Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree National Park is immense, nearly 800,000 acres, and infinitely variable. It can seem unwelcoming, even brutal during the heat of summer when, in fact, it is delicate and extremely fragile. This is a land shaped by strong winds, sudden torrents of rain, and climatic extremes. Rainfall is sparse and unpredictable. Streambeds are usually dry and waterholes are few. Viewed in summer, this land may appear defeated and dead, but within this parched environment are intricate living systems waiting for the opportune moment to reproduce. The individuals, both plant and animal, that inhabit the park are not individualists. They depend on their entire ecosystem for survival.

Sunset at Barker Dam

Hall of Horrors

Yucca plant along the Barker Dam Nature Trail
Hall of Horrors
Joshua Tree just off of Park Boulevard near the northwestern entrance to the park.  These 'hills' are known as rock piles.
Yucca plants in front of a rock pile.
Barker Dam
Barker Dam
Barker Dam
Baby Joshua trees sprouting on a hillside in an area that's cooler and wetter than the desert floor.

Yucca Plant

Hidden Valley
Hidden Valley
California Fuchsia found just below the Barker Dam
Looking west into the Coachella Valley from Keys View - home of Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs.
Looking out from the Hall of Horrors.
Skull Rock

Split Rock

Looking east into the Pinto Basin towards the Eagle mountains.
Teddybear Cholla Cactus at the Cholla Cactus Garden
Teddybear Cholla Cactus at the Cholla Cactus Garden
Teddybear Cholla Cactus at the Cholla Cactus Garden
Teddybear Cholla Cactus at the Cholla Cactus Garden
Looking north towards Pinto Mountain from Pinto Basin Road
Looking north towards Pinto Mountain from Pinto Basin Road
Looking north towards Pinto Mountain from Pinto Basin Road
A black car with black leather seats gets very warm very fast even if it's 'dry heat'.

A super-heated breeze that is 114 degrees Fahrenheit does not cool oneself down.

Looking north towards Pinto Mountain from Pinto Basin Road

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