Welcome to Nature Wanderings!

I often wish to escape to warmer places during the cold New England winter, but life always gets in the way. This year, all the stars aligned, and I was able to plan a quick adventure to Joshua Tree National Park!

Packing up my travel camping setup, which includes basic backpacking equipment with a few extra comforts added, I boarded an evening flight from Boston to Las Vegas. After picking up my rental car and staying at a hotel for one night, I grabbed some rental camping equipment and wandered off!

The fastest way to Joshua Tree from Las Vegas was to take I-15 towards Los Angeles and cut through the Mojave National Preserve. The terrain was stark but beautiful. Stopping to stretch my legs at the Kelso Depot, I walked around the railroad station that once served as a stop for the Union Pacific Railroad. The building is closed while undergoing renovations and will be on my list to check out on a return trip.

The Kelso Dunes are not too far from the Kelso Depot. As someone who has only seen dunes at the ocean or Great Lakes, it took me a minute to recognize them from a distance. As I got closer, I could really appreciate the beauty of these enormous mountains of sand in the middle of the desert. Unfortunately, I could only take a quick photo from a distance due to timing. My short visit to the Mojave National Preserve inspired me to add it to my “must-return” list!

About four hours after starting my journey, I arrived at the Joshua Tree National Park Visitor Center, located right on Rte. 62 in Twenty-Nine Palms. This stop allowed me to grab a brochure and ask the friendly rangers a few questions. From there, it was a short drive to Indian Cove Campground. This campground does not have road access to the rest of the park, but I chose it for the ease of accessing groceries (a necessary part of planning when flying to a campground) and being mid-way between two of the entrances to the park.

Upon locating my campsite (site# 30), I was thrilled to find a small cave right at my site! After quickly setting up my tent, I explored the little cave and the rock formations directly across from me. The entire area was amazing! The rocks and desert flora were fascinating, and I couldn’t wait to see more of the park.

After a good night’s sleep, I packed up a day’s worth of provisions and set out to explore the park from the north entrance in Twenty-Nine Palms to the Cottonwood Visitor Center to the south. This section had the most varied terrain of the park. I started out driving through Joshua Trees and patches of Cholla and Ocotillo cactus. The scenery in this park section is fascinating, with a lot of sand, towering mountains, and low-growing plants making for a stark contrast of textures.

The scenery along road to the Cottonwood Visitor Center

California fan palms at Cottonwood Springs

Today's turnaround point was the Cottonwood Spring area near the Cottonwood Visitor Center. This is a beautiful oasis with large California fan palm trees. I love how the old fronds drape around the trunks, making perfect hidey-holes for birds and other wildlife!

Beautiful California fan palm. Love the fronds on the lower half!

I spent a blissful few hours relaxing in the wonderful sunshine and then returned to camp to continue relaxing. I always bring a couple of books and my art supplies when I camp and enjoy just spending quiet time at the campsite. After a quick dinner, I headed to bed to rest for my second full day of exploring!

Day two dawned with blue skies and no wind! I made an egg scramble for breakfast using some of last summer’s veggies that I dehydrated at home. A great way to start the day!

One of my favorite ways to experience a town while on vacation is to find the local farmers and artist markets. I hit the jackpot with this trip with two farmer’s markets in the area. One will be at the start of today’s trip in the town of Joshua Tree, and the other will be at Twenty-Nine Palms, the end of the day’s journey. Check out these beautiful local provisions! A real treat for this New Englander in the middle of February!

A beautiful haul from the Joshua Tree farmer’s market!

Today, I entered the park via the west entrance from the town of Joshua Tree. It was Saturday, and the line to get in was longer today, but thanks to the attentive rangers, the line moved along at a good pace.

Soon after entering, I was driving through a forest of the namesake Josuha Trees. These interesting “trees” are actually members of the Agave family and look otherworldly as they grow in their familiar twisty shapes.

There are many nature hikes in this section of the park, and I decided on the Barker Dam Trail. This trail is an easy walk, passing Joshua Trees and interesting rock formations to a dam built by early cattle ranchers. I read that sometimes there is a good amount of water in the pond behind the dam, but that is not the case today. I still saw and heard quite a few birds.

This 1.1-mile trail was a short and easy walk, especially in cooler winter weather. Bring plenty of water and be prepared for intense sun, even on shorter desert trails.

The rest of the day was spent cruising the parkway, stopping at overlooks, and enjoying the sunshine. One of the stops I made was the Keys View overlook. Walking up a short but steep paved path, I was treated to a panoramic view of the San Andreas fault, the Salton Sea, and the Coachella Valley.

View from the top of the hill at Keys View

As I drove through the rest of the park along Park Boulevard, I was entranced by the beautiful scenery of the blue sky, tan rocks, and green on the Joshua Trees and yucca plants. Big, expansive views are always lovely to see. However, I also enjoy looking for natural textures and patterns. Joshua Tree National Park is brimming with contrasting textures and brilliant colors - not what I expected to find in the desert!

During my two days exploring the park, I constantly found natural wonder, big and small, that took my breath away. Even the remnants of last season's blooms and the starkly beautiful skeleton of the cholla cactus inspire one to slow down and inspect the beauty of nature!

The striking contrasts of the Mojave Desert

The sun shines on a cholla cactus growing next to a skeleton of another

I hope this blog has inspired you to visit Joshua Tree National Park. It is a beautiful park, and the towns of Joshua Tree and Twenty-Nine Palms have a funky vibe that will make your trip amazing!

Mid-Winter Escape to Joshua Tree National Park

A Spring Walk at Great Meadows