Joshua Tree

The camera stands underneath a mature Joshua tree, close enough that the branches come over the top of the view and the trunk fills the middle of it. These are not trees in any ordinary sense - they are a yucca, and the branching is the record of the plant flowering, because it only splits where a flower head has formed. Around it the desert floor runs away flat in every direction, pale sand and gravel with low scrub and scattered granite boulders, and other Joshua trees standing singly at a distance. The sun is low behind the rocks on one side, which is throwing the long shadows across the sand. Nothing here is dense; the spacing is what the place looks like.

Joshua Tree National Park is found in an area where the geological timeline goes back nearly two billion years. Rolling hills and flourishing grasslands once characterized the now-desert landscape, and there was a time when camels, mastodons, saber-toothed tigers, and wild dogs figured among the resident animals. Humans came to occupy the Joshua Tree National Park area at least 5,000 years ago, each group leaving its mark upon the land and contributing to the park's cultural history. Joshua Tree National Park museum collections are available for visitor viewing and provide wonderful insight into the park's complete story.

Cholla Cactus Garden While exploring Joshua Tree National Park, many visitors make it a point to see the Cholla Cactus Garden. Found approximately 20 miles north of the Cottonwood Visitor Center, this attraction is an area where you will find a mesmerizing concentration of cholla cacti. Sure, these cacti are found in other places throughout the park, but nowhere else are they so prevalent. It's quite a sight to see, especially if you visit at a time when the sunlight shines directly on the cacti and seems to set them aglow. Nature walks through the Cholla Cactus Garden can be enjoyed. Just be careful of the needles. They have a rather fierce reputation and have even been known to penetrate shoes and hiking boots.

Deserts Two deserts come together in Joshua Tree National Park. These deserts are the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert (part of the Sonoran Desert). While the park is commonly referred to as having one ecosystem, it more specifically has two because of the different elevations of these deserts. The Colorado Desert is categorized as a "low" desert. Set below 3,000 feet, it encompasses the eastern part of Joshua Tree National Park and is dominated by the creosote bush. The Mojave Desert is a "high" desert and is slightly cooler and wetter. Elevations within the Mojave Desert area of Joshua Tree National Park approach 6,000 feet above sea level. This is the primary habitat for the Joshua tree species, from which the park takes its name.

Joshua Tree National Park Many visitors to Joshua Tree National Park venture to an interesting area where the Colorado and Mojave deserts meet. Known as the Pinto Basin, this area is well known for its sand dunes. It should be noted that these aren't true dunes. Instead, the natural attraction consists of an elevated ridge that is covered by a modest layer of fine sand. The "trailhead" for the Pinto Basin Sand Dunes is approximately 14 miles north of the Cottonwood Visitor Center on the east side of Pinto Basin Road. There isn't an actual trail to the dunes. You just kind of work your way towards the ridge along a predominantly soft and flat terrain.