Greetings from Joshua Tree National Park

It was my first trip to the desert, being from New England the landscape was mesmerizing. Two notable memories. 1) the plants made me feel like I was walking on the bottom of the ocean. It could very well have been covered in water at some point in time. 2) the most ADORABLE mother roadrunner and her 5 babies ran across my path. So tiny, so quick, like a flash, I could have watched them all day, going about their business. Maybe I will make it back there some day.

Sincerely,
Kris Mandelbaum

Joshua Tree National Park

This iconic park preserves portions of two spectacular desert ecosystems. The Colorado Desert in the eastern portion of the park features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo and cholla cactus. The higher, slightly cooler Mojave Desert offers dazzling vistas of Joshua trees and yucca. The vast park also contains spectacularly sculpted formations of a type of rock known as monzogranite and is a mecca for rock climbers around the world.

State(s): California

Established: 1994

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