During the recent holidays, we decided to forgo the New Year parties and spend some time away from the crowds. We packed our bags and set off on a road trip from our home in San Francisco down to Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California.
Joshua Tree National Park is located around 140 miles (225 kilometers) to the east of Los Angeles in the middle of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. This large range of elevation makes for a varied landscape. The higher cooler Mojave, with its scattered Joshua trees and sporadic boulders, has a unique look and feel to it.
If you are into camping, hiking, and rock climbing, this place is epic. There are hundreds of trails and climbing routes for all levels of experience.
Our first Joshua tree sightingWe wandered around the rocks discussing what they resembled. Sorta like watching cloudsThe rocks here reminded us of the Devil’s Marbles in AustraliaStrike a poseI decided to scale this boulder, only to get stuck at the topEntering the National Park. $20 will get you a 7-day pass for a carload of people (or $10 per person walking in)The plants here were so unique lookingThe light was fantastic during the golden hourThe silhouette of Lisette and Joshua (tree that is)A couple enjoying the sunset from the Key View lookout. On a clear day, you can see Mexico from here (apparently).
Last rays of sunlight and boy was it getting coldDuring blue hour (minutes after the sun has set)The patches of snow on the ground tell you it’s cold. BrrrrrJoshua Tree National Park is one of the best places in the US for stargazing. With very little light pollution you can see why in this shot.Lisette was simply looking at her phone for this picture. The night sky was incredible.Bring your torch for some cool shotsThe road through the park is excellentOne of the many varieties of cactusThis was much steeper than it looksThe Cholla Cactus GardenDon’t get too close, we watched plenty of people bleeding after being spiked with a thornExtremely spikey, beware!It’s a harsh environment and not all surviveLeave no trace, take only photosSome more joshua treesDesolate landscape
Michael is the founder of Backpacker Travel. He also runs walking tours in San Francisco and is a freelance travel writer. Michael is extremely passionate about travel and loves to explore festivals around the world.
