Location Profile: Joshua Tree National Park
Location Profile: Joshua Tree National Park
Text and photos by Heather Cline
 
Joshua Tree Silhouette |
Joshua Tree is one of nine national parks in California, and one of the most recent established in 1994, alongside it's neighbor Death Valley. It is a popular park, attracting nearly 3 million tourists each year. The park was named after the Joshua Tree, Yucca brevifolia, a member of the Agave family. Seeing the Joshua Tree is a good indicator that you are in the Mojave desert, but it can also be found in the Sonoran desert or San Bernardino Mountains.
What is Joshua Tree?
Joshua Tree is a unique desert park, slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island, where the Colorado and Mojave meet. Park elevation ranges from 5,500 feet at the summit of Queen Mountain and the Little San Bernardinos, to about 1,000 feet at the east end of Pinto Basin. The result is an ecosystem containing a wide variety of plants and animals. The landscape, shaped by wind and rain features equally impressive red-orange monzo-granite rocks. The night skies are excellent for stargazing and photography, but the true star of the park is the twisting-turning and spiky Joshua Tree that looks like something straight out of a Dr. Seuss book.
Joshua Tree at dusk |
Quick Facts
- The park has two Visitor centers; one at the north end and the other at the South end of the park, along with cultural center at the north end. The main entrance is at the north entrance, in Twentynine Palms. The visitor centers are a good place to stop, get oriented, use the restroom, and top off your water bottle before entering the park as there are no services inside.
- The entrance fee is $30 for a vehicle, $25 for a motorcycle, and $15 for an individual, and is good for 7 days.
- The park fills quickly during peak times but you can buy your park pass online to help expedite your trip into the park.
- The closest town is Twentynine Palms, where there is food, fuel, and lodging.
- There is virtually no reliable cell phone reception in the park but there is good reception in Twentynine Palms.
Barker Dam |
When is a good time to visit?
- Winter: (December - February) is the best time to visit if you want to avoid crowds. It can become quite chilly in the park at this time and the occasional snow storm can produce some unique scenery.
- Spring: (March-April) This is a good time of year to experience mild temperatures, which is ideal for hiking, rock climbing, and wildflowers. Wildflowers generally start blooming in lower elevations of the park in February and at higher elevations in March and April. This is also the busiest time for park visitation so getting a campsite can be challenging. There are a couple of campgrounds that take reservations but the first come first serve campground fill up quickly. If there are no sites available within the park, there are a few just outside the park as well.
- Summer: (May-September) This is the least popular time for visitation due to high summertime temperatures that can reach 100 degrees, making daytime activities uncomfortable. The upside is smaller crowds and good stargazing opportunities and the Perseid Meteor shower. The National Park Birthday free entrance occurs in August if you want to save a few dollars and the night sky festival occurs in September.
- Fall: (October-November) The temperatures have started to become comfortable again by this time of year and crowds start to thin. Pioneer Days and the Joshua Tree Music Festival both take place in October as well.
Where is this park?
Joshua Tree is located in southern California sandwiched in between Highway 62 on the north and Interstate 10 on the south. Access is easy with paved roads and three entrance points.
Other nearby attractions include:
- Salton Sea
- Anza Borrego State Park
- Palm Springs
Dead tree at Barker Dam |
Why should I visit?
Hiking, rock climbing, historical landmarks, wildflowers and plant life, photography, and wildlife viewing.
Arch Rock |
I hope you enjoyed this post. To see more of my Mono Lake images, check out the gallery here.
