Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California, a few hours east of LA. My friend and I drive to the park and enter through the West Entrance by early afternoon.
As we approach the park, we stop at the Visitors Center which is outside of the West Entrance and then drive the 5 miles to the gate. Upon entering, we are greeted by a desert landscape – a rocky, arid land with thousands of Joshua trees. I would describe a Joshua tree as a desert palm – it has the look of a palm tree, except that its leaves are short and the tree looks more rugged and suited to a desert climate.
As we drive through the park, we can see far into the distance on both sides of the road; views feature dry, desert landscape with large boulders ranging from the size of a small house to mountains dusted with snow in the distance. Joshua trees, also known as Yucca palms, Tree yuccas, or Palm tree yuccas appear for miles into the distance. We approach an area known as Hidden Valley, which contains a camping area and several nature trails. Since our trip is fairly short, we continue driving.
On our drive, we spot several pullouts where cars are parked. Upon further investigation, we discover groups of rock climbers on the nearby rock face, utilizing their gear to scale the rock structure just off the road. Gauging by the height of the climber relative to the rock formation, it appears that he has scaled the equivalent of a ten-story building to reach the top.
We decide to take a short detour from our planned route and head south towards Keys View. At 5,185 feet, Keys View offers a glimpse at the Salton Sea directly to the south and Palm Springs to the right of the large body of water. The San Andreas fault runs through the valley floor in the distance. It is windy and there are small patches of icy snow on the ground in front of us and we stay just long enough to glimpse the views and capture a few photos. We later find out that on a clear day, it is possible to see Mexico from Keys View. Though we may have seen Mexico that day, we do not have any identifying landmarks to confirm it.
We then head back north and then east through an area known as Sheep Pass towards an area called Jumbo Rocks. When we reach Jumbo Rocks, we see large boulders and rocks that are easily climbable without any equipment. Excited about the idea of a natural playground, we park the car in the parking area and walk on boulders composed of the unique sand-colored rough type of granite known as quartz monzonite. We walk on the more horizontal surfaces and then shimmy through narrow passages and duck under larger boulders to explore small cave-like areas, being cautious and aware of the presence of rattlesnakes in this habitat.
After taking several pictures and absorbing the unique landscape, we continue onwards and pull over long enough to see “Skull Rock” a rock that appears to look like a human skull. I notice people walking around it and climbing into the area that looks like the eye socket. The unique formations throughout the park lend themselves well to active imaginations.
Without much daylight remaining, we make only one other stop. After having seen a postcard of Arch Rock in the Visitor’s Center, we decide that it is worth seeing in person and drive and park at the campground. It is less than a half mile to Arch Rock and we enjoy walking below the arch and posing for pictures. It is then time for us to leave the park and we soon exit through the North Entrance Station. We reach Twentynine Palms Highway and make a brief turn onto Canyon Road, tempted to see if we have enough daylight to hike to Fortynine Palms Oasis, one of the many natural oasis found in the park. However, when we reach the parking lot, we realize that it is not worth the risk of getting stuck inside the valley after dark and decide to leave that exploration for another time.
Our visit to Joshua Trip is too short to see everything the area has to offer, but definitely long enough to get a feel for the unique rock formations and desert landscape. It is easy to understand why the park is so popular for rock climbers. The large rocks offer many opportunities for bouldering and climbing and the large open area offers unprecedented views of the night sky for campers. Joshua Tree National Park, one of nature’s playgrounds, offers visitors a chance to experience a unique landscape for exploration and recreation.
As we approach the park, we stop at the Visitors Center which is outside of the West Entrance and then drive the 5 miles to the gate. Upon entering, we are greeted by a desert landscape – a rocky, arid land with thousands of Joshua trees. I would describe a Joshua tree as a desert palm – it has the look of a palm tree, except that its leaves are short and the tree looks more rugged and suited to a desert climate.
As we drive through the park, we can see far into the distance on both sides of the road; views feature dry, desert landscape with large boulders ranging from the size of a small house to mountains dusted with snow in the distance. Joshua trees, also known as Yucca palms, Tree yuccas, or Palm tree yuccas appear for miles into the distance. We approach an area known as Hidden Valley, which contains a camping area and several nature trails. Since our trip is fairly short, we continue driving.
On our drive, we spot several pullouts where cars are parked. Upon further investigation, we discover groups of rock climbers on the nearby rock face, utilizing their gear to scale the rock structure just off the road. Gauging by the height of the climber relative to the rock formation, it appears that he has scaled the equivalent of a ten-story building to reach the top.
We decide to take a short detour from our planned route and head south towards Keys View. At 5,185 feet, Keys View offers a glimpse at the Salton Sea directly to the south and Palm Springs to the right of the large body of water. The San Andreas fault runs through the valley floor in the distance. It is windy and there are small patches of icy snow on the ground in front of us and we stay just long enough to glimpse the views and capture a few photos. We later find out that on a clear day, it is possible to see Mexico from Keys View. Though we may have seen Mexico that day, we do not have any identifying landmarks to confirm it.
We then head back north and then east through an area known as Sheep Pass towards an area called Jumbo Rocks. When we reach Jumbo Rocks, we see large boulders and rocks that are easily climbable without any equipment. Excited about the idea of a natural playground, we park the car in the parking area and walk on boulders composed of the unique sand-colored rough type of granite known as quartz monzonite. We walk on the more horizontal surfaces and then shimmy through narrow passages and duck under larger boulders to explore small cave-like areas, being cautious and aware of the presence of rattlesnakes in this habitat.
After taking several pictures and absorbing the unique landscape, we continue onwards and pull over long enough to see “Skull Rock” a rock that appears to look like a human skull. I notice people walking around it and climbing into the area that looks like the eye socket. The unique formations throughout the park lend themselves well to active imaginations.
Without much daylight remaining, we make only one other stop. After having seen a postcard of Arch Rock in the Visitor’s Center, we decide that it is worth seeing in person and drive and park at the campground. It is less than a half mile to Arch Rock and we enjoy walking below the arch and posing for pictures. It is then time for us to leave the park and we soon exit through the North Entrance Station. We reach Twentynine Palms Highway and make a brief turn onto Canyon Road, tempted to see if we have enough daylight to hike to Fortynine Palms Oasis, one of the many natural oasis found in the park. However, when we reach the parking lot, we realize that it is not worth the risk of getting stuck inside the valley after dark and decide to leave that exploration for another time.
Our visit to Joshua Trip is too short to see everything the area has to offer, but definitely long enough to get a feel for the unique rock formations and desert landscape. It is easy to understand why the park is so popular for rock climbers. The large rocks offer many opportunities for bouldering and climbing and the large open area offers unprecedented views of the night sky for campers. Joshua Tree National Park, one of nature’s playgrounds, offers visitors a chance to experience a unique landscape for exploration and recreation.
posted by NaturalBeauty at
2:01 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home