Joshua Tree National Park... and other places you people sent me #1

On the edge of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, this road leads to the Mt. San Jacinto tramway in Palm Springs. I rode the pricy ($25) tram up the mountain. The views from the top were spectacular- good call, TomD! I brought my winter hiking gear, so I left the tourists and went on a hike.


I was glad I brought Microspikes because the trail was a thick sheet of ice. I hiked a 3 mile loop trail. The trees were a lot taller and wider than we are used to in the East.



The sun was setting when I reached Joshua Tree National Park. I got out of my rented minivan to take a picture of the sign. A jackrabbit hopped on by while I stood there.



The scenery in Joshua Tree was spectacular. I had better weather than Paul Bear! Temperatures ranged from 80s in the day and 40s in the night. I took many photos of the ‘trees’ which aren’t really trees at all, but a variety of yucca.



I camped at the Ryan Mountain Campground. From what I could see of all the car camping opportunities in Joshua Tree, the campsites are all somewhat nestled into the rock formations as seen here. The formations provided a lot of atmosphere.



The desert sky was lovely at night, changing colors and casting shadows from the trees and the rocks across the strange landscape of the high desert. It was a little weird for it to be pitch black outside and to be all ready to go to sleep by 6pm: a combination of jet lag and the desert night.



Ryan Mountain is perhaps the most popular hike in the park. There was only one other car at the trailhead, so crowds were not a concern. The trail was similar to trails one would hike in the Whites. At 5,000 plus feet, the summit had a 360 degree view. I didn't get to go on the longer hike that Marty did.



Cacti and rock formations are the order of the day at Joshua Tree. I spent three days in Joshua Tree. I had been concerned about scorpions and tarantulas, but I didn't see anything of the sort. It had been said that Joshua Tree might be cold and windy in December, but I was pleasantly rewarded with mild temperatures and calm winds.



I drove north through 29 Palms, where that Robert Plant song replaced U2 in my head:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHRcKD8T17g
I continued to the Mojave National Preserve, where there was not another vehicle in sight for miles and miles. It was really pretty freaky!



Good call on the Kelso Dunes, DSettahr! Apparently, the strange sound is the result of the grain construction and other scientific factors. It was tremendously difficult to hike and climb in the sand and I was grateful that the weather was kinda crappy and overcast with a little spitting of rain. I don't think this would have been fun if it was sunny and 100 degrees. When I reached the top of the tallest dune, I sat at the top for a while and hoped that the dune would make the sound that I had heard about. I was only going to give it one chance because I wasn't going to climb up the damn thing again. I stood up and began to run down the dune.... Boinnnnng, boinnnng, boinnnng!!!! It was so weird!

Nice report and pix! Glad you made it out there. You have totally got me psyched for when we visit again in March.

We are going with some friends who want to see Joshua Tree. I just might have to hike Ryan Mt. when I am there, especially after seeing your photo.

Glad you enjoyed the tram up to San Jacinto. Forgot to recommend that. Did that twice, in fact.

Best regards,
Marty

Ryan Mountain - a Nice hike....
I was up there in 1997ish and I remember meeting an older couple coming back who warned me that the trail gets steep near the top. I spent the rest of the way up looking for the steep section....Never did find it..LOL...

Glad you had fun!

I spent some time in Joshua Tree a few years ago, helping out with a GPS/GIS project. What happens is, because all the Joshua Trees are at higher elevations than the park entrances, when the public is driving up into the park, when they come to the first dinky little Joshua Tree, they pull over and take a picture. Then, farther up, they come to a bigger Joshua Tree, and pull over and take another picture. Then, yet again, another even bigger Joshua Tree comes into view, and they pull over again and take another picture. As a result, a bunch of pull offs had been worn into the dirt and vegetation along side the road. We GPS'd and measured the impacts of these pull offs, so that the park could install curbs to keep people from pulling off and damaging the vegeation, and make a designated parking area at the more impacted areas.

I remember that climbing Kelso Dunes was like trying to climb a 700 foot tall pile of snow without snowshoes. It sure felt good when we reached the top though!

LOL! That's true, about the pics of the Joshua Trees, D! And funny about the steep part, Rick. That happens all the time when you are in a National Park type setting, away from the familiar Whites. Thanks for all your advice on this trip!