The Joshua Tree Field Guide

Jenn Y: Your desert group getaway! Enjoy exploring the Joshua Tree area, and then come home to The Hi Desert Ranch.

Jenn Y: Handy convenience store -- pick up your firewood here! Located just down the road. Great for water, sodas, beers, snacks. Open everyday 6am-8pm.

Jenn Y: Saturday before 11am is when the action is. After that, and it takes on a deserted David Lynch surreal quality. It's a "locals selling weird rusty desert stuff" kind of swap meet, which we L-O-V-E.

Jenn Y: Organic vegetarian counter-order cafe - convenient to grab a bite on the way to/from the park. Check the hearty specials on the side wall. Get the carrot cake if it's there!

Jenn Y: Yay! Healthy groceries for your stay! Pick up trail mix, snacks, or coffee beans from hometown fav, Joshua Tree Coffee Company. This whole shopping center is desert fun.

Jenn Y: Every Saturday morning. A great spot to nab some fresh produce!

Jenn Y: Stop here if you want information on the Park as the Park itself does not have a manned center. The Rangers here are super helpful and can provide some great recommendations. It can get crowded!

Jenn Y: Enter the park here. $15/car admission. Bring your own water. Hidden Valley and Barker Dam are two great intro loop hikes which also offer lots of off-trail rock scrambling exploration (recommended!).

Jenn Y: Experience the National Park without the $15 entrance fee! Hurray! It's a different entrance - Rte 62 to Canyon Road. The hike is 3 mile round trip (2-3 hours) to a palm oasis, moderately strenuous.

Jenn Y: Casual restaurant with a hefty menu. Popular with the out-of-towners and can handle larger groups, which comes in handy.

Jenn Y: Legit pizza in the desert! Loved by locals and visitors alike. Grab a quick slice, or wait a bit longer for a whole pie. Bountiful fresh salads and the calzones are yum too. Nice courtyard out back.

Jenn Y: Perfect spot to cold beer after a hike. We love the grass-fed burgers, fish tacos,  signature salad and fried pickles. Busy at weekend lunch/dinner. Wed & Fri is karaoke night, enter at your own risk.

Jenn Y: Artist Noah Purifoy's sprawling outdoor desert art installation, using mostly found objects (old tires, bicycles, etc), Easily found on Google Maps. Worth a visit!

Jenn Y: Perfect easy breakfast or lunch spot. We love all the sandwiches, especially the BLT. Seasonal salads can be good too.

Jenn Y: Well-curated desert boho boutique, not too fussy, always a joy to visit, next door to Frontier Cafe. We always seems to fall in love with something here.

Jenn Y: Another great antique/vintage store, it's always fun to wander here.

Jenn Y: One of many great antique stores in the area. Always friendly, well-organized and great prices too. There are a number of booths within the same store, so lots of selection to be had.

Jenn Y: Yes, the sound baths are out of this world. Be ready to be transported. $35/person and book early online as it does sell out quickly! Access by reservation only. http://integratron.com/sound-bath

Jenn Y: Go to http://www.highdeserttestsites.com/sites/andys-gamma-gulch-parcel for driving directions. The 100-acre parcel in the mind-blowingly scenic Pipes Canyon hosts projects by multiple artists. Read more.

Jenn Y: Legendary local roadhouse with great BBQ and great live music. On weekends check if there's a show - it sometimes get booked out well in advance.

Jenn Y: Stylish restaurant that melds LA hipster with high desert vibes. The food is made with love. We love the gazpacho and fried chicken. Go! Open Wed-Sun 2-7pm. See website to confirm hours.

Jenn Y: Adjacent to Pappy and Harriets and built as a movie set for 1940s Westerns. Now, its desert surreal with installation art and scattered shops. There's a live gunfighters show Apr-Oct Sat/Sun 2:30pm

Jenn Y: The sign says "Sam's Indian Pizza Liquor". Which makes us laugh, but it really is surprisingly stellar Indian food. Spicy means spicy according to the cook (the owner's mom)! Great for take-away too!

Jenn Y: The one nice restaurant around. We go for special occasion dinners and lucky us, it's genuinely delightfully good. Go a little early to wander the lovely hotel grounds. Sunday brunch is also popular.

Jenn Y: Sometimes a trip to Walmart is an unavoidable necessity. Open until midnight.

Jenn Y: We go here for larger grocery trips. Great organic produce section (Von's largest, outside of Malibu!). Open until 11pm!

Jenn Y: Worthy of mention, if just because the drive-through is open from M-Sa 4:30am-10:30pm (Sunday: 5am-10pm).

Jenn Y: The local taqueria, hidden behind Kasa Market. Enter through the market or the back entrance. This shopping center is also has Jelly Donut - killer donuts (when fresh) that beat any trendy donut shop.

Jenn Y: Hours listed here