Joshua Tree National Park

Spring means one thing in the mind-blowing Joshua Tree National Park: wildflowers. Come to see seas of desert paintbrush and strange prickly pear cacti blooms bursting into life from around March onwards.

Beyond the manicured golf courses of Palm Springs and the hedonistic party grounds of Coachella, there lies a land of strange and wonderful features. They include bouldering spots with names like the Great Burrito. There are also anthropomorphic oddities cast in stone in the midst of the mysteriously monikered Hidden Valley. And you’ll find forests of bloated yuccas with twisted branches and spiney blooms. Welcome to the Joshua Tree National Park!

Joshua Tree National Park is located in the heart of the rugged California desert. This beautiful park is also famous for being completely protected from light pollution and having a high altitude that makes it a *prime* destination for stargazing.

Joshua Tree makes this list the TREES. They are truly out of this world.

A Joshua Tree, the namesake of one of California’s most-visited national parks, isn’t a tree per say, but in fact a rather fragile but tough-looking yucca. These cacti cover the scrubby, sandy plains of the park and grow between massive granite outcrops. More than 2.8 million visitors flock to Joshua Tree each year—some from LA, just 140 miles to the west—to mountain bike or backpack through the desert wonderland, hike out to Skull Rock, or check out ruins left by 19th-century gold miners. Two distinct deserts—the Mojave and the Sonoran—converge in the park, creating landscape dynamic enough to pique the interest of even the most well-travelled wanderers. The western half of Joshua Tree National Park sits squarely in the Mojave where rock climbers of all ability levels make pilgrimages to more than 400 climbing formations and thousands upon thousands of climbing routes. In the east, the Sonoran region of the Colorado Desert offers wide-open spaces where visitors can stargaze in a brilliant night sky without any light pollution or humidity. Though the park is open year round, we recommend scheduling your trip during seasonal meteor events, if you can, to take advantage of vivid views of the Milky Way. 

Hiking, birding, biking

Beyond the manicured golf courses of Palm Springs and the hedonistic party grounds of Coachella, there lies a land of strange and wonderful features. They include bouldering spots with names like the Great Burrito. There are also anthropomorphic oddities cast in stone in the midst of the mysteriously monikered Hidden Valley. And you’ll find forests of bloated yuccas with twisted branches and spiney blooms. Welcome to the Joshua Tree National Park!

Joshua Tree National Park Lists

• National Parks I've Been To
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• National Parks in the U.S The US boasts an impressive 63 national parks, each with its own distinct character, awe inspiring views and countless ways to connect with nature. The parks are managed by the National Park Service which offers an annual pass for access to all 63 parks throughout the year for one flat price. Let's explore.
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• National Parks in California California boasts 9 national parks - more than any other state. Each park is distinct from the next - from the largest tree in the world at Sequoia National Park to the underwater world of Channel Islands - California offers non stop beauty and intrigue.