Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree National Park straddles the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. It has a wide variety of plant and animal life, shaped by sparse rainfall and intensely hot summers. Spring is a good time to visit when plants including Indian Paintbrush, Ocotillo, Mojave Yucca, Calico Cactus, Lupine, Beavertail, and Prickly Pear are in bloom. Among the plants, Coyote, Kangaroo Rats, Tarantula, Roadrunners, Desert Iguana, Jackrabbits and Bobcats live their lives, as well as, Bighorn Sheep and Golden Eagles.

The Hexie Mountains, in the center of the park, form the dividing line between the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert, a subdivision of the Sonoran Desert. The Sonoran Desert is the largest desert in North America. It extends east into Arizona and south to Baja and central Mexico. It is generally lower in elevation and much hotter than the Mojave. It features creosote bushes as well as small stands of spidery Ocotillo and jumping cholla cactus. The Pinto Valley in its center is calm and lovely. If you stop and listen, you may even hear real silence. The Mojave Desert called the high desert, has more rain and harsher winters. The Joshua Tree is actually a giant yucca. It was named by Mormon Pioneers on their trek to San Diego. The Mojave is the only place on earth where great stands of Joshua Trees are found in the wild.

Joshua Tree National Park has an exciting history. A number of ranches and gold mines existed before it became a park. Their remains are still there. Willie Boy, an indian was chased into Joshua Tree by one of the last big posses, an event reenacted in the film "Tell Them Willie Boy Was Here" starring Robert Redford and Robert Blake. There have been murders, and rock & roll legend Gram Parker, who loved Joshua Tree committed suicide nearby. The naturally mummified remains have been found of miners who tried to hike from their mine to Cottonwood springs in mid-summer, but lacked the water to make it.

The park has some of the most interesting geologic formations found in California's deserts. It is a haven for rock climbers. The well-named Wonderland of Rocks is a playground of twisted rock and exposed granite monoliths that testify to the tremendous forces at work beneath the surface of the land. Best of all, from Keyes View, Point Happy Interactive can be seen below on a clear day.

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