MLK weekend · January 2027

Pick the trip

Four options: two big desert houses, one camping trip and one Hawaii trip. Read them, then vote. You can change your vote any time, and you'll see the results after you vote.

Joshua Tree, California

Boulders, desert sky and a big house with a pool and hot tub, with Palm Springs and live music close by. The easiest trip to pull off.

Stay
Big house with a pool and hot tub
Fly into
Palm Springs
Nat'l parks
1 Joshua Tree
Driving
~5 hr total
January
52–55° / 36–38° high / low
Each guy
~$500 plus flight
Heads up
The hikes are shorter than the other trips, and the pool may be too cold to use. The house has 6 beds for 10 guys, so some people share.

The house

Yucca Valley pool house: 4 bedrooms, 6 beds, 3 baths, pool, hot tub, fire pit, 203 reviews, 20 minutes to the park. $2,026 for 3 nights.

Upgrade: Pueblo estate, 6 bedrooms, 9 beds, pool, hot tub, no fire pit listed, $3,821.

The plan

  1. FriLand by noon, get supplies, 50 minutes to the house. Hot tub and fire.
  2. SatJoshua Tree: Ryan Mountain, Hidden Valley, Skull Rock and sunset at Keys View.
  3. SunPalm Springs tram or golf, then Pappy & Harriet's in Pioneertown.
  4. MonMorning at Cholla Cactus Garden or the pool, then fly home.

Fifth day: more park time, or a Palm Springs golf day.

Las Cruces, New Mexico

Jagged Organ Mountain peaks behind town, white dunes an hour away, and the cheapest big house. The toughest hiking of the three desert trips.

Stay
Big house with a pool or hot tub
Fly into
El Paso, then 50 minutes by car
Nat'l parks
1 White Sands, plus Organ Mountains National Monument
Driving
~4 hr 40 total
January
50–58° / 29–34° high / low
Each guy
~$430 plus flight
Heads up
Most people will likely need a connection into El Paso. Trails have no reliable water. Less to do beyond hiking, and I did not check golf.

The house

Sleeps 12 pool house: 4 bedrooms, 8 beds, 2.5 baths, pool, game room with a bar, fire pit, 96 reviews. $1,281 for 3 nights.

Hot tub option: Jade House, 4 bedrooms, 4 queen beds, hot tub, game room, fire pit, 107 reviews, $1,019.

The plan

  1. FriLand by noon in El Paso, get supplies, 50 minutes to the house. Fire night.
  2. SatSummit day in the Organs: Organ Needle or Baylor Peak.
  3. SunWhite Sands: drive the dunes, walk the sand, stay for sunset.
  4. MonEasy morning in Old Mesilla, then back to El Paso.

Fifth day: Baylor Pass across the range, or Rabbit Ear Plateau.

Death Valley, California

The biggest, emptiest and warmest park of the bunch. We camp in it, so there is no long drive in each morning. The coolest place, and the roughest trip.

Stay
Camping, inside the park
Fly into
Las Vegas
Nat'l parks
1 Death Valley
Driving
~6 hr 30 total
January
62–66° / 43–51° high / low
Each guy
~$330 plus flight
Heads up
All 5 reservable group sites at Furnace Creek are taken Jan 15–17, so we would split across first-come sites, which hold 8 people each. Fire rings are not guaranteed at those sites. Titus Canyon Road is closed.

The camp

Sunset Campground: first-come, and the park says it almost always has sites. Other campers will be around, so it is not a place for a loud night.

Backup: Texas Springs or Stovepipe Wells, also first-come. Texas Springs is often full on holiday weekends.

The plan

  1. FriLand by noon, buy supplies and firewood, about 2 hr 15 to camp.
  2. SatSummit Corkscrew Peak: about 7 miles and 3,100 ft of climbing.
  3. SunGolden Canyon and Badwater, or rent Jeeps at Furnace Creek for the Racetrack.
  4. MonBreak camp and drive back to Vegas. Book flights after 3 pm.

Add-on: two Farabee Jeeps for a day run about $77 a guy.

Big Island, Hawaii

Five days instead of four, with an active volcano, warm ocean and golf. The biggest trip of the four, and the priciest.

Stay
Big house with a hot tub near Kona
Fly into
Kona, about $500 round trip on current fares
Nat'l parks
1 Hawaii Volcanoes
Driving
~5 hr 40 total
January
77–78° / 67° high / low
Each guy
~$770 plus flight
Heads up
Thursday to Monday, so everyone needs an extra day off. Volcanoes is about 2 hours each way from Kona. Lava is not guaranteed, since eruptions come in short bursts.

The house

360° ocean-view house: 4 bedrooms, 8 beds, 4 baths, hot tub, rooftop deck, 91 reviews. $3,670 for 4 nights.

Backup: Honu House, 5 bedrooms, 15 beds, 162 reviews, $3,902. The host says it is not a party house, with 9 pm quiet hours.

The plan

  1. ThuLand in Kona, get supplies, sunset at the house.
  2. FriHawaii Volcanoes: Kīlauea Iki crater hike and the summit overlooks. Lava if it is erupting.
  3. SatGolf on the Kona coast, or hike Pololū Valley.
  4. SunBeach day at Kua Bay, then a night manta ray snorkel.
  5. MonOne last swim, then fly home.

Stays in Kona for sun and beaches. Hilo is closer to the volcano but wetter.