Joshua Tree Retreat Center
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Joshua Tree Retreat Center

Site Overview

Located in Joshua Tree, California, only two hours from Los Angeles.
The retreat facility can sleep from 10 to 280 participants and seats up to 500 in their largest indoor meeting space. Most of the unique buildings at the site were built by world-renowned architects, Frank Lloyd Wright and his son, Lloyd.
• An outdoor amphitheater with earthen stage, lights and fire pit for outdoor activities and wonderful evening events under the stars.
• There are accommodations for groups of various sizes, each with their own eating areas and kitchens.
• Large and small meeting spaces with many breakout rooms and beautiful views.
• Three large meeting halls: Sanctuary Hall (seating 500+) has a stage and wonderful acoustics as well. Noble Hall (seating 350) Friendship Hall (seating 210+), all with central A/C and Heating.
• Swimming pool and warm pool and sand volleyball court.
• Rooms sleep 4 in individual twin beds. Each room with private bath/shower.
• Central dining hall for meals and group indoor space.

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is an excellent outdoor education site. Located along the transition between the Mojave and upper Sonoran Deserts, the Park is a wonderful mosaic of Joshua Tree Woodland, cholla-covered slopes, and sparkling wildflowers during the spring. Animal life is abundant. Deer, coyote, bobcat, desert big horns and a distinctive and diverse avian fauna inhabit the Park. The rich and varied human history of native Americans, ranching and mining add an interesting component to Naturalists at Large's Joshua Tree programs.
The Joshua Tree Retreat Center is a great way to explore the desert, learn about rock climbing, and enjoy the comforts of lodge based programming. The retreat center offers many on-site opportunities. Additionally, Naturalists at Large can arrange transportation for all ventures into the park.
 

Educational Overview


Students discover the unique natural and human history of the area, develop group cooperation, enhance leadership abilities, and learn basic outdoor skills. During the three to five-day program, Naturalists at Large will provide your students with a shared experience, enhancing the class's sense of identity. All Naturalists at Large programs are designed to give the students a "sense of place". This is accomplished by introducing them to the natural and cultural history of the Park while they explore the trails, study the various habitats, and live in the area.
 
Natural History themes can include the desert community, adaptations of plants and animals for surviving in this land of little rain, geology, the stars, and the environmental influences on plant size and diversity during an examination of the Parks various environments. We will also stress the importance of safe travel in a region with little water and extremes in temperature. Emphasis will be tailored to complement the goals of the school.
 
Naturalists at Large will take responsibility for evening activities. Evening activities can include; star walks, night hikes, campfires, and other programs developed with the school.

Rock Climbing


Rock climbing possibilities are excellent at Joshua Tree. The Naturalists at Large climbing program is designed to introduce all students to this challenging and exciting sport. In addition to learning safe climbing techniques students learn to work together and cooperate towards a common goal. Rock climbing instruction is complemented by challenge and initiative games that will foster greater group interaction.

Climbing on Naturalists at Large trips is geared towards a success oriented challenge activity. In other words, every student should be able to make a climb. Climbing is an activity that few of the students will be familiar with, some may see it as an impossible task, but the climbs are chosen so that all students can have a challenging yet successful experience.

Lessons learned from climbing can be trust in fellow students, increased ability to focus (if facilitated), and increased self-esteem. Naturalists at Large climbing programs are not for mastery of climbing by the students. The few climbing skills acquired by the students are focused on having a safe and enjoyable experience, not as an introduction to mountaineering. The organization of ground school and climbing sites is designed with this philosophy in mind.

Our focus remains: a positive learning environment, appreciation of the outdoors, natural history instruction, environmental awareness, and camping skills. In addition, we add basic rock climbing skills (belaying, climbing technique, signals, and time on the rock). The idea is to incorporate the individual skills necessary for success in an introduction to rock climbing with the group building skills inherent in an outdoor experience.

Our primary objective is a safe and positive rock climbing experience.

Trails

Area trails are diverse and offer campers an intimate experience with the park’s unique flora and fauna.

  • Boy Scout Trail – this 7-mile long trail starts in higher desert, surrounded by Joshua trees, and ends at Indian Cove campground. It’s the perfect length and difficulty if you’re interested in adding a backpacking component to your trip.
  • Gunsight Canyon – Leads up out of the campground and into a narrow canyon for about a mile. It offers a great spot for bouldering and getting out of the mid-day sun while taking in the amazing views.
  • Johnson Spring Caves – a downhill mile-long walk from the campground leads you this spot where students spend an hour or so exploring the cool, talus caves.
  • Rattlesnake Canyon - Have a desire for a full day hike? Explore as far as you like up this canyon where water seeps from secret wells and the rock has been sculpted by thousands of years of floods.

Naturalists at Large is a leading outdoor and environmental education group in California. Since 1985, we have provided outdoor education programs for tens of thousands of students from over two hundred schools, offering custom client designed trips, flexible dates and locations, commitment to safety and comfort in the outdoors, the wonder of nature and the importance of outdoor and experiential education.

Discover the world... design your own custom program today!

Naturalists at Large  •  P.O. Box 3517  •  Ventura California 93006  •  (805) 642-2692  •  Fax (805) 642-2843  •   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.