CAMP DIARY: CIRCLE & X CAMPGROUND
A Joshua Tree Camping Adventure
CAMP DIARY:
CIRCLE AND X
JOSHUA TREE, CALIFORNIA
included in this diary:
Pictures from Desert X Exhibit “Specter”
Review of local lunch spot Natural Sister’s Cafe
Experience at local shop Wine and Rock Shop
Review of Circle and X Campground
Field Notes
Deciding to Stay at Circle and X
As a kind surprise, my boss gave us the Earth Day holiday off! This year, that coincided with Easter weekend- double celebrations! No complaints here- so I scrambled to find a spot to camp for at least one night. Due to the last minute planning and needing to find something in SoCal, all signs pointed to Joshua Tree.
April is usually ideal timing for J-Tree, as it's not too frigid at night and its not swelteringly hot either. Being that it is high season in the desert, I knew it was unlikely I’d find a site in the park so I immediately started looking for sites outside of it.
Enter Hipcamp. This handy little website comes in clutch for exactly the above situation.
I found Circle and X pretty quickly, as it had great reviews from other campers-- that plus the undeniable uniqueness of the site, it was a must click and then a must book!
Now that the site was booked I started sketching out the rest of our stay. Normally I would get us on a hike in the park, but Charlie was under the weather, so I settled on finding some cool stuff to do in town and along the way to our campground. Keep scrolling to read all about it!
First up, pit stop at a Desert X exhibit.
Desert X occurs every 2 years in the Coachella Valley. It showcases site-specific contemporary artworks by various artists. The last Desert X occurred during our wedding in 2017! (Read about our Palm Springs wedding).
There were 4 exhibits that I could map out “along the way” to Joshua Tree, but we only were only able to get to 1. The rest of 15 or so exhibits we would have had to head too far to the southeast towards Palm Springs, so we settled on only catching Sterling Ruby’s sculpture titled “Specter”.
We could see this big orange glowing box as we approached it from the highway. We parked and had a decent walk to get to the artwork. The wind was insane! It felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz when the tornado hits in the beginning and Dorothy is trying to get to the storm shelter. It was nuts! We got there just in time to snap some pictures and race back to our car. The orange backdrop against the mountains and the clear blue sky was truly striking. The last picture of Charlie where I captured the orange sculpture agains the backdrop of the snow covered mountain is my favorite. I love the contrast and wish Charlie could have kept his eyes open!
Stop #2- Lunch at Natural Sisters Cafe
Charlie and I have been practicing a vegetarian diet, so to make it easy on ourselves we stake out vegetarian restaurants if we can! Natural sisters came highly recommended online and we were so glad we went. I got a black bean burger and Charlie got the curried rice wrap. Both were delicious but Charlie and I both will be back for the black bean burger. I also got a rose lemonade that was not overly sweet and had a hint of carbonation.
The cafe is super casual with local artwork hanging and available for purchase. You order at the counter and then they bring it out to you. There are some high tops inside and then a small patio with 5 or 6 tables outside. It was pretty busy when we arrived! There was a line but it moved quickly and so did our food. We snagged a spot outside after seeing some other folks leave. Next door there was another little shop and a local artist selling their work on the sidewalk.
Stop #3: Rock & Wine Shop
I found this store on Instagram and am so glad I did! I have a feeling we will be stopping every time we come back to Joshua Tree.
Filled with quirky gifts, supplies and you guessed it: rocks and wine.
Charlie and I each came away with a crystal.
Amethyst for him— to help with some aches and pains (as mentioned he was under the weather this trip so it only felt appropriate);
Smoky quartz for me— to dispel nightmares and guide me to my dreams.
The wine selection was great, but a little pricey for our budget, so we opted for cheaper options found at a liquor store down the road. We enjoyed perusing all the kitschy nicknacks for sale. They also had some camp necessitates available which was good to know in case we realized we forgot something.
4th & Final Stop: Circle and X!
After traveling about 5 miles north of the Twentynine palms highway, we spent another two or so miles on a gravel/dirt road to arrive at 2.5 acres of unique and gorgeous: Circle and X campground.
We set up our tent on one of the two platforms provided and chilled out! The third platform is an A-frame with some cushions on it. I enjoyed some morning stretching there, and at night we laid out to stargaze.
The space has a uniquely built geometric dome. There are a few chairs sitting inside and next to it a cowboy hot tub. We really wished it was warm enough to use that guy! I think the owners make it available to campers in the summer months. We found all the amenities at this campground super thoughtful and helpful. There is a whole storage closet that housed blankets, games, extra toilet paper etc… I think there might even been a tent in case you needed one!
The bathroom was a porta-potty, but pretty much the nicest one I’ve ever been in. It was adorned with succulent decorations and nice quality hand sanitizer. There were also lights in side, which I was very grateful for once it got dark! We also noticed there were little lights around the property that turned on once night fell. Its the little things, people!
All around, I would recommend Circle and X if you’re looking for a relaxing stay in the desert. We would definitely consider coming back with a few friends to enjoy all the amenities available.
I also simply enjoyed capturing the essence of the space. There were beautiful desert flowers and bushes as well as little colorful caterpillars everywhere. We had to be mind-full as we walked around so as not to step on any!
I would come prepared for the elements. This is a very wide open space so we had to learn to get friendly with the wind and the sun. If you are staying somewhere like Jumbo Rocks inside the park I think you feel a lot less of the wind and with all the boulders around and you can generally can find some shade easily as well. This site does not offer any natural elements to protect you from the wind or the sun. The site did have an umbrella for the picnic table but we only realized once the sun had gone done lol. Noting the wind, there is a fire pit for use, but please be mindful of putting your fires out properly!
Joshua Tree sunsets are always a beautiful painting of pinks and purples over the mountains and this occasion was no different. It’s such a joy for me to set up my camera and capture the stages of the desert tucking itself in for the night.
I have started to practice night-time photography and this was my first attempt! I’m thrilled that I was able to catch the geometric dome below the stars. The lights that sit at the foot of the dome helped light it up while not taking away any specular from the stars in the sky!
10/10 would recommend laying on the A-Frame platform to look at the stars. Charlie and I always forget to bring a sky chart and end up making up the names of constellations.
field notes:
Ensure your car can handle 2 miles of dirt road
our little Kia Rio did it just fine, but we had to go slow and 2 miles felt like forevvvver
Grab firewood
before you enter on the dirt path to camp
make sure you purchase from in town
Come prepared for wind and sun-
bring a hat and sunglasses
set up the provided umbrella in the picnic table and make sure its secure
Keep an eye out
for caterpillars!
Bring a star chart
to enjoy the sky at night
save this pin for later:
Circle and X Geometric Dome under the night sky