Talking Rockies

6 Reasons to Go to Joshua Tree National Park

There has to be something noteworthy about an area to make the cut as a national park: geologic features, an expanse of wilderness worth protecting, wildlife, plants — something. Besides the fact that this area along the San Andreas Fault seems to grow its namesake trees larger than anywhere else in the Mohave, what was it about these 1,234 square miles (3,196 square k) of desert straddling the San Andreas make this place remarkable? There has to be something to make you point your car east from Hesperia or San Bernardino besides all those golf courses down in the Coachella Valley.

For some, it’s the chance to see the interstice of three regions: the Little San Bernardino Mountains, the Colorado Desert (part of the Sonoran), and the Mohave. The lower valleys on the south and west have Sonoran plants, like the Ocotillo. The higher spots north are pure Mohave, and the west part of the park has mountains. It’s a fascinating place with lots to do, so check out one of these 6 ideas and see if a few of them are for you.

The Views

If you’re a Big Picture sort of person, Keys View is for you.  In winter and spring you get the bonus of snow-capped San Jacinto and San Bernardino mountains. The dun-colored Coachella Valley seems to start just below your feet on its northwest end, then runs southwest to the  glimmer of the expansive Salton Sea. On clear days you can see past the sea and Imperial Valley over the border to Mexico.

From the Visitor Center take Park Boulevard southwest to Hidden Valley, then south to the viewpoint. It’s about 21 miles (33.6 k). On the drive there you’ll see some of the largest Joshua Trees (Yucca brevifolia) you’ll see anywhere — unlike their scrubbier cousins in other parts of the Mohave, these specimens tower above the landscape, supported by thick trunks you’d normally expect to see on middling Doug Firs. Stacks of rounded, tawny monzogranite globs make the exotic scenery even more so, taxing the attention of drivers who need to pay attention to the curves in the road. Mohave Yuccas (Yucca schidigera) finish out the tableau with their long, fleshy spines.

In the winter it can be blustery there, so take some warm things along.

Old West History

No need to don period attire — park personnel do that for you at the Keys Ranch, named after the focal settler, William F. Keys and his family, who made their lives there. The Keys spent 60 years ranching this dry land. Visitors are encouraged to ask the rangers-in-costume questions about what their life is like as they walk around the ranch house, school house, store and replanted orchard.

The old spread has old vehicles and mining equipment as well.

Call 760-367-5555 to make reservations for one of the tours held twice daily (10:00 am and 1:00 pm) from October to May. Cost is $5 per adult. The ranch is near the Hidden Valley turnoff, and visitors meet the rangers at the locked gate nearby.

History buffs can also check out the Lost Horse Mine, just off a loop trail a few miles north of the Keys View.

Geology

The park sits on a layer of very old, precambrian granitic rock, worn down over time into broad alluvial plains. Rounded, sandpaper-rough outcrops punctuate the high parts of the park, a great showcase for rockhounds and a playground for rock climbers. Although mostly worn away now, remnants of a layer of banded gneiss, an attractive combination of quartz and feldspar, can be found around the park.

The park is hashed up and down with faults, including the grandaddy of faults, the San Andreas, a split that goes down to the North American and Pacific Plates below and defines the southern border of the park and the northern edge of the Coachella Valley. The park is moving over the Pacific Plate at about 2 inches per year.

Spiky Desert Plants

The park is a desert plant lover’s dream with flora from three regions jammed together. Giant Joshuas thrive in the middle regions of the park that belong to the Mohave, as well as Pinyons and junipers. Look for Desert Willows (Chilopsis linearis) in the washes.

Shrubby zones have many of the usual suspects: creosote (Larrea tridentata), Mormon Tea (Ephedra sp.), Mohave Yucca, bur-sage, brittlebush and the rest of the shrubby Mohave lineup.

Down in Pinto Basin a thick patch of Teddy Bear Chollas (Cylindropuntia bigelovii) is an uncommon display. Not far from there is a patch of Octotillos (Fouquieria splendens). You can also find large Claret Cups (Echinocereus sp) and Red Barrel Cactuses (Ferocactus cylindraceus) in the canyons.

In addition to keeping grazers from eating them, spiny plants cool faster in the hot desert.

Late spring is an especially good time to go, when the wildflowers and cacti begin to bloom.

Oases

North America has 158 Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera) oases, and the park personnel claim 5 of them. After going there and looking at the map, however, I could only come up with 4: Oasis of Mara, 49 Palms, Lost Palms Oasis and Cottonwood Spring. The latter 2 are near the south entrance and visitor center.

These palms live for 80-90 years and provide a fruit, purple berries smaller than dates, that Native Americans gathered. The thin outer fruit was edible, and they also ground the pits into a powder to eat. The large fronds were good for making shelters. Cahuilas set the undergrowth on fire to clear the area and to increase fruit production.

Mara isn’t worth bothering with — it’s a sad holdover of something that in the past was really neat  (and the didactic signs along the trail reinforce this spot’s decline). Fortunately, 49 Palms is excellent. I don’t know about the other 2, but it’s worth checking them out.

The 49 Palms 3-mile (4.8 k) round-trip hike is a fine one, up over a Barrel Cactus-studded ridge and down into the wash where the patch of palms resides. You can see the oasis when you’re halfway there, as you crest the ridge and work your way down into the wash.

To get to the trailhead, From the Visitor Center, head east 11.2 miles on Highway 62, and turn right on Canyon Road and then go south up the canyon. The trailhead is a large parking area at the end of the road. When it’s warm, take plenty of water along — at least 2 liters.

Coyotes and Bighorn Sheep like to come to these oases, but it’s against the rules to visit these places between sunrise and sunset, so your chances of seeing wildlife are not very good.

Bird Watching

There are 250 different kinds of birds to see here, with 78 species as permanent residents. The others pass through on their way to or from the Salton Sea, or come from the surrounding mountains to winter in a warmer spot. There are many springs and seeps they can drink from, and they find seeds and fruits to eat. Birds are easier to spot here than other places because there aren’t leaves for them to hide in — they have to perch on spikes, between spines, or on fronds.

Even a novice has a chance of seeing roadrunners, Gambel Quail and the ubiquitous ravens, but more assiduous birdwatchers come here to tick off long lists of specimens.

Rock Climbing

The granite outcroppings here make “JT”  a rock climbers mecca, with 400 climbing formations and 8,000 routes. Check at the Visitor Center for guides.

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