Joshua Tree National Park - 4/7/12

I took a drive to Joshua Tree National Park on Saturday. I got a late start (7:30 am) as I detoured to California City to see if any Desert Candles were blooming, but, sadly, it was totally dry. The dry winter took its toll on the spring wildflower season it seems. Not a single flower could be found. So I continued on to Joshua  Tree. I entered the park on the west entrance at the town of Joshua Tree. I stopped at the visitor center where I overheard a park ranger deliver some bad news to another fellow wildflower seeker: very few flowers blooming this year. And as I drive thru the west side of the park, I saw what she meant: no flowers.

Despite the initial disappointment, I continued on, as the weather was fantastic. Nice warm temperatures, with a light breeze. Just perfect weather for a day outside. No sense letting a good sunshiney day go to waste! I took the Keys View drive, which offers some great view of the park's namesake tree, the Joshua Tree, as dense patches of these trees can be found along this drive.  At the road's end is a parking lot where you can take in the panoramic view of the Coachella Valley far below. There is a very short trail where you can climb up the ridge to get an even better view. It is well worth the 20 minute drive from the Park Boulevard to see the view. Spectacular!

I drove back to the Park Boulevard and continued my drive, stopping here and there to get out and walk a bit. As you move from the Mojave Desert to the Colorado Desert, the Joshua Trees disappear and other desert plants, such as the Cholla Cactus and Ocotillo, begin to appear. The parking lot at the Cholla Garden was (as usual) full, so I continued on to the Ocotillo Patch. Dozens of these curious looking shrubs with bright red flowers dot the landscape. They are a photographer's dream. I continued toward Cottonwood Spring, where there is another visitor center (and a bathroom! lol). As the road got nearer to Cottonwood Spring, surprise! Flowers started to pop out. First, I spotted the bright magenta-pink flowers of the Beavertail Cactus popping out against the sandy hillside. The further along I went, I spotted Desert Dandelions and Desert Globemallow. But conspiciously absent were desert staples such as Desert Chicory and Mojave Aster. However, as I got closer to Cottonwood Spring, the bright blue Canterbury Bells and Notch Leaved Phacelia began to pop out. Lots of these flowers were blooming along the roadsides and near the Cottonwood Springs Oasis parking lot, as well as Golden Suncups and Chia.

As I continued past Cottonwood Spring to the eastern entrance to the park, even more flowers started to appear. Several large patches of Sand Blazing Star dotted the roadside sand rocky hillsides. Once I got out to photograph these, I saw more flowers, such as Desert Pincushion and "bellyflowers" such as Mojave Desertstar, Forget Me Nots and Bigelow Monkeyflower. You really have to get down on your hands and knees to see these guys. I took lots of photos and then made my way back to Cottonwood Spring to take a short walk to the palm trees, just to kill some time, as I wanted to get some sunset shots of the Joshua Trees back on the west side of the park. I saw a few wildlife around here, such as Desert Cottontail Rabbits, a Coyote, and several birds, such as California Quail, Phainopeplas, Ravens, Cactus Wren, and Black Throated Sparrows.

I eventually made my way back to the west side of the park to get a few pics of the Joshua Trees at sunset, but I arrived later than planned and the sun had already set. I didn't leave the park til well after 8:00 pm. I intended to camp out, but all the campgrounds were full. Sigh. I forgot that it was spring break. So, I didn't get home til around 12:30 am, tired as heck and a tad sunburned, but still happy for having gone.

I posted pics below. Enjoy!

Til next time, happy trails :)


Links to check out:

Joshua Tree National Park
Wikipedia - Joshua Tree National Park
Wikitravel - Joshua Tree National Park
Wildflower Reports - Joshua Tree National Park