Joshua Tree National Park is popular with the more thoughtful traveler, since there is no spectacular central attraction as is the case with many other Southwest parks, just many square miles of wild, unspoiled desert scenery.
“Here is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
I have been neglectful in writing this post about the park, no excuses, just time has gotten away from me. This will also be my first blog post written from an international destination. No computer and often spotty internet is making for a challenging learning curve in a new format. But let’s get back to Joshua Tree and you can make your own decisions on the blog format!
At the intersection of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts in Southern California is the strange, surreal landscape of Joshua Tree National Park. Named after a whimsically eccentric tree with thick, spiny branches, the park is home to some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California’s deserts.
Exposed granite monoliths and rugged mountains of twisted rock testify to the power of the natural forces that shaped this unique environment. The rock formations of Joshua Tree have enticed rock climbers, hikers and backpackers to explore this desert wonderland for generations.
I wrote about this spectacular destination a year ago so I will try to not repeat myself but for more JT info check out last year’s post:
Truffula Trees at Joshua Tree NP
Joshua Tree, for many years a national monument, was promoted to a national park in 1994, along with nearby Death Valley, and was extended by 230,000 acres, mainly remote mountainous regions at the south and east edges. The land lies at the transition between the Sonoran and Mojave deserts, and has vegetation and scenery representative of both. Besides the trees, rocks and oases, the park also has many hiking trails, a network of 4WD routes, several historic sites and half a dozen picturesque campgrounds.
Joshua trees occur in patches across several Southwest states, wherever conditions of temperature, drainage and rainfall are suitable. Apart from Joshua Tree National Park, the plant is quite common across all the Mojave Desert and hence occurs in parts of south Nevada, extreme southwest Utah and northwest Arizona, favoring elevations between 3,000 and 4,000 feet.
The Joshua tree is actually a species of yucca (Yucca Brevifolia), that can reach a height of 50 feet and is believed to live for up to 1,000 years although they are difficult to date accurately – as they are not proper trees, there are no annual growth rings. A large cluster of white or greenish flowers can appear at the end of each stem from March to May, but this requires just the right combination of springtime temperature and moisture, and several years may pass without a major blooming. Plants start to form the familiar branched appearance when they are 6 to 10 feet tall and several decades old, with new stems forming only after a flowering. The tree was first named by Mormon pioneers in the nineteenth century, who thought that the upturned branches resembled the arms of the prophet Joshua, pointing the way to the promised land.
Unlike most yucca which branch only occasionally, the Joshua tree does so profusely, soon becoming large and tree-like, up to 50 feet high. The narrow leaves (6 to 13 inches in length) persist only on the endmost foot or so of each branch, but dead leaves stay for many years, merging with the bark-like material on lower limbs. Branches form only after flowering, which usually occurs in spring each year but may not do so after a dry winter.
Explorer John C. Frémont, described Joshua Tree National Park’s namesake as “the most repulsive tree in the vegetable kingdom”. But writer Jeannette Walls stated “It’s the Joshua tree’s struggle that gives it its beauty.” Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder when it comes these unique trees.
This is not a place just to drive through, instead I recommend that you explore for a while away from the roads – climb some rocks or walk amongst the trees and cacti, but most of all spend a night here and watch the sun set. The Joshuas are especially atmospheric and spooky at dusk and after dark, when their stark, irregular outlines can seem quite menacing.
This Joshua Tree journey (I have had several now) included a few outstanding opportunities in both hiking and off-roading.
Barker Dam Trail is a 1.5-mile loop, great for an easy hike. Situated just east of Hidden Valley Campground, a quick loop around the Barker Dam Trail takes you back in time as Native American petroglyphs can be found in a few highlighted spots. And also to an important desert resource – water. The dam was built back in the early 1900s by cattle ranchers and is one of the few places in the park you’ll see a body of water, a beautiful oasis in the desert landscape.
Mark joined me on this day trip into the park and for a little change of pace we decided to take the back way into Joshua Tree. Connecting Dillon Road (near Palm Springs) with the south end of Geology Tour Road inside the park, Berdoo Canyon Road is a 4-wheel-drive road that requires a high clearance vehicle.
“All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.” – Earl Nightingale
Depending on who you ask, this trail is rated moderate or difficult. Our experience with it was that it absolutely requires a 4×4 with better than average clearance to pass successfully. As you head north into the park from Indio Hills, the trail begins as a paved road and quickly deteriorates to an off road experience.
Over the course of 6.7 miles, we climbed just over 1,000 feet, ultimately transitioning from the hot desert of the Coachella Valley to the cooler elevated plain inside Joshua Tree National Park. The road passed the ruins of the Berdoo Camp, which was established in the 1930s by the builders of the California Aquaduct with the terrain changing from rocks and coarse sand to a much finer sand at the end of the trail.
At one point, spotting was required for us as there was a section with large rocks and ruts to avoid. It was a spot that called for extra diligence and a spotter to walk in front of the vehicle (me) helping to guide the driver (Mark) over nature’s especially well placed rocks. Once we emerged from the hills, and connected to the Geology Trail it was a very easy tour through the park.
This wasn’t my only visit to Joshua Tree this winter. As I was preparing to leave Tucson heading for California to store the motorhome in preparation for International travel I ran across an Astrophotography class and the dates just happened to coincide with my travels west.
You can only learn so much on your own – much now with the help of the internet and YouTube! But there are still things that are best learned by spending time with others that have developed skills light years above your own. This was the case when I joined Casey Kiernan and one of his Joshua Tree Workshops.
Three of us spent a full afternoon and into the night traveling to several locations within the park photographing these intriguing landscapes during daylight, dusk and darkness. I learned many tips and tricks both in the field and the next day as we used Lightroom to develop the images. Many of the photos in this blog post are a result of those two days. I would definitely take another workshop with such an accomplished photographer as the skills learned will carry over into all of my photography.
“I wish that all of nature’s magnificence, the emotion of the land, the living energy of place could be photographed.”— Annie Leibovitz
To wrap up this post I just want to say if you think the desert is boring, pay a visit to Joshua Tree and I guarantee you’ll change your mind. It’s a huge national park with so many different landscapes, rock formations, plants, and views that you could easily spend a whole day or several days driving and walking around enjoying the magic of the desert.
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