Joshua Tree National Park
A Surreal and Rich Desert Wilderness
Review by Adam Schomer
“This is the place where the sacred nature lover, the car-driving tourist, the alien enthusiast and the down home rockers all come together.”
A Joshua tree (yucca brevifolia) and a background of boulder formations (photo by Alan Majchrowicz)
Here at Joshua Tree National Park I think there is something for everyone, especially for those that like to be blown away by nature and its natural way of making art seem so easy. I routinely make the 2.5 hour drive from Los Angeles even to get just a half day of hiking and return home the same day. Absolutely worth it.
What I love is that even the drive through this park is a huge part of the fun. It’s like one long Universal Studios ride, without the huge roller coaster hills, that I feel leaves you jaw dropped the whole time. You can probably do the small loop West Entrance (Joshua Tree) to North Entrance (29 Palms) in an hour if you don’t stop, but stopping is the real fun. You can hop out almost anywhere and easily take a light hike with vast vistas over deserts filled with row upon row of Joshua Trees. Then, choose a rock outcropping in the distance and leisurely climb up onto the yellowish-red boulders for a different view and a feel of the rock on your fingers.
Honestly, I’d recommend you use your intuition when you get here and just stop when you feel it and start hiking toward a rock formation. Most all of them will give you a chance for easy bouldering and then ultimately more precarious situations will present themselves as well. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure style of journey. The places I’ve found that are vast formations of rock that can lead to that nice “lost feeling” are at Hidden Valley. Here you can choose to push harder and get higher and more lost in the labyrinth of rock that leaves you wondering – “where the heck am I?” But you’ll never be truly all that far from other people and you might see a lot of real rock climbers setup with professional gear.
For a great hike up elevation and views, go to Ryan Mountain. If you don’t want to hike, but love the high views, then drive up to Keys View and take in a vista that reveals the San Andreas Fault!
Before completing the smaller loop (West to North) you can cut south (toward Palm Springs entrance) and you’ll again get stunning vistas and be able to stop at some cactus gardens. On a motorcycle or convertible it’s magic to be surrounded by this artistic desert. Apparently it was all under water at one point and you start to feel it. This feeling of awe grows as you stay through sunset and let the stars come out. Then you’ll feel under the water of some vast soup of space that simply blows you away. The Milky Way is thick here, and you’ll start to feel why this is considered a sacred land by native indigenous tribes. Stay even longer and you just might see a UFO… yeah the annual “Contact in the Desert” conference happens nearby because of all the alien activity in these parts. There is even a place called the Integratron (about 40 min from park entrance in nearby town) that was built by a genius, harnessing acoustic resonance that is now used for sound healing, but once were thought to be for helping call in alien intelligence.
Before I get you spooked from Joshua Tree, know that it has a real down home flavor and I’ll tell you a local bar that has rocked for ages with legendary bands. Pappy and Harriet’s is a legendary bar has known the likes of Robert Plant, Sean Lennon, Vampire Weekend and more. It’s probably half tourists there now, but everyone is up for good ole fun, dancing and drinking as you witness a slice of history.
Joshua Tree National Park is where the sacred nature lover, the car-driving tourist, the alien enthusiast and the down home rockers all come together. I have a feeling that we mirror nature as Joshua Tree is also where two massive deserts meet, the Mojave and the Colorado. There is always power in diversity and meeting places. Meet up in Joshua Tree, it’s worth the drive.
