On sunny weekend morning we decided to head out to Joshua Tree National Park and go for a hike. We had driven around out there but not gone hiking yet and we were looking forward to it.

We chose Barker Dam, because usually it has no water in it, but we had been getting a lot of rain, and heard through friends that there was a lot of water.

The kids really know how to be prepared. Hats, backpacks with first aid kits, etc., and water packs. Roy and I carried the kid backpacks in case one of the girls needed a ride.

There are signs all over the park, explaining what that area is about, what you might want to know before heading out. The red dotted line is the route we’re taking. This hike was 1.1 miles and took about an hour.

Some information about Barker Dam, if you’re interested.

There were a lot of people out on this day!

And we’re off!

We stopped quite frequently to talk about plants and other things we saw. There were little signs along the trail describing what different plants and trees were.

The trail took us through really cool rock formations!

The lake! Look how full it is. It was gorgeous up here.

Making our way around the edge, hoping one of the little ones wouldn’t decide to go for a swim. This was when we put Leah in a pack..she wasn’t listening very well!!

Hannah did great! We were near the end when she started wanting to get in the pack, and I just kept encouraging her and she finished! Great job, Hannah!!!

Since this hike, we’ve also done Hidden Valley and it was really neat!! We enjoyed it even more and are heading out there again in a couple weeks. I’ll get pictures of it at that time.

Been hiking with your family lately? Getting outside, enjoying God’s creation, and being with the family was wonderful! I can’t wait to go again!!