It’s the slow time of year for the parks here by The Bay, with the promise of new things helping the slog through winter (ignoring the fact that mid-February temperatures plunged into the low 80s). Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has joined the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk with year round operations, at least on the weekends; it’s difficult not to look ahead to what’s planned for 2016. Gilroy Gardens will be debuting Luminations, a festival of light with over 30 displays. California’s Great America will present the 4D production Mass Effect: New Earth. And while the aforementioned Discovery Kingdom will be utilizing their Iwerks Theater for the first time in years with Pacific Rim, the most anticipation has to be for the hybrid conversion of Roar to The Joker. So while we wait for the warmth (play along) of summer, it is time for another stop on the circuit of California National Parks. This is the best time of year for a trip to the desert, which makes Joshua Tree National Park very appealing.
Like Death Valley, Joshua Tree was promoted to National
Park status through the Desert Protection Act of 1994.
Unlike Death Valley, Joshua Tree is within reach of a
major freeway, an easy day trip from Palm Springs. The
namesake of the park is neither tree nor cactus, but
rather a member of the Agave family. Never heard of it
being used to make tequila like its cousin, but the
original Americans did use them for baskets and
sandals; plus the seeds were the sunflower seeds of the
earliest desert snack packs. The name comes from early
travelers seeing a resemblance between the Joshua Tree
branches thrusting skyward and the upraised arms of a
man in prayer.
Unlike California’s redwood centered parks, there are
no biggest this, tallest that lists, and no plaques
embedded into rocks to name any of them after Civil War
Generals. They are plentiful even upon the approach to
the park’s entrance, and a mere drive through the park
would satisfy on some level. However, with the
comparatively flat landscapes, it’s easy to pick a
trail of a length everybody can agree upon.
But beyond the Joshua Trees themselves is the setting,
which is a true rock city. While not the towering
cliffs of Yosemite Valley, the western part of the park
is littered with boulders ranging in size from VWs to
office buildings. There are challenges here that
attract expert climbers, but nearly everyone, even a
well supervised three year old, can find something that
is within their ability to summit.
And there is one fun spot that has an apt name, Skull
Rock, which is a short walk from the main Park Blvd.
I’m sure the old skull gets an eyeful of the young uns,
even if there isn’t a Pirate Ship selling tuna
sandwiches next to it.
So, a thicket of unique plants? Check. A wonderland of
boulders? Check. That may be enough to be a National
park, but Yosemite has Giant Sequoias plus the high
country of Tuolumne Meadows in addition to its famed
Valley. So if we’re going by the rules of three, Joshua
Tree National Park has an entirely different desert to
the one featuring its namesake. In the realtor’s rule
of threes, “location, location, location”, it’s all a
matter of elevation. The eastern side of the park is
below 3000 feet in elevation, and is an ecosystem
called the Colorado Desert. The Joshua Trees grow in
the slightly higher Mojave Desert.
One can also visit a true oasis in the desert, since
there are five Fan Palm Oases within the park’s
borders. Do not expect to find an oasis looking like
that one you saw in that Bugs Bunny short. But you will
find pockets of life within a sparsely foliated environ
of the various spiny cacti to the thin, spindly
Ocotillo. From the southern entrance it is simple to
reach Cottonwood Spring, whose water makes it possible
for these trees to flourish. But it is also the place
to start a hike that, in the morning of a spring day
can be the near perfect representation of a beautiful
day, will reach the Lost Palm Oasis.
An early start is just as beneficial here as at any
theme park since the peace of an empty desert is part
of the appeal. Yet when reaching Lost Palm, the park’s
largest Oasis, there is a reminder that life will find
a way. The dead fronds ringing the tops of these palms,
some of the nation’s tallest, serve as protection for a
variety of creatures, and in the quiet dawn birds
constantly shuffle in and out of what is their
protection from rain, wind, and sun, sun, sun. The odds
makers at those nearby casinos will tell you chances
may be slim to see some of the larger animals that
benefit from this water source, but an alert eye should
usually spot something in the course of this eight mile
round trip. Perhaps it was because your humble narrator
experienced this on one of those mythic beautiful days
that I remember it so fondly, but it ranks as one of my
all time favorite hikes.
There are no grand lodges here, but there are choices
beyond choice in nearby Palm Springs. There are
campgrounds inside the park, of course. Joshua Trees
don’t really provide much shade, putting another check
in favor of those fall-spring visits. But as the sites
are mostly first come, first serve, they can involve a
certain amount of spontaneity. Plus with so many sites
located in and around the massive boulders, it’s easy
to spend hours simply exploring the area within the
immediate vicinity of your tent.
For more information go to www.nps.gov/jotr
While we’re outside:
On a recent follow up visit to Pinnacles National Park, My visiting brother and I had one of the most incredible wildlife experiences of our lives. It started when some California Condors were landing on cliffs in the distance. That was followed by some flight displays. Then, while ascending the High Peaks trail, it went beyond all expectations.
And I’ll be back soon after another Day by The Bay in
one of our Northern California parks.