Why You Should Visit Joshua Tree National Park
Recently I had the pleasure of visiting Joshua Tree National Park in California.The sheer beauty of the rocky, foreign landscape and nature that surrounded me was overwhelming.
In this little, elevated piece of the Mojave desert is the home of the famed “Joshua Tree”. These remarkable trees which give the park its namesake have all but died out beyond this area of the Mojave desert, growing nowhere else in the entire world. Here, they thrive in their almost alien, prehistoric-looking majesty.
They were truly a sight to behold. My visit left me in awe, and so I wanted to dedicate a post to showing you exactly why you should visit Joshua Tree National park someday as well.
Convinced? I think that the immense beauty of Joshua Tree speaks for itself when enticing one to visit. I was only in the area for two days, but they were magical. I certainly intend on returning someday with more time to spare.
My Experience in Joshua Tree
In January, Erica, Alicia, Matt, and I (the fondly dubbed “Atwood Fam”) stole away from the icy winter of Michigan to spend a few days in the Mojave desert. For our stay, we had booked a lovely little Airbnb in the town of Joshua Tree on the top of a hill. It was surprisingly well-priced and a short distance from our real goal: Joshua Tree National Park. On our final morning in Joshua Tree I was lucky enough to catch the sunrise over the desert just outside of our temporary home.
The little town of Joshua Tree, CA was quaint and charming. Its entirety seemed to stretch all of one main street and a few connecting roads, accompanied by a scatter of residential buildings in the near vicinity. During our too-short visit, the only businesses we stopped in were a small coffee shop with a very local and hipster vibe and a Chinese restaurant that was exactly what you would want and expect from a Chinese restaurant in the desert. Caffeinated and fed, it was time to explore the wonders of Joshua Tree National Park.
The Joshua Trees’ spiky, twisted limbs reached for the scorching sun amid the arid landscape. Beyond, outcroppings of giant sun-bleached rocks and cliffs formed mountains. I felt like a child again as I was overcome by the alien environment. This was my first time in a desert, and it was a far cry from the things I had experienced back home in Michigan, lush with pine trees and lakes. Every cactus was fascinating.
We encountered a field of cholla cacti, their needles seemingly jumping off their limbs to attach to our skin and clothing. I stepped on one and the needle pierced through the thick, rubber sole of my tennis shoe and into the bottom of my foot. I was stunned – how cool! Picking off the needles, we continued on our exploration of the desert.
Happy memories were made here. Erica and I paraded as goats, ascending various mountain-esque piles of sandstone boulders many of which were double and triple the size of us. The cracks between the boulders ran deep and if we were to have fallen, not to scare you mom, we definitely could have died. Alicia watched us worriedly from the ground and reminded us to watch our steps. We almost made it to the top of a particularly tall crop of boulders when we chose self-preservation over making a literal leap-of-faith to the next rock on the way up. The view was well worth the climb.
As the sun began to dip down below this skyline of stone, the temperature rapidly dropped. Who would have thought that you would need a coat in the desert? In the distance, coyotes yipped and howled, likely stalking the skinny jackrabbits we saw scurry through the brush nearby earlier. The skies grew darker and we begrudgingly returned to our vehicle.
The park went on and on, stretching out before us as we drove deeper into the barren landscape. We talked and joked about the prehistoric, giant ground sloths that had once been paramount in the lifecycle of the Joshua trees. No, seriously though:
“UP TO ABOUT 11,000 YEARS AGO, BEAR-SIZED SHASTA GROUND SLOTH ROAMED THE DESERTS OF THE SOUTHWEST. A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF THEIR DUNG HAS BEEN FOUND, FOSSILIZED, PACKED FULL OF INTACT, UNDIGESTED JOSHUA TREE SEEDS, AS REPORTED IN HARRINGTON 1933:193. THESE FOSSILIZED HEAPS OF DUNG HAVE LED RESEARCHERS TO BELIEVE THE SLOTH WAS THE MAIN VEHICLE FOR THE DISTRIBUTION OF SEEDS. A FEW ANIMALS STILL TRANSPORT THE SEED, RODENTS AND BIRDS CARRY THEM QUITE FAR ACTUALLY, BUT NOT IN THE VOLUME OR DISTANCE THAT A SHASTA GROUND SLOTH WOULD.”
Now the sun had completely set and the sky was black like a velvety canopy enveloping us, with scattered pin-pricks poking through where the light of the heavens spilled out. I had never seen so many stars. Matt pulled the car onto the shoulder of the road and parked. There wasn’t another soul in sight. Ignoring the chill air, we exited the vehicle and turned our heads toward the sky, soaking in the masterpiece the stars had laid out just for us. I couldn’t think of a better way to end our journey through Joshua Tree.
If you are interested in experiencing the magic of Joshua Tree, the U.S. National Parks Service provides a wealth of information for those planning to visit.
U.S. National Parks Service links
Joshua Tree National Park Information
Things To Do – Joshua Tree National Park
Plan Your Visit – Joshua Tree National Park
Have you ever been to Joshua Tree?
Sincerely, I hope that you guys enjoyed this post and that it inspires you to go explore more of America’s natural beauty. If you found my Joshua Tree video at all entertaining, please give it a “thumbs up” and subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already. I would truly appreciate it. You can share this video with others that might enjoy it using the social icons at the bottom of the post or by pinning the image below. I post a new video and blog post every week! Until then, you can follow my adventures via Facebook and Instagram. Thanks for stopping by my blog. See you again soon!
Have you ever been to Joshua Tree? What National Parks have you been to and which was your favorite? Please share in the comments below!
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