Joshua Tree National Park is our first National Park of the new year -- and, a NEW National Park for us. The Park straddles the transition zone between the Mojave and the Colorado deserts with a wealth of biological diversity. The Park protects many species characteristic of each desert ecosystem. We did not see many birds or reptiles and many of the plants were dormant (well, they looked dead to me).
BUT we saw the fabulous Joshua trees in all sizes. We hiked a bit and gazed at the enormous boulder fields. We will go back a second day to explore the eastern half of the park and find some of the hidden oasises.
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| View along the Hidden Valley Trail -- famous for the horse thieves hiding out in the rocks! |
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| Joshua Trees can grow to 40 feet -- quite a feat at an inch or two a year! |
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| Surprised to see the oak family represented. |
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| View from Key's Point at 5,000+ feet. The jumble below is the San Andreas fault running through the Coachella Valley. Palm Springs in background and to left. |
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| Bouldering is a favorite past time in the National Park. |
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