The High Desert & Joshua Tree National Park- Not Perfect Trail Running

Where’s the High Desert and why should you care as a trail runner?  The High Desert is the various communities east of Los Angeles and north of Palm Springs….mostly thought of as the Morongo Basin, Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree and 29 Palms.  Joshua Tree and 29 Palms are known as gateways to Joshua Tree National Park and 29 Palms is home to the largest Marine Corps Base on the planet….meaning this small city has a unique blend of character from both the base and Joshua Tree National Park.   There, I think that helps to set the stage for “where” I’m writing about.

But besides where I’m writing about, I’m also writing to warn you about unique opportunities to trail run and train for specific events because of the elevation, desert trails and extreme weather.  These elements form specific conditions that you should be warned about…there might be great opportunities to train & run in Badwater-like conditions in summer and gorgeous desert trails during spring, winter and fall.

Here’s what the whole area looks like on a map, basically sandwhiched between Joshua Tree National Park to the south and the Marine Base to the north.  

Five reasons you may not want to start trail running in the high desert: 

1. Land of Extremes:  The first reason you may not want to run in the high desert is the weather and geography.  This is a land of extremes.  With a short winter and very long summer season of heat….the weather tends to be vicious sometimes.  When it’s not very, very hot up here, there can be intense wind and dust storms, flash flooding and cold.  Not always great to run in.  The geography may limit interest also…..there’s alot of sand, not many trees, no forests and not lots of very high mountains…..but very technical trails we do have.  Naah….you might not want to run up here.

2. Just like desert races: With shoe bottom melting temperatures in the summer on black top, violent wind storms that kick up dust, a dry climate and long semi-flat rolling roads and trails….what could be better conditions if you want to run desert races like Badwater 135, Black Canyon or the High Desert Ultra…..but you can’t get to those locations to train?  Nah….better to keep training in LA or the East Coast than come out to an area just like Badwater and Black Canyon.

3. Space:  You probably should not come out and train up in the high desert because you’ll get lonely.  That’s right, we have SPACE up here to train….quite alone if you choose.  But this also means you have to be smart and carry water and a few comfort items….much like you would in a race.  Yep, you gotta train like you race up here, cause there’s no aid stations in the National Park.  Nope….you might not wanna do this, so stay put and keep training somewhere that doesn’t mimic hard desert conditions.

4. Taking Care of the Mind & Body:  The high desert isn’t like Palm Springs or LA or Denver.  We don’t have lots of obvious services….so you might not want to train here.  In fact, in 29 Palms there’s two great restaurants with wine lists and wait times and a smattering of good restaurants in Joshua Tree and Yucca Valley.  Only from personal experience can I tell you that there’s world class acupuncture in Yucca Valley, there’s a great day spa or three in Joshua Tree and a perfect Yoga studio in 29 Palms.  We also have Farmers Markets in every high desert town every Saturday….of course featuring fresh organic fruits and veggies.  But my point is this…there’s every service you need as an athlete here, but you might have to do a little looking to find it.  So if you need a Jamba Juice or an Oxygen Bar….this might not be your jam.

5. Trail Run Social Scene:  There’s a small run club in 29 Palms and perhaps a Hash House Harrier Group in Joshua Tree or Yucca.  You can get social at modern gyms in 29 Palms and Yucca Valley or start a group yourself.  If you need/want a running social scene or run partners or lively activity….consider bringing a running partner or group with you, join the 29 Palms running group or train alone and unafraid as you revel in the quiet of the desert.  But if you want a spandex clad trail running scene, this place isn’t for you..as the high desert is much more about training with few frills.

Not sure if you got my jest from the writing above, but in all seriousness…the High Desert east of LA and north of Palm Springs in Southern California offers a myriad of benefits for trail runners, all in one location.  You do need to go find those services or ask around for local knowledge to find the right fit as a runner.  It’s taken me over a year to find a great Yoga Studio that enhances my trail running (29 Palms), an acupuncturist that I trust with my recovery (Yucca Valley) and a day spa with great therapists for deep tissue massage (Joshua Tree).

But as an area that sits between 1988 ft and 5811 ft, there is sufficient altitude for VO2 improvement as well as access to the Palm Springs Tram (or trail) to go up just below the summit of Mt. San Jacinto, to an elevation of 8,516 if you want to train there.  The Tram Parkway is also an extremely challenging run….the multi-year winner of that race lives and trains in Yucca Valley.

The last benefit of living/visiting this area is the cost of living.  These areas are hard scrapple, unique and weird desert communities with somewhat depressed economies.  But the cost of living in these communities is lower than much of Southern California.  There’s a myriad of places to stay as a visitor ranging from AirBnb’s, hotels and boutiques hotels.  You can stay in the Airstream Hotel in Joshua Tree or the brand new container hotel in 29 Palms….close to the National Park.  

I’m a slow trail runner but I think there’s benefits to training and living in the high desert that I’m happy to share and anyone else who happens on this story.  Have a great week! 

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PS:

If you do decided to come run here, this is how it looks: