Prepare for Passover in the Desert

All the logistics in one place

Please review this page carefully so you can plan accordingly. 

This is a rustic wilderness environment in the Southern California desert, about 4 hours drive from Los Angeles and 8 hours from the Bay Area. There are limited facilities (i.e., no flush toilets or running water, and no permanent structures). We expect the occasional car or hiker to come through, but we will be relatively far from civilization.

We will build temporary communal structures and participants are responsible for their own personal camping gear.

You will likely lose cell service, so be prepared to be completely offline.

A note on accessibility: Unfortunately the site we are staying at is not ADA compliant. Due to the desert terrain, the ground is largely uneven and rocky. However, the main camp area at Passover in the Desert, including the hearth, tent of meeting and some of the structures may be flat enough to navigate with a motorized scooter. Feel free to email info@wildernesstorah.org with more questions.

Location

Getting There

Our Passover journey takes place in the Mojave Desert, near Death Valley National Park. The location is approximately 200 miles northeast of Los Angeles (about 4 hour drive) and 500 miles southeast of the San Francisco Bay Area (about 8 hour drive).

To reduce our travel impact, we encourage everyone to carpool. Please use the Passover in the Desert Facebook Event to coordinate with other drivers and passengers. We have also create a Carpool list to organize amongst yourselves. 

Cars should be in good working order and capable of traversing dirt roads. The road between our site and Surprise Canyon, an oasis about 3 miles west of our site, is especially rough and rocky.

Want to rent an RV? We know that not everyone, especially families with very young kids and elders, are able to camp in a tent. Download this one-page resource created by Wilderness Torah’s Elder at Large, Ellie Schindelman. You will find some tips for renting an RV for the festival.

Food & Water

We will be providing a hearty breakfast and dinner every day, as well as offering a snack table that will always be open, including matzah and some fresh fruit. If you want lunch, you will need to bring your own food. (Except for Shabbat). We will also provide water for drinking only. 

Read below for more details:

Kiddush (sanctification of Shabbat with wine) and Hamotzi (blessing over bread or matzah) are traditionally said at the beginning of lunch on Shabbat. On Saturday morning, we will serve a small breakfast and then early afternoon, we will serve brunch and invite everyone to share this special opportunity to bless our Shabbat meal as a community.

  • People tend to eat less in the desert heat and food goes to waste
  • Having an open lunchtime provides more spaciousness in the schedule
  • Preparing, eating, and cleaning up a full community lunch would take substantial time each day and would increase ticket prices
  • There is a reduction in chef and food costs (which allows us to afford the water truck!)

Note: You will need to bring lunch items for Friday and Sunday. We will provide Shabbat lunch on Saturday.  If you are planning to attend the optional first night of seder on Wednesday, April 5, please remember to bring yourself lunch for Thursday as well.

  • Cheese (many hard cheeses are fine for a few days)
  • Jerky
  • Dried meats/fish
  • Fruit/veggies that don’t go bad quickly like oranges, apples, bananas, carrots
  • Nuts, seeds, and dried fruit; trail mix
  • A box of matzah if you really love it (we’ll have a bunch available)
  • Nut butters, tahini, honey, etc. to spread on the matzah
  • Energy bars, fruit strips, and/or granola type bars
  • Anything canned (don’t forget a can opener)
  • Coconut water for hydration

Remember, most people eat less in the desert heat, so you probably need less than you think. If you’d like to cook, feel free to bring a small stove, but we don’t find that this is necessary. We also encourage you to bring items that minimize food packaging in efforts to reduce non-food waste. 

You must store your food in a container like a cooler and keep it by your tent. 

Refrigeration will not be available.

All food served by Wilderness Torah is kosher and kosher for Passover, except for a few small exceptions, which will be explicitly stated onsite. We will be serving kitniyot (beans, seeds, legumes) with a number of meals and there will always be kitniyot-free options as well. Learn more in our FAQs.

While we invite you to be in the Passover spirit, the food you bring does not need to be kosher as it will not be stored in the kitchen and you will use your own personal dishes.

We will provide bins for recycling and compost. We will not provide communal garbage bins. Please take out what you bring in! Please be conscientious of what you bring to the desert and the possibility of your garbage blowing away in the desert winds and inadvertently polluting the local environment. Burning Man has a great list of things to avoid bringing to the desert in an effort to avoid introducing what they call “MOOP” (Matter Out Of Place). Please click here for a list of what to consider leaving at home.

Wilderness Torah provides a water truck to meet all our communal cooking, dishwashing, and drinking needs. We recommend you bring 1–2 gallons to keep at your tent for personal use (like bathing) through the festival.

