Joshua Tree National Park

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Joshua Tree National Park is one of those that holds near-mythic status among people that have been there. It's up there with the likes of Yellowstone and Zion. When people find out we're going to National Parks, and especially when they find out we're currently in California, we are almost inevitably asked if we're going to Joshua Tree.


Don't hear me wrong, it's a neat park, but we need to be honest: It's over a thousand square miles of desert. But there are Joshua trees! Kind of. Let's go over some trivia about the park.
  1. Joshua trees aren't trees. They are large yucca plants. If you cut one down (don't, it's illegal), you'll see that they don't have rings. Therefore, they can't be accurately dated. The rangers guess their age based on height.
  2. Joshua trees are only in a small portion of the park (the northern end). This is due to the fact that they are quite picky about elevation, and the southern end of the park is too low.
  3. In a few more decades, climate change will wipe them out from even the northern end. At that point you'll be visiting Piles of Rocks National Park.
In additional to the trees, the park is famous for its rock climbing offerings, both of the "scrambling" and the "scaling a sheer wall" variety. We did a lot of the former, and we saw numerous climbers doing the latter during our two visits.




Other than climbing rocks and seeing Joshua trees, there isn't a whole lot to do at the park. Incidentally, this is not me complaining, just stating a fact. I don't need a lot to do to be perfectly content at these parks. I just love getting out in nature. Sitting on the top of a pile of rocks and looking out at the landscape is absolutely my idea of a good time.


Finally, why are they called "Joshua" trees? We've already been over the "tree" misnomer, but I'll show some grace; they do look like trees. The "Joshua" portion of story goes that early Mormon settlers thought the trees looked like Joshua praying. (I'd have to disagree, but maybe it was poor light when they were first spotted.) The other theory is that the trees looked like the Israelite army marching into battle under Joshua's command. This I'd buy; due to the fact that they have to compete for water, the trees end up spaced out in a fairly regular pattern. You'll almost never find two trees right next to each other, nor will you find a huge space in between them (because another tree would have taken it). I like this theory, so it's the one I'm choosing to believe.


Location: Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA

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