Trip 13 Overview: Southern California National Parks

In January 2024, we flew to Los Angeles and traveled to southern California to visit Channel Islands, Joshua Tree, and Death Valley National Parks. We also spent a day at Valley of Fire State Park, northeast of Las Vegas, before heading home. The trip was a week in duration, which seemed to be about right, but it would be easy to add an extra day for Channel Islands National Park in warmer weather to explore more of the islands and do some kayaking or whale watching. The weather in January was cool, with nighttime temperatures dropping into the low 30s/upper 20s in the desert environment, but it was pleasant for hiking during the day, as temperatures rose to the low 60s and we mostly had sunny skies. Total miles traveled was 1,287, which included taking the Pacific Coast Highway from LAX to Ventura and an extra overnight stop in Las Vegas on the way to Death Valley since we did not like our lodging in the Joshua Tree area. We'll describe each park in separate posts.