Joshua Tree National Park/Mohave Desert, CA

The view from our campsite in Black Rock Campground

Joshua Tree National Park straddles the high Mohave Desert to the north and the low Colorado Desert to the south. They are two distinct desert ecosystems. We started our visit in the northern Mohave Desert portion of the park. This high desert area is where the Joshua trees are found.













There were several hiking trails that started from the Black Rock campground. Lee and I chose the West Side Loop, a moderate 5-mile hike.
















On this hike, I was looking for birds. I saw several different kinds.

Phainopepla

Western Scrub Jay

Western Bluebird

White-crowned Sparrow

That night in the park, we were treated to a beautiful sunset.

Eileen on the trail. We're trying to keep up!

One of the highlights of our stay in the west section of Joshua Tree was getting together with our friend Eileen from back home who was in town to visit her daughter. One morning, we went for a short hike along the Black Rock Canyon Trail.

Lee, me, and Eileen after the hike

Claire and Eileen at La Copine

Another day we joined Eileen for dinner at La Copine, the wonderful gourmet bistro in nearby Flamingo Heights co-owned by her daughter Claire and daughter-in-law, Niki. If you're ever in the area, you should treat yourself to one of chef Niki's delicious creations. You won't be disappointed.

Later, Eileen took us on a tour of Pioneertown, established by Roy Rogers in 1946 as a movie set. It was named after the Sons of the Pioneers, Roy's band. The rustic buildings are now home to a motel, some jewelry shops, a barn (where a wedding was being held), and Pappy & Harriet's, a popular local hangout, where we stopped in for a beer.



It's a short drive from the campground to the park's West Entrance Station. You can follow Park Boulevard all the way around to the North Entrance Station in the town of Twentynine Palms. When you drive along this loop road, you see a very diverse landscape....Joshua trees, a variety of cacti, and huge piles of boulders.

We stopped at various pull-outs along the loop road to explore the different sections of the park. The first stop was in Hidden Valley, a one-mile loop trail that winds among huge boulders that were once a hide-out for cattle rustlers.

Joshua Tree is a popular place for rock climbers. Here are two climbers we watched in Hidden Valley.



















Another stop along the park road was for Barker Dam, another one-mile loop trail. The dam was built in 1900 to hold water for cattle and mining use. Today, it is a rain-fed reservoir used by park wildlife.

More scenery as we wandered through the park.

Petroglyphs on the rocks

The cholla cactus glowed in evening light

Near the North Entrance in the town of Twentynine Palms, is another area of the park called Fortynine Palms Oasis. It's a 3-mile round trip hike to an oasis of fan palms. We didn't have time to get all the way down into the canyon, but we could see the palms from a viewpoint above.

Close-up of the palms

These colorful cacti were sprinkled over the landscape

The sunset view toward Twentynine Palms at the end of our hike

The perfect ending to a busy day was the best pizza ever at Pie for the People in the town of Joshua Tree. The "David Bowie" pizza was amazing!











Next, we'll be exploring the Colorado Desert portion of Joshua Tree National Monument.