The park protects 792,510 acres of desert wilderness. We only saw a small fraction during our short visit. The park is truly unique due to the presence of the Joshua Trees as well as the transition from the Mohave Desert habitat in the western half of the park at elevations above 3,000 ft to the Colorado desert ecosystem in the eastern half of the park below 3,000 ft above sea level.
The Joshua Tree is actually a species of yucca and are very long-lived (hundreds to thousands of years). They are primarily found in the grasslands of the Mohave Desert between 1,300 and 5,900 ft.
It was nice to take the short one mile Hidden Valley Trail amongst cool granite formations and the Mohave Desert ecosystem. Our legs and feet much appreciated the soft sandy terrain and going up and over small stairs on the trail after two days of cues standing on concrete!!!
Joshua Trees are so cool!
Grandma Dixie poses with a baby Joshua Tree. They grow about one inch per year with the tallest growing to over 40 feet in their lifetime!
Rain clouds building to the southeast.
A coyote crossed the road right in front of us!!!! He or she was not bothered by us at all.
We drove down to Keys View at a height of 5,185 ft sits on Little San Bernardino Mountain Range with great views of the Indio Hills, the San Andreas Fault, and a glimpse of the Salton Sea.
During our drive, we were again reminded that this is a Halloween-themed trip with views of granite rock formations called “Hall of Horrors” and “Skull Rock”.
After leaving the park and driving for a couple of hours in the middle of nowhere desert (seriously we drove through desert that made Joshua Tree NP seem lush and green!!!) we finally crossed back in to Arizona to a town called Parker. At the gas station, we saw over 30 dune buggies!!! (And also notice the dark rain clouds building overhead!) From Parker driving north towards I-40 we enjoyed views of the Colorado River and mountains to the west of the river.
It was nice to take the short one mile Hidden Valley Trail amongst cool granite formations and the Mohave Desert ecosystem. Our legs and feet much appreciated the soft sandy terrain and going up and over small stairs on the trail after two days of cues standing on concrete!!!
Joshua Trees are so cool!
Grandma Dixie poses with a baby Joshua Tree. They grow about one inch per year with the tallest growing to over 40 feet in their lifetime!
Rain clouds building to the southeast.
A coyote crossed the road right in front of us!!!! He or she was not bothered by us at all.
We drove down to Keys View at a height of 5,185 ft sits on Little San Bernardino Mountain Range with great views of the Indio Hills, the San Andreas Fault, and a glimpse of the Salton Sea.
During our drive, we were again reminded that this is a Halloween-themed trip with views of granite rock formations called “Hall of Horrors” and “Skull Rock”.
(Not my photo)
After leaving the park and driving for a couple of hours in the middle of nowhere desert (seriously we drove through desert that made Joshua Tree NP seem lush and green!!!) we finally crossed back in to Arizona to a town called Parker. At the gas station, we saw over 30 dune buggies!!! (And also notice the dark rain clouds building overhead!) From Parker driving north towards I-40 we enjoyed views of the Colorado River and mountains to the west of the river.
We stopped for dinner in Lake Havasu City at Burgers by the Bridge which has a great view of one of the town’s tourist features, the London Bridge. The bridge was originally built in the 1830s and formerly spanned the River Thames in London. In 1968 the bridge was purchased by Robert P McCulloch who had the exterior granite blocks from the original bridge cut and transported to the United States. The Arizona bridge is a reinforced concrete structure clad in the original masonry of the 1830s bridge. The bridge was completed in 1971 and spans the Colorado River.
The burgers were fantastic!!! The rain caught up with us with a huge downpour in the middle of our meal. We managed to finish dinner without getting too wet! (Lots of giggles about it though!)
Disney caught back up with us when we stopped in Seligman, AZ for a break. It is right on Route 66 and Lightning McQueen, Mater, and friends popped up everywhere in the small town!
We are now safely home after a very busy 4 days!!!
The burgers were fantastic!!! The rain caught up with us with a huge downpour in the middle of our meal. We managed to finish dinner without getting too wet! (Lots of giggles about it though!)
Disney caught back up with us when we stopped in Seligman, AZ for a break. It is right on Route 66 and Lightning McQueen, Mater, and friends popped up everywhere in the small town!
We are now safely home after a very busy 4 days!!!
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