Kaila Morales | Staff Writer
The Rec Center is offering two upcoming trips to Joshua Tree National Park: One being a camping trip from Jan. 30-31 and the other being a Valentine’s Day hiking trip.
Joshua Tree National Park is located in between the San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
The park is known for their two desert landscapes and ecosystem.
The two deserts include granite boulders and Joshua tree forest, which makes for spectacular sights to see. The sunsets and natural rock formations are major highlights of the park.
Hiking is probably the most popular activity when camping outdoors.
“Hiking is a must, when you are camping you get to explore and it’s a very adventurous feeling,” said CSUSB student Alexis Bonilla.
Joshua Tree National Park has a total of 10 hiking trails.
The most popular trail is Hidden Valley, a shorter trail which is only a mile long, can be considered a great way to see the nature of the park without a too long of a walk.
Other smaller trails include Indian Cove and Cholla Cactus Garden.
The longer trails include the four mile Lost Horse Mine and Mountain trail, which has a summit elevation of 5,278 feet.
The longest trail is the Lost Palms Oasis which is a total of 7.2 miles, meaning you will need plenty of water if you plan to take on this hike.
Joshua Tree National Park also has amenities for camping, including a total of nine campgrounds, all with running water and flushing toilets.
On day one, the group will meet at the Rec. Center Jan. 30 at 8 a.m.
The car trip is approximately a two hour drive from San Bernardino to Joshua Tree National Park.
The first thing that will be done, upon arrival, is a campsite check-in and camp set up.
After the group is settled, they will eat lunch and then go on a nature walk to Barker Dam.
There they will learn about the different types of rock formations and plant life that are in the park.
Next will be a hike to Ryan Mountain, which is a three mile trip with beautiful views of the park.
Before heading back to the campsite, the group will drive over to the Keys View and watch the sunset.
Dinner will be provided back at the campsite, while the group can enjoy the rest of their night by the campfire eating s’mores, and gazing at the stars.
Day two will start off at 9 a.m. with breakfast.
The group will stop at Skull Rock and also visit the parks only natural made rock arch, then the group will head over to Oasis of Mara for some more educational lessons about the park.
Before heading back home, the group will do one more three mile hike to 49 palms oasis.
The group will then be on the road by approximately 5 p.m. heading back to CSUSB, expecting to arrive back to the CSUSB campus by 8 p.m. Sunday night.
The hiking trip, however, is only a one day event, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
You must be 18 or older in order to participate in the camping trip, but there is no age limit for the hiking event.
Fees for both events are as follows;
“Camping trip: Student and SRWC Members – $60 Faculty, Staff and Alumni – $80, Affiliates- $100, Community Members – $120 and the Hiking Trip: Student and SRWC Members- $0, Faculty, Staff and Alumni- $27 Affiliate- $34, Community Member: $40,” according to the Rec Center website.
The deadline to sign up is on Wednesday, Jan. 27 at 6 p.m., for the camping trip, and Thursday, Feb. 11 at 6 p.m., for the hiking trip.
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