Joshua Tree National Park full of unique plants, rock formations

Joshua Tree National Park with a layer of fresh snow on March 7. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Joshua Tree National Park—go for the trees, stay for all of the other flora and geological wonders.

What a magical, unique national park this is in the Southern California desert.

Darla and I had the good fortune of spending two days there earlier this month, with one of them including measurable snow on the ground and covering the higher points.

For those who have driven the length of the Baja peninsula, it’s hard not to make comparisons to the flora in this park. Both conjure up images of Dr. Seuss drawings with their almost unreal plant life.

Darla proving Heart Rock in Joshua Tree is not moving. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

We were both most impressed by walking among the trees at a rock climbers’ spot that wasn’t on the park issued map. While these trees look like they might be fun to climb, the thorns on them will have you screaming out in pain.

“Their life cycle begins with the rare germination of a seed, often sheltered by the protective branches of a neighboring shrub. Growth is slow—after a brief early spurt, they settle into a steady pace of about one-half inch to 3 inches per year. The tallest Joshua trees in the park stretch over 40 feet into the sky, and while the average lifespan is thought to be around 150 years, some may be far older,” according to the National Park Service. “Unlike traditional trees, Joshua trees don’t form growth rings, making age estimation difficult. Instead, researchers estimate age based on height and growth rate.”

Joshua trees belong to the agave family. This actually makes them succulents instead of trees.

Climate change and development are threatening the Joshua tree.

A sign at a park visitor center says, “Current models predict the suitable habitat for Joshua trees may be reduced by 90 percent in the future with a 3°C (5.4°F) increase in average temperature over the next 100 years.”

The California Fish and Game Commission in June is expected to make a ruling on whether the western Joshua tree should be listed as a threatened species.

While not on a map, some see an elephant in the rocks. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

The Center for Biological Diversity filed the petition, stating the listing is necessary because nearly 40 percent of the western Joshua tree’s range is on private land. The state law would protect those trees.

The National Park Service says, “While the Joshua tree is an iconic indicator of the Mojave Desert, it can also be found growing alongside saguaros in the Sonoran Desert of western Arizona or among pines in the San Bernardino Mountains.”

The park spans portions of the Mojave and Colorado deserts. The first day we started on the Colorado side, entering through the Cottonwood Visitor Center. This was a fortuitous “mistake” of sorts because it’s not the closest entrance from where we were staying in Palm Springs.

Starting there allowed us to drive the length of the park and see the change in terrain. It’s gradual and dramatic at the same time.

For those who just have a day and want to focus mostly on Joshua trees, then start-finish at the “west entrance station” (which we did the next day) or “Indian Cove ranger station” to save time. If you have the time, driving the length of the park and stopping at the various “exhibit” pull outs adds to the depth of the experience.

Going on various short hikes instead of fewer longer ones made for more adventures and the opportunity to see such a diverse landscape.

The rocks are so incredible. Some are shaped with their appropriate names—like the heart and skull rocks. Darla was the first to see elephant rock, though it wasn’t on the map—but we think it should have been.

Joshua Tree National Park has many wonders to explore. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Some of the rocks seem to be teetering, as though a strong gust of wind could send them tumbling over.

A park sign explained the phenomenon: “Faulting within the earth creates parallel and perpendicular cracks in the rock called joints. Wind and water slowly break down the rock in a process called erosion. Over time some of the harder rocks erode more slowly than others. If a rock on top erodes more slowly than the one underneath, the top rock appears to balance on top of the lower rock.”

Other rocks have what look like distinct lines in them, almost like a bracelet or necklace around them, which we learned are called dikes.

A sign explains: “When molten rock cools underground it shrinks, causing cracks to develop. Later more molten rock squeezes into these cracks and hardens. Erosion has stripped away most of the surrounding rock to reveal these filled-in cracks called intrusions.”

After two days we felt like we had seen a good representation of what Joshua Tree National Park is all about, including finishing with a trek along Fortynine Palms Oasis Trail. It really is amazing to see a grove of palm trees in the middle of the desert.