Hello from our covid “Christ-moose” in beautiful Joshua Tree, CA. As with many things in 2020, our holiday plans did not go as planned. After cancelling our trip to visit Scott’s family in the UK, we knew we still wanted to get away and recharge. However, we wanted to make sure we could do stay (and keep others) safe so we narrowed our search to secluded places within driving distance of San Francisco. After a bit of searching, it became clear that Joshua Tree was our best option.

Bringing your puppy to Joshua Tree

We love hiking with Moose. Before we left, we wanted to make sure that dogs were allowed in Joshua Tree. Like many other National Parks, dogs are allowed, but not necessarily welcome. You can read the full rules for where dogs are allowed on the National Parks website, but here’s our quick summary version of what we wished we knew before:

• Dogs are only allowed on roads, not trails. All of the official hiking trails within the park do not allow dogs. Dogs are only allowed within 100 feet of roads - but they can be paved or unpaved.

• It’s one big loop, and it’s all really cool. When we asked friends for recommendations before we left, we got a lot of mumbly answers. It made sense when we got here. It all kind of looks the same…but that’s not a bad thing at all because it all looks really cool and unique. There are amazing trees, rock formations, and bright skies no matter where you look. This meant that Moose not being allowed on the official trails actually didn’t matter as much as we thought. We had great hikes just walking on unpaved roads around the park. Plus, the roads are less crowded than trails which is a major advantage during covid times.

Our favorite walking areas so far:

• Queens Valley Road to Big Horn Pass Road near Barker Dam. We parked by Barker Dam and were happy to find a wide, scenic path with very few cars.

• Geology Tour Road: Another wide road where dogs are allowed. A longer hike compared to the roads above. We ended up doing a mile or two and turning around when Moose got tired (or at least that was our excuse).

• Take advantage of All Trails to filter by dog-friendly hikes both in Joshua Tree and outside the National Park. Like we said, it' all sort of looks the same and is all gorgeous.

Packing list

This was our fourth road trip with Moosey. Each is getting a bit easier to pack for, especially as she gets more trained and becomes less (but not a non-existent) liability.

The video below provides a good summary of what we packed for our Yosemite trip and much holds true. The main exception is we ended up picking up a playpen again even though we didn’t get one for Yosemite. The main reason we did this was because we wanted to have peace of mind leaving her alone in the airbnb without worrying about her chewing on something, digging, or getting into any other bad habits. 100% worth it.

Main things we pack:

• Food: We pre-portion kibble for the day and pack a giant bag of mixed high-reward treats for training, walks, etc.

• Essentials: leash, poop bags, etc.

• Toys: Just ~3-4 of her favorites to minimize space

• Long-lasting chews: These are key for the drive or leaving Moose alone on her own. Himalayan Yak chews are her current favorite and don’t smell. We’re all fans!

• Playpen: As mentioned above, we ended up getting a pen for this trip just for added peace of mind when we aren’t able to watch Moose.

• Grooming essentials: Although Moose doesn’t shed, she’s a bit high maintenance when it comes to things sticking in her hair like Velcro. We end up bringing a brush for short weekends. For longer weekends, we bring shampoo and sometimes detangling spray if she’s going to hike.

• Extras: The nice-to-haves but still important. We have a travel water bottle, bandanas, vitamins, etc.

Have you been to Joshua Tree with your pup? Have questions we didn’t cover? Let us know in the comments below.