park without having these options presented to us. As a suggestion for the National Parks, please consider building kennels for visitors to use for a fee. I would gladly pay $25 to leave Fiona in a temperature controlled cage for the day with her bed, some food and water. What a great way to generate more revenue for the park, and to enhance the experience for guests.
Don't miss out on the Cholla Cactus Garden Hike and the Barker Dam Hike!
Joshua Tree National Park’s Cholla Cactus Garden is a flat, quarter mile loop. Although these are the most gorgeous cacti imagineable, they have spines that will painfully implant into your skin, so look, but don’t touch. In the morning sun, the cacti appear to glow.
The main attraction: Joshua Trees were so named because they appeared to be reaching their hands to the sky in prayer. That is what early settlers thought, and the name stuck. Being a part of the agave family, they can be found in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. They can also be found in the San Bernardino mountains. Unfortunately it’s hard to accurately age the trees because they don’t have rings. Joshua tree forests tell a story of survival and beauty developed through perseverance. Like the Joshua Trees, if you can weather the storm, you can reach ever higher.
There was too much park to explore in just one day, but we feel like we made the most of the time we had available to us thanks to the guidance of the park ranger.
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