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Where It's At
Situated east of Los Angeles, on the way to Las Vegas, Joshua
Tree National Park is classic California desert territory.
No, you won't see Irish rock group U2 posing beneath a cactus
or watch the Roadrunner being chased by Wile E. Coyote out
here, but visiting this place you will get the feel of how
desolate and dry the southern part of the state really is,
putting the state's constant water wars into perspective.
It was through this region that settlers came West, searching
for new land.
Creatures of the Tree
Named by the Mormon settlers who wandered this area the park
encompasses 800,000 square acres, most of which is 4,000 feet
above sea level. The vegetation is classic cactus that
grow over 20 feet tall. Not many animals call the salt lakes
and dry sacrub home, but lizards, gila monsters and
other reptiles survive.
The people that live out here are just as unique as the animals
and in the 1800's people would built rifle holes in the walls
of their houses to warn unwanted visitors they'd be shot if
they came too close; many people died when they didn't heed
the warning. Quite a few of the current residents of Joshua
Tree are squatters on government land that has been abandoned.
They live in a place called 'Slab City' which is all that's
left of a US training facility built here after WWII.
Getting Around
You can of course do as most do and drive straight through
the Park, and you'll have to have your own wheels to access
most parts of it, but getting out of your 4WD and taking a
hike into the hot tundra has to be done. Popular sites for
hikes include the Lost Palm Oasis in the Eagle Mountains
to the south of the park, the largest oasis in Joshua Tree.
Top Sights
One of the oddest monuments in Joshua Tree is Salvation
Mountain, where a local man named Leonard King began building
in 1967. Believing he had been directed by God, Leonard began
constructing the unique sculptures on Salvation Mountain that
can be seen from miles around.
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