The closest and most accessible National Park to Los Angeles is Joshua Tree. It's only about 2 hours east, in the desert near Palm Springs. Being born in the Mojave desert, I know to avoid all things "desert" from about May - September, unless I want to be really miserable. So when my boyfriend and I decided to road-trip to Phoenix for baseball season opening weekend in early April, I made sure to insist on a stop to Joshua Tree on our way back.
After about 4 hours of driving (from Phoenix) through nothing but desert, we rolled into the little town of Twentynine Palms and followed the signs for the park entrance. The entrance fee was $15, and our pass was good for 5 days (too bad we were just passing through!). We got to the park right after 5pm, so the heat had cooled and many of the day visitors had left. Throughout our time there, we probably saw no more than 20 other people. We drove in a loop around the northern portion of the park, and saw thousands of trees and truly breathtaking landscapes.
So a little education about the park itself. It is almost 800,000 acres big, is made up of two separate deserts and ecosystems, and hosts literally millions of indigenous plans and animals. Some of the species found inside the park, most notably the Joshua tree itself, can't be found anywhere else on earth. The park is also full of beautiful rock formations, and even allows rock climbing during daylight hours. There are several fault lines throughout the park, and even the famous San Andreas fault borders the southern end of the park, so many of the rock formations in view are the "raw" effects of earthquakes.
Some trivia: Joshua trees got their names from Mormon pioneers, who thought the spiky leaves resembled the outstretched arms of Joshua leading them to the promised land. Personally, I think the Mormons have imaginations on par with the ancient Romans who named constellations, because Joshua trees are really, really ugly.
I absolutely loved my time in the park. Desert landscapes have a special place in my heart and always make me nostalgic for my childhood, driving through miles and miles of desert wasteland with my family. The colors, the texture, the stillness, is so beautiful in its own way. And the trees themselves, are less beautiful and more impressive in their ability to survive and even thrive in the harshest environment. I highly recommend this park to anyone who loves nature and National Parks. There isn't much truly untouched land left in this country, and there is nothing more refreshing than a breath of real fresh air.
The sign at the entrance
A field of tumbleweeds and Joshua trees
This tree was so impressive - it was huge and looked more like a Live Oak than a Joshua tree!
Trees as far as you can see!
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