One of the most popular National Parks in the country and certainly THE most popular in southern California is JTNP. There are many web sites, newspaper articles and podcasts talking about this unusual park. I asked myself if I really needed to post anything about the park in this blog – and yes, I do because I offer a different perspective. After many trips to JTNP I have discovered parts of the park that others overlook or don’t see because they are driving too fast through the park. The speed limit in some of the park is 45 mph and I see so many visitors jetting from one view point to the next. In a recent visit in February 2022 I took a friend who has been to the Coachella Valley numerous times and now lives in Palm Springs but never had been to JTNP. This allowed me to capture more pics and to combine trip photos for this conglomerated blog post. I shared with my friend what I now share with you. This is only a peek at what the park has to offer. The photos of the rock formations are only a sample of the amazing sculpting that nature has created here at JTNP.
If you are a senior citizen do you have your National Park pass? It is very low cost and doesn’t need to be renewed every year. Yep, it’s good for life!
Here I offer my suggestions for a memorable visit to this remarkable National Park:
Check the weather before you go. Be sure to bring extra clothing (jacket, pullover, sweatshirt) because it can get windy in the high desert and/or canyons that you will pass through. That usually means cooler temperatures.
Use the Cottonwood Spring entrance. If you are driving from the LA area using I-10 most sources will tell you to take the Rt 62 north through the high desert cities and enter via the north Ranger Station/Oasis Visitor Center. This is crowded and very popular. The Western Ranger Station using Park Blvd at the Joshua Tree Visitor Center is another crowded popular entrance.
Why Cottonwood? The southern entrance from I-10 is not crowded and it offers the gradual transition from low desert (Colorado/Sonora desert) to the high desert (Mojave desert). When you stop at the Cottonwood Visitor Center to pay for entry or show your National Park pass pick up the JTNP brochure/map and use it. [If you’re so inclined there is a road perpendicular to the visitor center that goes to Cottonwood Springs. There are two hiking trails worth your time with oases, palms, ridges and washes that entice you to explore more trails throughout the park.] On the road through the park take time to pull over and enjoy the beauty of the deserts, the mountains, canyons and washes. There is a steady climb – so slow down … TAKE IT SLOW (I suggest 30 mph) to see how the plant and animal life changes from the low to high desert.
Watch for this sign placed approximately where the 2 deserts meet. It reveals what to look for when entering the high desert and where Joshua trees start to grow.
There are a few off roads to explore if your vehicle permits driving on washboard roads and can maneuver holes and blowing sands that make sand mounds. It’s nice to get off the main road, see a different side of the park. Off road driving is prohibited in the park. Please respect park rules and do not disturb the plant and animal life.
Back on the main road, the Cholla (choh-yah) Cactus Garden appears on the left side. These are amazing cacti. Don’t harass them as they will tip and move toward you and those spikes – YEEEOW! Follow the pathway through the garden to enjoy the perfect environment for Cholla to proliferate.
Joshua Trees are now visible at this altitude. Don’t confuse them with the Mojave Yucca which are smaller and do not have “arms”. This is the White tank area – a designated backpacking area. Pull over and take these small road excursions to discover amazing sites – the roads less traveled.
Getting out of your car and walking through these small road excursions illuminates the magic of the park. You begin to see boulders piled upon each other sculpted with unlikely shapes. According to the JTNP brochure the rocks “began underground eons ago as a result of volcanic activity. Magma – in this case a molten form of the rock – rose from deep within the Earth. As it rose, it intruded the overlying rock.” Erosion from the rain and wind cleared the top soil and revealed these gorgeous rocks.
Look up – JTNP has some of the bluest skies I have ever seen. It also lies beneath the flight path of LAX, ONT, SBD and PSP. So look for the flight trails of various airline jets above while hiking.
From Keys View the closest exit is the West Entrance Station and the route to exit is breathtaking too. From there take Rt 62 to your destination after a monumental day at JTNP.
#iedaytripper
