Stuff We Get Asked All The Time ;-0

Where Is the Tour located:  The majority of our tours, in the Joshua Tree area, are conducted inside the Joshua Tree National Park.  We do not give the exact location until 24hrs before your tour because we check conditions for the night of your tour to see which of our spots will be the best conditions (wind, clouds, etc.)  but all locations are within a 10-20 minute drive from each other inside the park.  Park fees are not included in your tour cost.

1. Are the park fees included in the tour cost: No, entrance fees to Joshua Tree National Park are not included in your tour costs and will need to be paid upon entry into the park.  Please remember the West Entrance (Joshua Tree entrance) is usually the busiest gate.  For quicker entry consider using the Twentynine Palms entrance.
2. Do you offer transportation: No, all guests self drive to our viewing locations.
3. How does weather affect the tour:  In the event we have to cancel a tour, due to inclement weather, guests receive a full refund. 

Cancelation Policies and Refunds for Regularly Scheduled Tours

1. Guests who cancel a booking more than 7 days in advance will receive a full refund.
   Guests who cancel a booking 48-hours in advance of the planned start time will receive a voucher for the full amount paid that expires in one full calendar year from the original tour date.
2. For cancellations received within 24-hours of the tour start time, or for no shows, there will be no refund or credit offered of any kind.
   Weather Cancelations
3. In the event we have to cancel a tour, due to weather conditions, guests receive a full refund.
   Private Tour Cancelation Policies
4. On Private Tours NO refunds will be given if cancelled within 30 days of scheduled tour. Vouchers may be given on a case by case basis to be used within 1 calendar year.
5. Do you allow pets: Guide dogs, adhering to State and Park rules, are always welcome. Pets are only allowed to join us in private tours.  We are huge dog LOVERS but Just a quick note on dogs here in the desert… This place is rough on them. Please remember their paws on the asphalt and rocks in the heat! Please remember how hot the ground is for them and year round the geology of this place can easily cut their feet.  Not to mention the vibrant coyote population, snakes, etc.  Just know this area can be rough on our fur babies.  
6. How long is the Tour: 90 minutes is the short answer.  The long answer is; we could go on all night.  As a matter of fact if you did the tour 100 times you probably still wouldn’t hear much of the same information twice.  Tony doesn’t run out of stories to tell before you run out of the capacity to hear them.  Your mind just won’t be able to take in any more information.  That’s the point of being AWEinspired you know when the night has captured you and at that point you just have to let the rest go and savor the moment.  The night will speak to you, the cold, the wind, the heat, they will take their toll, for the moment, but the stories will Stalk you forever!
7. What is the tour comprised of: You will be handling a variety of fun equipment to help you view the night sky and see the stars with less light pollution than you can with your naked eye.  All while Tony, your guide, tells you stories of how Indigenous peoples from every area of the globe used the stars for everything from Spiritual practices to navigation.  This is not an Astronomy tour please note we are not astronomers and our stories come from our travels around the world and things we have learned along the way.  Our tours are about connecting to the night sky like our ancestors have done since the begining of time. 
8. Why Joshua Tree: We feel so blessed to have found this place.  A little personal story here… We had decided to leave the Sedona, AZ area and were very sad to do so but we wanted to be closer to family and so we uprooted ourselves once again (family is everything).  As we were driving from AZ to CA I saw it as a good opportunity to break up the trip and spend the night in Joshua Tree because we had always meant to visit the area, knowing it was supposed to be one of the few places in California with dark skies. So I booked a hotel for the night.  As we drove into Twentynine Palms we were starving.  We found Rocky’s pizza and thankfully grabbed a bite (thumbs up!).  Then, exhausted after a long day of packing and driving, we stumbled over to the “Sky’s the Limit Observatory”.  We pulled into the parking lot, opened the doors of the car.  It was mid March and it was GORGEOUS outside.  The song that was playing on Pandora was “Hallelujah” and I literally broke down in tears at how beautiful it was.  We had found our next home at least for a moment.  We are so blessed to have a couple dark sky communities left in California.  Please everyone do your part in preserving this critical jewel!  Visit darksky.org to learn more about Dark sky communities and the awesome things you can do around your house to make a difference tonight! Not only for your benefit of seeing the beauty of the night skies but also for the animals and birds who need the dark!
9. Is there any hiking involved:  No!  We do our best to make sure all of our locations are as accessible as possible for all of our guests.  You should expect no more than 20 ft from your car door to our comfortable chairs for those that require it.  A lot of our guests choose to stand up and walk around with the equipment, that’s fine too!
10. Are you off dirt roads: The majority of our tours are easily accessed by paved roads.
11. How far are you from the Palm Springs area:  Plan at least a 90-minute drive from the Palm Springs area to our tour locations.
12. Can I bring Food and Drinks to the tour: We totally get it.  Most people imagine laying out a blanket with a picnic of Charcuterie and wine and watching the night sky evolve. That’s not us….. This is a very active, hands-on experience. You will be handling equipment the entire time so please save your munchies and drinks for after the tour.
13. How should we dress:   Dude… The desert is harsh!  most nights is is stunningly beautiful and then …. It’s either super hot, or really cold and it could be windy as well, so watch the weather and ask Molli what to expect on your night as it approaches.  Our little blankets can only offer so much comfort.  Also closed-toed shoes are always a good idea in the desert.
14. Do you offer chairs: Yes
15. How far in advance should I make my reservation: Due to the small intimate size of our groups It is not uncommon for us to be sold out 30 days in advance.  Be sure to grab your spots so you don’t miss out!
16. Do you have a waitlist if my date is currently unavailable: Absolutely!  Feel free to leave us a message or text us with your name, the number of people in your party and the dates you were hoping for and we will put you on a cancellation list.
17. How many people are typically in a tour: Ideally, we keep our group size to an intimate setting of no more than 6-8 guests.  It’s very important for us to speak with guests individually and help them get what they’re looking for out of the night.
18. Do you do large groups / private tours: Yes, we do offer private tours and we are able to facilitate large groups on a case-by-case basis.  Contact us for more details 909-556-9024
19. Are you photographers:  Somewhere along the way people got the misconception we could help with Astro-photography… Absolutely not true!  I have heard there are some great companies in the area who are dedicated to Astro photography be sure to check them out.  We are stargazers and storytellers.