Blooms Galore at Joshua Tree National Park

After struggling to get into our tight spot at Joshua Tree, we only hoped it would be worthwhile to be staying inside the National Park. Up until this point, we had never stayed in a park itself, but instead parked ourselves outside park boundaries. Joshua Tree marked our 9th National Park since we started RVing, and our 13th overall. Our RV is often too big to navigate the small NPS campsites, but when we can fit, there are advantages to having a site right in the middle of the action. As I stated in the last post, the best part for us is being able to have hiking trails right outside our campground loop. Because we both have jobs that keep us pretty busy, we appreciate being able to take convenient hikes before or after work, or during mid-day breaks. We can't always venture far unless we plan our work schedules around it.

Even though we stayed on the southern side of Joshua Tree, which is the less popular side and has no Joshua Trees, we still had a wonderful trail that had a connecting spur right from our campground: The Mastodon Peak Loop Trail. This trail took us through some of the famous Joshua Tree granite rock formations, as well as to an old mine situated near the ascent to Mastodon Peak. Before the area became a park, there was a lot of gold mining. Remnants of these mines can be found all throughout the park. The best part of the trail, though, was that we hiked during wildflower season. Poppies, lupines, junipers, and more dotted the desert scenery with their bright colors.

The Mastodon Peak Loop Trail intersects with the Cottonwood Springs Trail. Some parts were closed when we went, but we walked the main path leading to this beautiful palm tree grove. The whole area smelled like mesquite and felt like a totally different biosphere than the rest of the hike.

The whole loop trail is less than 3 miles, but we clocked a little over 3 because of the spur that connected us to our campground. It's a trail on the easier side of moderate; we even passed a field trip group of children coming off the tail as we began our hike. Mastodon Peak itself is an unmaintained climb, so expect some scrambling if you choose to go to the top. The area just beyond the peak is also a bit steep with lots of boulders, but nothing too technical. We took the loop clockwise, while most hikers coming from the parking lot opt for counter-clockwise. Seeing the full loop, we're glad we went the direction we did because we were able to climb down the steep boulder section instead of up.

We had a great time hiking Mastodon Peak, but we couldn't wait to have a free day to explore the other parts of the park. After all, we'd ideally like to see some Joshua Trees in Joshua Tree! We decided the best bang for our buck would be a scenic drive, with a couple of shorter hikes thrown in. The main scenic loop is Park Blvd, but since we were in the Cottonwood area, we needed to drive through the park to get there. We took Pinto Basin Road, which is a scenic drive in itself. We were surrounded by mountains and got to see the changing vegetation as we made our way further into the park.

One of the coolest things about vegetation in Joshua Tree is that lots of the plants are isolated to one specific area. This is why we had no Joshua Trees on the south side of the park. The climate has to be just right for many of these plants to grow and thrive, and this climate can change even within a handful of miles. As we drove Pinto Basin Rd, we noticed that the map indicated where we might see certain plants. The Ocotillo Patch predictably housed several ocotillos, tall, spiny shrubs that are easy to spot because they grow taller than almost all surrounding desert flora. There weren't a ton, but we counted about a dozen as we drove past. The real dense vegetation came a short distance up the road. We saw the Cholla Cactus Garden on the map and assumed, like the Ocotillo Patch, the area would have a handful of chollas. Let's just say there were a few more than a handful! When we rounded the curve, we couldn't believe what we saw. It as like an entire cholla forest, with some of the tallest chollas we've ever seen. There is a parking area and short path/boardwalk where you can walk among these quirky cacti. Anthony said he felt like he was walking in a Dr. Seuss book. You simply cannot walk this garden without feeling happy. The chollas are so cute, and we also got to see a few starting to bud. From a distance they look fuzzy, but up close you'll notice that they're actually very spiny, and their spines are quite dangerous. If you touch one, the spine will detach from the plant and embed itself in your skin. So proceed with caution on the path, and please don't go off the path and into the vegetation like we saw far too many people doing. Not only is it bad for the plants, but it's dangerous for you! Stick to the designated path, and trust me, you can still get some incredible pictures of these cacti.

The Cholla Cactus Garden is a very short, easy trail, and being right off the road, it can get crowded, but it's so worth it to be able to walk among these awe-inspiring plants.

Soon, Pinto Basin Rd intersected with Park Blvd. We took a left to take Park Blvd clockwise so we would hit our next destination right away: Skull Rock. If you've ever looked up photos of Joshua Tree National Park, you've probably seen this oddly shaped rock that does in fact resemble a skull:

The hollow sections were created over many years by rainfall, leaving the rock to look like it has eye sockets and a nasal foramen. Being such a famous landmark, expect there to be lots of people climbing up to this rock. When we were there, everyone was courteous, waiting their turn to go and take pictures. The climb up to the rock is fairly easy, but it can get slick if the rocks are wet or if they have loose dirt on them.

There is a lot to see here besides Skull Rock. Walk the short Skull Rock Trail, which will take you past lots of other formations, or you can even get in touch with your inner child and climb the boulders. This is also the area where Joshua Trees start popping up, so be sure to go across the street and see the trees against the backdrop of the rock formations.

Joshua Trees are not actually trees at all. They're succulents that are from the yucca genus. We learned during our time in Big Bend that yuccas do bloom, and so that begs the question: Do Joshua Trees bloom too? The answer is yes! We got a pleasant surprise as we were heading out of Nevada after our stay at Lake Mead. We pulled over at a rest area on the outskirts of the Mojave Desert, and what graced the entrance path to the restrooms? A beautiful, blooming Joshua Tree! We did some research and found out that, unlike some yucca plants, the Joshua Trees do not bloom annually; on average they bloom every 5-10 years. Typically the season begins in late March or early April, but all the precipitation in the Sierra Mountains this year led to some premature blooming. It was clearly still very early on in the season, as we only saw a few of the trees in bloom and they do tend to all bloom in the same year, but what a special gift it was to see their buds!

There are a lot of stories and legends surrounding the Joshua Tree, and it's easy to see why. As the Mormons traveled west through the Mojave from Utah, these unique looking "trees" looked as though they had outstretched arms, guiding the Mormons towards a new Promised Land. Many visitors to the Mojave region describe feeling a sense of peace when in the presence of these plants. The area is known to have energetic vortices, where the Earth's energy can be felt extra strongly. Plus, as with many species that thrive in the desert, the Joshua Tree serves as a symbol of strength and hope in the midst of adversity. When walking among these plants, there is a definite connection to the earth and all the life it's created.

We finished our Park Blvd loop, which includes a trip outside the park boundaries and into the actual town of Joshua Tree, stopped at the Visitor's and Cultural Centers, and then snapped a quick photo of the sign on our way back into the park. Another pin added to our pin board, and another spectacular excursion to a remarkable part of our country.