My husband and I wanted to take the kids some place fun for a few days between Christmas and New Years. We didn’t want to have to drive too far but wanted to go some place not too cold where we could do some camping and enjoy the outdoors. We ended up heading down to Joshua Tree National Park which is about an hour east of Palm Springs.
The drive down in the RV was fun and we arrived at the park about mid-afternoon. Joshua Tree is a beautiful park and a great place to do some hiking with the kids. They also have a bunch of camgrounds in the park, which by the way, are on a first come first serve basis. We learned that you definately want to arrive early to be able to find a spot. We ended up about 50 miles from the northwest entrance at a capmground called Cottonwood. As you can imagine, the kids were overly anxious having to drive the extra distance but once we got the fire started and the kids began cooking their hot dogs over the campfire, all was good.
The next day we had reservations to go rock climbing with a company called Vertical Adventures. Everyone was excited but a bit nervous at the same time. We all geared up in a harness, helmut and rock climbing shoes and headed over to our climb. 
We stared at the ropes bolted to the top of the rock as we were taught how to tie the figure 8 knot in our ropes. After a few minutes of verbal instruction it was time to tackle our first climb. When our guides asked who wanted to go first, I was shocked when all the kids raised their hands. I was so proud as I watched them tie their own knots, listen attentively to the guide and start their way up. I could tell they were nervous but our guides were great, very patient and walking them through step by step, teaching them what to look for in the rock to know where to put their feet and grip with their hands. When their fear got the best of them, they didn’t give up and worked through it to get to the top. It was such a confidence boost, not only for the kids but for all of us, to hit the top of the rock and to turn and look down with big smiles. 
It was a great day, we each made 5 different climbs, with each one more difficult than the last. By the end of the day, we were all exhasuted but had a fantastic time. Definately a cool family activity to conquer!
It was time to head on over to another campground to make another campfire, cook some burgers and marshmallows and get some rest. But first, we had to deal with the little issue of securing the exhaust under the RV after the bracket broke. The last thing we needed was to lose our exhaust system!
Wow, looks fun, and reasonably not too dangerous. We were at Palms Springs last month, but I’ve never been to Joshua Tree.