James Kaiser

Introduction from Joshua Tree: The Complete Guide

Straddling the boundary between the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts in Southern California, Joshua Tree is a strange and wonderful park steeped in mysticism and packed with desert adventure. The park’s twisted trees, towering rock formations, and jumbled geology create a phantasmagorical landscape worthy of Dr. Seuss. Home to gold miners and outlaws in the late 1800s, the park’s surreal scenery now lures rock climbers, rock stars, and desert aficionados from around the globe.

At 800,000 acres, Joshua Tree takes up a vast chunk of the Southern California desert. But only two major roads run through the park: Park Boulevard and Pinto Basin Road. Park Boulevard passes through the famous Mojave Desert half of the park. Lying above 3,000 feet in elevation, the Mojave half of the park occupies a slightly cooler climate filled with strange rock formations and thousands of Joshua trees. The rock formations, some as tall as six-story buildings, were discovered by rock climbers several decades ago. Today they lure a steady stream of climbers from around the world. Joshua Tree’s thousands of known climbs make it one of North America’s premier rock climbing destinations—especially in the winter months when other rock climbing meccas are covered in ice and snow. Although the Mojave half of the park experiences searing heat in the summer, temperatures fluctuate so much from season to season that winters occasionally bring snow.

Pinto Basin Road passes through the Sonoran Desert half of the park, which is characterized by lower elevations, hotter temperatures, less rainfall, and more wide-open spaces than the Mojave half of the park. Much of this open space lies within Pinto Basin, a 200-square-mile gulf of land that marks one of the westernmost edges of the Sonoran Desert. Pinto Basin is massive—five of the park’s six mountain ranges define its boundaries. Located just a few miles north of sprawling Coachella Valley (one of the fastest growing regions in California), Pinto Basin offers a pristine reminder of the beauty of California’s untouched deserts. Joshua trees are noticeably absent, but other surreal plants such as cholla cactus, ocotillo and smoke trees call Pinto Basin home.

Several thousand years ago, early Indians discovered Pinto Basin and settled along the banks of an ancient stream. But as the climate warmed and the stream dried up, these early settlers moved on. Joshua Tree was later used as a seasonal home by the Serrano and Cahuilla Indians. In the mid-1800s, cattle ranchers came to Joshua Tree, followed by gold miners in the 1880s. By the 1920s, however, most of the gold in Joshua Tree had been extracted, the Indians had been forced out, and only a few hardy white settlers remained. Then, following the introduction of the automobile, adventurous Los Angeles citizens began day-tripping to the desert in large numbers. By 1936 Joshua Tree National Monument was established. In 1994 the Desert Protection Act upgraded Joshua Tree to national park status and added 234,000 acres to its holdings. Today Joshua Tree sees over 1 million visitors each year.