Joshua Tree NP

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Joshua Tree National Park

Cholla Joshua tree Ocotillo

 

Joshua Tree National Park

Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994, it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It includes over 1,234 mi˛ (3,196 km˛) of land. A large part of the park is designated to wilderness area; some 914 mi˛ (2,367 km˛). Straddling the San Bernardino County/Riverside County border, the park includes parts of two deserts, each an ecosystem whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation. Below 3,000 feet (900 m), the Colorado Desert encompasses the eastern part of the park and features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo, and cholla cactus. The Little San Bernardino Mountains run through the southwest edge of the park.

 

 

Where Are The Joshua Trees ?

The higher, moister, and slightly cooler Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the Joshua tree (see Yucca brevifolia), from which the park gets its name. In addition to Joshua tree forests, the western part of the park includes some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California's deserts. The dominant geologic features of this landscape are hills of bare rock, usually broken up into loose boulders. These hills are popular amongst rock climbing and scrambling enthusiasts. The flatland between these hills is sparsely forested with Joshua trees. Together with the boulder piles and Skull Rock, the trees make the landscape otherworldly. Five Washingtonia fan palm oases in the park are the few areas where water occurs naturally and wildlife abounds.

Text from Wikipedia

 

 

Barren or Bountiful

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

climbers

 

one on top of the rock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

road descending

 

descending elevation from the Joshua trees to the cholla and the ocotillo

 

 

 


Cholla Joshua tree Ocotillo

Calico Death Valley Desert in Bloom Disneyland Hollywood Joshua Tree NP Los Angeles Northern California Placerville Rose Parade Sacramento San Andreas Fault Santa Barbara San Diego San Francisco San Luis Obispo Truckee Yosemite

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