From Scottsdale Arizona we headed west on I-10 towards Joshua Tree National Park! Three and a half hours later, we entered the park from the south. Neither of us had been here before and we were unsure what to expect. Like so many of the other parks visited on this trip, Joshua Tree did not disappoint…in fact, it was fantastic!
We passed the Cottonwood Visitor Center and continued on the Pinto Basin Road which took us through the Smoke Tree Wash, Porcupine Wash and Fried Liver Wash. What in the world is a ‘Wash’? Or as Mom-in-law would say “Warsh”. Basically, it’s a narrow dry streambed area that flows with water during heavy rains. The sandy dry soil in the desert doesn’t absorb water fast enough during heavy rains so there’s a high risk of flooding and even flash floods. Mystery solved!
On the east side of the Pinto Basin Road was a vast, flat wilderness area – the Colorado Desert. And to the west, the Mojave Desert with large boulders and Joshua Trees. We visited the Ocotillo Patch with the strangely spiney shrubs and also the Cholla Garden Nature Trail. There were cholla cacti as far as the eye could see. These cactus plants look soft but there are warning signs along the trail not to get too close as the 1-inch silvery spines are very sharp and barbed and can be painful. The spines pick up the light from the sun which makes them appear to glow – it’s really beautiful.
Continuing down the road, the landscape began to change again – there were huge piles of boulders almost like someone had placed them there on purpose. These are the result of molten magma pushing upward, cooling and creating cracks and then the process of erosion over many, many years. And Joshua Trees! We were so excited to have our first up close encounter with a Joshua Tree! They are so unique with rough trunks and outstretched limbs – some have dried grass-like leaves covering the limbs and the limbs have spiny leaves and green oval-shaped fruit on the very end. And interestingly, they aren’t trees at all – they are yucca plants and members of the Agave family. They can grow between 20 and 70 feet tall but are rarely over 40 feet and they typically live for around 150 years although there is one tree in California that is estimated to be 1,000 years old! They only grow in the southwestern US and northwestern Mexico, mainly in the Mojave Desert so we felt truly blessed to experience these exceptional plants!
White Tank was the first available campground, and we found an amazing spot amongst the large boulders. Just a short walk from our site we had stunning views of the sunset and several Joshua trees. The sunset colors were cast on the light-colored boulders for a brilliant light show only nature can provide. The night skies were dark and clear with stars I’m sure we’d never seen before.
We could stay here for a week! Unfortunately, we were feeling exhausted in Scottsdale and booked a posh spot in an RV Park in Paso Robles so we had to be on our way the next morning. We got up early and took Park Boulevard to Skull Rock then drove through the rest of the park to the West entrance/exit.
Joshua Tree National Park is on our list of sites to visit again and for much longer next time! If you haven’t seen a Joshua Tree, go to this beautiful park and experience them in person – absolutely gorgeous.
