Joshua Tree National Park, CA

A very simple place in the desert full of Joshua trees, which are a type of yucca plant, rocks, coyotes, killer bees and cholla cactus. A very unique place. If you get the chance to explore it you should. It is an easy drive through in your rv, although larger rv’s may have trouble parking at some of the rock formations. The drive is simple and flat. A nice detour for sightseeing. You can park at different rock formations and climb around, but we found that is where all the people are which made it hard to park and less appealing. Instead, we mostly drove around and looked. Sometimes we pulled off on side areas that are for picnicking and looking around. There are trails you can walk on as well. In fact, first thing that caught our eye as we entered the park were 2 coyotes watching a small cluster of people walking down one of the trails. It was midday and not that far from the park entrance. The coyotes did not seem to be intimidated although they did keep their distance. They were very aware of the people walking through. I was able to capture one in the picture below.

They are very well camouflaged, don’t you think? I don’t think the backpackers were aware they were being watched. So, if you do decide to hop out and walk about be sure you are aware of your surroundings.

It is a simple route to drive. There are lots of fun rock formations to climb around on. These were the spots that most people congregated. The one called Skull rock looked interesting and was right next to the road. You could really get some neat photos there if that is your thing.

As you drive you will see beautiful desert vistas like this one. Totally worth the detour and time to see. Joshua Tree National Park sits where two deserts meet, the Mojave and the Colorado deserts.

As we exited the park we decided to drive south. The route takes you through what is referred to as the Cholla Cactus Garden. To me it sounded pleasant, a garden in the desert, but don’t be fooled, these are not plants you want to run up to and touch or smell. Matter of fact, I only ventured near the edge of the garden to get some photos. They appear to look fuzzy and soft, but they are not. Also, there were signs posted warning of killer bees in the area, so that and the thought of getting pricked kept me off the trail. Although the cacti are quiet lovely to look at and the thought of a garden in the desert is nice. 🙂

So, that’s about it. It is a very simple park, but well worth the views and the experience of two deserts. I hope you get the chance to go there someday. Until next time, keep exploring! 🙂