Hiking became one of our favorite activities during COVID times, especially in the beginning given all the indoor restrictions. We had also just moved to SoCal, so exploring the trails around the San Diego area was fun. But when we were ready for a little bit more of an adventure, we took a day trip out to Joshua Tree National Park.
Joshua Tree offers many different hikes of various lengths, but given we were only there for a day trip, we picked a couple of shorter hikes to see a variety of highlights. We were also there during the brutal heat of summer. At one point, our car thermometer read 113 degrees!
Our first hike was a mile-long flat loop trail called Hidden Valley. The rocky, desert landscape of the Mojave Desert was quite unique compared to what we were used to hiking, especially given the previous year we were trekking through the rainy, green United Kingdom. This hike goes through boulder fields and around plenty of the namesake Joshua trees.
Two distinct ecosystems come together at Joshua Tree, the Mojave and the Colorado desert, creating a fascinating variety of plants and animals. The ability of so many species to adapt to the extreme conditions is impressive. The park is home to 350 vertebrate species including 52 species of mammal and 46 different species of reptiles. Surprisingly, 800 species of vascular plants call this national park home making it renowned for its plant diversity. The namesake Joshua tree is a strange twisty and spiky plant that is actually a member of the Agave family. Primarily in the Mojave Desert, these unique plants can take on many different forms, from bushy and full to spindly and branchless, depending on how many times the conditions were just right for them to bloom.
Our second hike was out to an old dam, known as Barker Dam, created by cowboys to provide a watering hole for cattle.
Cattle grazed throughout the park in the late 1800s and early 1900s when there used to be tall, abundant grass. We found a nice, flat boulder here overlooking the watering hole for our picnic lunch.
Other highlights on this trail included a great view over a valley filled with Joshua trees and ancient petroglyphs in the rock by the Native Americans.
Our last few stops were quick with the main points of interest being just a few steps from the road. One of the most popular rock formations is called Skull Rock, which is quite obvious how it got its name.
As you travel from the Mojave desert to the hotter, dryer Colorado desert, you will see fewer of the Joshua trees and more of the cholla cactuses due to the different ecosystems. Joshua trees are cool and all, but one of my favorite desert plants are the Teddy Bear Cholla cactuses. So, we had to stop for a quick photoshoot in the Cholla Cactus Garden.
The Teddy Bear Cholla cactuses may look cute, but don’t try to hug one. Miniscule barbs on the spine allow the stem joints to easily detach and hitch a ride, and they are painful to remove.
Our final stop was the Lost Palms Oasis. This oasis is home to dozens of California fan palms, the only native palm tree in the Western US. The five oases in the park offer shade and habitats for the vast array of animals that live here.
We really enjoyed our quick day trip to visit Joshua Tree National Park even if it was a little ridiculous to try to hike in the desert during the hottest part of the year. We were just so happy for the opportunity to be out of the house for a change of pace during COVID restrictions. We look forward to another trip to Joshua Tree during the cooler winter months to check out some of the longer hikes that the park has to offer.
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