Does anyone have any ideas and/or experience hosting parties in JT? We'll have about 25-35 people and we'd ideally be able to have a quiet, intimate family style dinner at our Airbnb. I'm seeing a lot about not having parties at the Airbnb, etc etc., but what are my other options? has anyone gotten away with this?

I've been scouring Reddit and the national park website about visiting Joshua Tree in the summer. We'll be staying at an AirBnb in Joshua Tree from August 1st - 4th (leaving on the 4th).

We're from middle/upstate NY, so the dry (and extreme) heat will be new. Our group is 5 adults and 2 toddlers (2.5 and younger), and I'll be 25 weeks pregnant.

I'm always on the side of being overly cautious and know we need to properly prepare for any time outside (sunscreen, UV protection, limited outdoor time, lots of water, etc.). From what I gather, if any of us are considering hiking, it should be started a few hours prior to sunrise and we should be leaving the park by morning (9-10am or so). My husband and his brother will likely want to do more hiking than the women and children, and they're smart, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me really nervous the thought of them going out and hiking alone together with the lack of service in the park.

What are your realistic tips for visiting Joshua Tree in early August? What are must haves for safety? I'm thinking stick to paved roads when driving, bring more water than we think we need, no one goes completely alone, sunscreen and protective clothing, bring tweezers or pliers for possible cactus incidents. Are walkie-talkies or a satellite phone a good idea? Or is the emergency SOS feature on an iPhone sufficient if needed? What are realistic times to be in and out of the park? My husband tentatively wrote "head to park" at 5pm on the itinerary and from what I've read that will be too hot still, maybe we could drive at that time but I personally wouldn't expect us to be out of the air conditioned car at that hour. I know we can get some great views and sight seeing done from the car which is likely what we'll do with the kiddos in our group, and hit some air conditioned visitors centers early in the morning before heading to the Airbnb to relax during the hot afternoons. Oh, and I know to download and/or print maps prior to visiting due to the spotty service.

Any tips for day to day activities too, when outside is too hot? Is it bearable enough to go out and explore downtown Joshua Tree, Palm Springs, 29 Palms, etc? Like going to different shops/restaurants that are air conditioned? I'm also aware some places may be closed this time of year due to low crowds and heat. Our Airbnb has a pool and a cold plunge tub. It also has a grill, will we even be able to cook any dinners outside in the evenings or will it truly be too unbearable for even that?

We couldn't pass up visiting Joshua Tree and are most looking forward to the stargazing and hanging out in the evenings. I just want true realistic expectations for our day to day activities on what will be safe and what won't be. I don't want to miss out on anything from being too cautious, and I also don't want any of us to end up dead or in the hospital from ignorance. Thanks everyone!