Forest: A forest of Joshua Trees shines in the desert sun. These ‘trees’ are actually part of the Yucca family and can grow to 40 feet and higher. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Pastel Sunset: Beautiful pastel lighting skims across huge boulders covering hundreds of acres within Joshua Tree National Park, making for great hiking and rock scrambling. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
Joshua Tree National Park is located about two or three hours east of Los Angeles, Calif., and just north of Palm Springs in the southern California desert. Joshua Tree actually lies within two deserts, the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert merge together within Joshua Tree National Park.
The Mojave Desert occupies the higher elevation of the western section of Joshua Tree National Park while the Colorado Desert occupies the lower elevations in the eastern section of the park. The Colorado Desert is a part of the much larger Sonoran Desert, which lies in southern California, Arizona, and parts of northern Mexico.
Joshua Tree National Park is most well-known for the Joshua Tree, which only grows in this small region of the world. Ironically, the Joshua Tree is not actually a tree at all; it is part of the Yucca family. Joshua Trees grow to heights of over 40 feet. The wacky looking trees have branches that grow haphazardly, bending and turning in every direction. The greenery on the trees are not flat leaves but a grouping of spiked, dagger style leaves shaped like a fireworks explosion in midair as it scatters in every direction.
There is much more to Joshua Tree National Park than the namesake tree. The area was inhabited by American Indians for decades prior to the gold rush in the mid-1800s. Gold prospecting and mining played a major role in the area during the 1800s in what is now Joshua Tree National Park.
Ranching is another part of the park’s history. The Keys Ranch was a prominent operation beginning in 1910 through the mid-1900s. Park rangers lead visitors on a tour of the Keys Ranch area from October through May, which are the months of highest traffic in Joshua Tree National Park.
The park features rocky and rugged mountains as well as hundreds of acres of huge boulders and rocks that cover areas of the park. Rock climbing is a popular activity in the park’s taller spires and rock formations while miles of hiking trails traverse the desert and the rocky landscape. Cholla cactus grow in abundance in areas as well as Ocotillo cactus is other areas.
There are many ways to see and enjoy this magnificent national park. There is no way to cover the many features and natural beauty of Joshua Tree National Park with just a few photos. When traveling in southern California, a visit to Joshua Tree is a must. Whether you spend a few hours or several days, Joshua Tree will not disappoint visitors. Due to the desert setting of Joshua Tree, the best time to visit the park is between October and May as the summers are extremely hot.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country and he shares his photographs, which appear in the ‘Posts from the Road’ series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Joshua Tree: A view of a Joshua Tree from below reveals details of these odd trees. The tree is the largest of the Yucca family and incredibly unique in many ways. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Going Up: A rock climber makes his way up the side of a huge boulder near the Hidden Valley within Joshua Tree National Park. Shortly after this photo was taken two other climbers appeared on top of the rock from the opposite side. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Hikers: A group of hikers stroll among the boulders at Jumbo Rocks Campground in Joshua Tree National Parks. The boulder fields are seen throughout the park. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Rocky Road: The sun sets and lights the west facing walls of boulders near the Jumbo Rocks Campground in Joshua Tree National Park. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Last Light: A couple enjoys a dramatic sunset from atop a ridge of boulders in Joshua Tree National Park in southern California. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com