Desert Hazards & Safety Precautions

Keep an eye out for yourself and others. The more prepared you are, the more fun you can have! Please review the following safety tips before coming to the desert:

The air is very dry. Even if you don’t feel hot, dry, or thirsty, it’s important to KEEP DRINKING WATER, at least 1 gallon per day. The hearth will an provide electrolyte to add to your water.

Hand washing is very important! For the safety of everyone, please wash your hands EVERY time AFTER toileting, BEFORE entering the kitchen/food areas, and BEFORE every meal.

If you experience any slips, trips, or falls, take a deep breath, stay aware, and slow down — that’s what we’re here for.

The desert is home to many wild creatures, including rattlesnakes and scorpions. Take precautions by wearing closed toed shoes, staying alert when walking, and refraining from reaching into rocks and bushes that you cannot see into. If you see one, do not approach, and tell a staff person so we can relocate any hazardous creature.

There are not many cacti at our site, but it is the desert, so they are around. Be aware of many varieties and sizes.

Bring a flashlight and/or headlamp and extra batteries.

Bring warm layers and bedding (preferably not cotton, as it retains moisture). Tie down your gear so it doesn’t blow away in strong winds.

Plan to arrive in the daylight and bring everything you need with you.  There will be no cell service on the grounds.

Do not make camp in a dry creek bed. Flash floods develop quickly in the desert.

What to Bring

Below you’ll find a list of personal camping gear as well as communal and fun stuff to bring. We will camp relatively close to our cars, but be prepared to carry your things a short distance. It’s a good idea to label your gear with your name, since many people have similar looking items, and we always have a big lost and found pile at the end.

  • Your own plate, bowl, mug, (wine cup, napkin), and utensils. Please label these or they will end up in the communal dish stash at the end!
  • Picnic lunch food for Friday and Sunday of the festival. We provide Shabbat lunch on Saturday. If you are coming early for Wednesday evening’s seder, please bring your own lunch for Thursday as well.  See here for details and suggestions
  • 1–2 gallons of water for personal use
  • Two 1-liter water bottles to fill up
  • Your wooden name tag from previous festivals if you have one

  • Something to read
  • Journal to write or draw in
  • Camera
  • Camping chair or cushion to sit on
  • Yoga mat
  • Camping shower (no shower facilities are available onsite. Bring your own water for your personal shower)
  • Your siddur (prayer book), if you use one
  • Musical instruments
  • Massage oils, hydrosols (herbal sprays), healing ointments, etc. to offer in the Healing Hut
  • Songs, stories, and poems to share around the fire
  • Costumes! Fun, funky, festival attire for celebrations! (No Feathers please or anything that can easily blow away).
  • Hand towel
  • White celebratory clothing for shabbat

  • Decorations for the Tent of Meeting and other spaces — tapestries, rugs, pillows, pretty things that hang etc.
  • Food from your fruit tree or garden to share
  • Anything else you’d like to offer the group

  • Sleeping bag (rated 20° or below)
  • Sleeping pad (Thermarest, Ensulite, or other)
  • Tent, ground cover, and rain fly
  • Stakes and hammer to stake down your tent 
  • Warm Jacket
  • Fleece or Sweater (not cotton)
  • Thermal underwear (not cotton)
  • Warm socks (not cotton)
  • Hiking boots or shoes
  • Comfortable shoes
  • Slip on sandals for communal spaces
  • Short-sleeved shirts (at least one not cotton)
  • Long-sleeved shirt
  • Long pants
  • Comfy, warm clothes to sleep in
  • Comfy, loose clothes to lounge in,including lightweight sun shirts
  • Festive attire for Shabbat if you wish (many participants wear white on Friday night as a way of honoring the ceremonial nature of this weekly holiday)
  • Rain pants
  • Rain jacket with hood
  • Sunglasses
  • Sun hat and/or lightweight scarf to protect from the sun
  • Underwear
  • Gloves (not cotton)
  • Winter hat and scarf
  • Bandana or kerchief
  • Sunscreen
  • Lip balm with SPF
  • Pocket knife or multi-tool
  • Toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, etc.
  • Flashlight and/or headlamp and extra batteries
  • Any medications you need
  • Small daypack
  • Plastic/paper bags to pack out your personal garbage
  • Alcohol based hand sanitizer
  • Personal first aid kit (band-aids, pain reliever, Neosporin, aloe vera, stuff for blisters, etc.)
  • Bathing suit and towel for river hike

More Questions?

Visit our FAQ