Joshua Tree

About

Joshua Tree National Park spans nearly 800,000 acres, covering parts of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. Between the two, you’ll find everything from rocky moonscapes to prickly cactus gardens, and, of course, the park’s namesake Joshua Trees. The .6-mile Indian Cave Nature Trail is maybe the best option to see the Joshua Trees. Surrounded by boulder formations, keep your eyes open for bighorn sheep and desert tortoises. The half-mile Arch Rock Trail is a favorite for dramatic formations, with the 30-foot-tall Arch Rock being the standout. The Cholla Cactus Garden is another of the park’s most popular trails, showcasing one of the world’s densest concentrations of the Cholla cactus on its 0.25-mile loop. Cottonwood Springs showcases just how precious water in the desert is, with tall palms thriving in the arid landscape. Not only is this one of the best trails for wildlife spotting, but it has an interesting human history as well. For more information, please visit www.nps.gov/jotr/index.htm