Hello Joshua Tree
So I have survived till March 2025 and am once again running away to a remote area with no cell service. This time to Joshua Tree National Park. So on Friday the 21st after work I took a flight to Phoenix. After landing I rented a car and went to the White Tank Mountain Family Campground to spend the night. The next morning I got to see an amazing sunrise before heading out to The Boyer Drive Thru for coffee and then off to I10 for a 5 hour drive to California!
After the drive I went into the park and was rewarded by getting to see the Joshua Tree's in bloom!
Next up I drove to Keys View. This parking lot was PACKED and patience was required to get a parking spot but it was so worth it. You get amazing views of the Coachella Valley and the beautiful San Jacinto Peak (elivation 10,800ft). I also drove by Ryan Campground! I wish I had been able to score a campsite here cause the views were amazing from the tent sites!
Next up: Sunset Prep! I found a safe and legal road shoulder to park on the west side of the park and followed a trail out to find a less crowded view of the sunset. I was rewarded by an amazing light show!
My last stop of the night involved some star viewing as I went over to the famed cap rock. This parking lot had been covered over all day so this was my first chance to explore. It was quite a magical experience.
After a decent nights camp sleep I headed out to see if the sunrise was as amazing as the sunset. I was rewarded for my early morning with a pretty good sunrise and I finally got a picture with the west park sign!
Since I got started so early today required a nap. I did not realize how tired I was and slept for longer than I expected to. This meant I did not have the time I wanted to complete the hike I planed. So I shifted gears and headed for a shorter hike to see heart rock and arch rock and hike near twin tanks!
Now at this point it was about 1500 in the afternoon and the weather was pretty warm for the season. I had not been expecting it to get up into the 90's during this trip. So I made my way over to my campsite at Jumbo Rocks Campground and made lunch while basking in the shade of the very jumbo rocks! Now Joshua tree is a park with no running water once inside the park so make sure you think of safety and pack appropriately!
After a leisurely afternoon at camp getting to read and watch the views I took a hike out to see the sunset from the rocks about half a mile from camp. Once again the sunset was amazing to see. I also got to test my phones new night photography mode. The astro mode let me take a 4 minute exposure and the sky view was amazing the sky was amazing! I look forward to getting to play with this mode more!!
Sun rise the next morning was pretty. However, I began to understand some of my friends opinions that the sunsets were the best in the park at this time of year. So after breakfast i headed off to skull rock, This area of the park is best seen before 1000 in the morning due to the amount of visitors that frequent this particular stop!
I Started driving toward the southern park exit and got to pass the Cholla Cactus Garden and Ocotillo Patch. This was definitely the time of year to visit this section of the park! It was so pretty!
After an educational visit to the Cottonwood Visitor Center I went to see Cottonwood Spring Oasis. I got to see so many different birds here! Also the temperature felt like it dropped serveral degrees as you got closer to the trees! Also, remember friends everywhere you go in the national parks you should read the warning signs! I got another park sign photo at the Southern Park Exit Photo
A 45 minute drive from the exit of the park was Salton Sea. Now this is a wildly interesting area filled with a lot of history and a bit of wildness. This area is a very low point in the state and has historically captured water after major floods. But in 1905 the Colorado River's irrigation canals did not hold and water spilled over into the Salton Sink. Now normally this area would have dried up with no water source to feed it. However, the decision was made to allow farmers to feed the Sea with farm water run off. This created a boom town of sorts where tons of people came to ski and see the beach. But with the Sea only being fed by water run off it is high in nitrates and other chemicals, the water became salt heavy, and the aglee bloom toxic. So while the state says it is perfectly safe to swim in, don't drink the water or eat the fish if they have not been boiled for long enough. As for me I chose not to stick my toes in this body of water. After all humans thought drinking out of led pipes was safe till a few years ago. There are books worth of info and tons of documentation on this, as well as viewpoints I am sure I don't understand but from my time visiting it was a very pretty, very smelly, very quirky place.
The last stop (before the airport) was Chuckwalla National Monument. Chuckwalla National Monument is the newest national monument established January 14, 2025. It is a rough 8 mile drive down a dirt road to get to corn springs and the petroglyphs but it is an amazing trip and I wish i had more time to explore and hike this area! This spring serving as a major water stop for the Chemehuevi, Cahuilla, and Yuma Tribes and the history and importance should be protected. At a time when our public lands are under attack, areas like this should be showcased for there rich history and all that we would loose by selling these public treasures off to private companies.
Thoughts? Reach out at: mythoughtsofindigo@gmail.com