Joshua Tree National Park
Encyclopedia
Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California
. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act
(Public Law 103-433), it had previously been a U.S. National Monument
since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) forests native to the park. It covers a land area of 790636 acres (319,959.3 ha) or 1,235 square miles – an area slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island
. A large part of the park, some 429690 acres (173,889.5 ha), is a designated wilderness area. Straddling the San Bernardino County/Riverside County border, the park includes parts of two desert
s, each an ecosystem
whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation: the higher Mojave Desert
and lower Colorado Desert
. The Little San Bernardino Mountains
run through the southwest edge of the park.
is the special habitat of Yucca brevifolia, the Joshua tree for which the park is named. It occurs in patterns from dense forests to distantly spaced specimens. In addition to Joshua tree forests, the western part of the park includes some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California's deserts. The dominant geologic features of this landscape are hills of bare rock, usually broken up into loose boulders. These hills are popular amongst rock climbing
and scrambling
enthusiasts. The flatland between these hills is sparsely forested with Joshua trees. Together with the boulder piles and Skull Rock, the trees make the landscape otherworldly.
Joshua trees dominate the open spaces of the park, but in among the rock outcroppings are piñon pine
, California juniper (Juniperus californica
) and scrub oak
. These communities are under some stress, however. The climate was wetter until the 1930s. The same hot and dry conditions that provoked the Dust Bowl
affected the local climate. These cycles were nothing new, but the original vegetation did not prosper when wetter cycles returned, however. The difference may have been human development. Cattle grazing took out some of the natural cover and made it less resistant to the changes. But the bigger problem seems to be invasive species, such as cheatgrass. These things deliver a double punch. During wetter periods, they fill in below and among the pines and oak. In drier times, they die back, but do not quickly decompose. This makes wildfire
s hotter and more destructive, which kills some of the trees that would have otherwise survived. When the area regenerates, these non-native grasses form a thick layer of turf that makes it harder for the pine and oak seedlings to get a roothold.
encompasses the eastern part of the park and features habitats of Creosote bush
scrub; Ocotillo
, desert Saltbush and mixed scrub including Yucca
and Cholla cactus (Cylindropuntia bigelovii). There are areas of such cactus density they appear as natural gardens. The lower Coachella Valley
is on the southeastern side of the Park with sandy soil grasslands and desert dunes.
The only palm native to California, the California Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera
), occurs naturally in five oases
in the park, rare areas where water occurs naturally year round and all forms of wildlife abound.
The rock formations of Joshua Tree National Park were formed years ago from the cooling of magma
beneath the surface. Groundwater
is responsible for the erosion
that created the spheres from rectangular blocks. These prominent outcroppings are known as inselbergs or a monadnock
.
camping, for those who wish to backpack
, is permitted with a few regulations.
and Salton Sea
.
Nature walks inside the park include:
Longer trails include:
The park is popular with rock climbers and was originally a winter practice area while Yosemite Valley
and other parts of the Sierra Nevada were snowbound, but later became an area of interest in its own right. There are thousands of named climbing route
s, at all levels of difficulty. The routes are typically short, the rocks being rarely more than 230 ft (70.1 m) in height, but access is usually a short, easy walk through the desert, and it is possible to do a number of interesting climbs in a single day. The rocks are all composed of quartz monzonite
, a very rough type of granite
made even more so as there is no snow or ice to polish it as in places like Yosemite.
and require a vehicle with high ground clearance
, and preferably one with four-wheel drive
. In August 2011, the director of Dutch club 013
and his girlfriend died of heat stroke
in a remote part of Joshua Tree National Park, allegedly searching for a Joshua tree that had been featured in the album artwork of The Joshua Tree
, a studio album released in 1987 by the Irish rock band U2
. Their vehicle, a Dodge Charger
rental car with rear-wheel drive and low ground clearance, was found stuck on Black Eagle Mine Road, an unpaved road in a remote part of the park. In reality, the site of that specific tree, which fell down in 2000, is located near Darwin, California
, more than 300 miles driving distance from Black Eagle Mine Road.
The Geology Tour Road is another unpaved road located in the center of the park. Visitors with a four-wheel drive vehicle can use this road to take a self-guided tour. There are sixteen stops on the tour showcasing the region's geology.
of bird in the park including resident desert
birds such as the Greater Roadrunner
and Cactus Wren
as well as Mockingbird
s, Le Conte's Thrasher
, Verdin
and Gambel's Quail
. There are also many transient species that may spend only one or two seasons in the park. Noted birding spots in the park include: fan palm oases, Barker Dam and Smith Water Canyon. Queen Valley and Lost Horse Valley also provide good birding but with a different range of species because of the lack of water. These are often good places to see Ladder-backed Woodpecker
and Oak Titmouse
. A USGS Bird Checklist of "what, when, and status" has 239 species listed for the park.
. Joshua Tree is well-known for its dark skies, which are largely free from southern California's extreme light pollution
. The park's elevation and dry desert air, along with the relatively stable atmosphere in southern California, often make for excellent astronomical observing conditions. Joshua Tree's sky darkness ranges from a green to a blue rating on the Bortle Dark-Sky Scale
.
and Mule Deer
sometimes stop by the dam for a drink. Tours of the Barker Dam area are available.
. The NPS requires registration for overnight camping at specific locations called registration boards. Other requirements include the use of a camp stove as open campfire
s are prohibited and employing Leave No Trace
camping techniques (also known as "pack it in, pack it out"). Although bicycles are not allowed in wilderness areas, horses are, but a permit must be obtained in advance for travel in the backcountry.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act
California Desert Protection Act of 1994
The California Desert Protection Act of 1994 is a federal law , signed by President Bill Clinton, and passed by the United States Congress on October 8, 1994, that established the Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks and the Mojave National Preserve in the California...
(Public Law 103-433), it had previously been a U.S. National Monument
U.S. National Monument
A National Monument in the United States is a protected area that is similar to a National Park except that the President of the United States can quickly declare an area of the United States to be a National Monument without the approval of Congress. National monuments receive less funding and...
since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) forests native to the park. It covers a land area of 790636 acres (319,959.3 ha) or 1,235 square miles – an area slightly larger than the state of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
. A large part of the park, some 429690 acres (173,889.5 ha), is a designated wilderness area. Straddling the San Bernardino County/Riverside County border, the park includes parts of two desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
s, each an ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation: the higher Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
and lower Colorado Desert
Colorado Desert
California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert, which extends across southwest North America. The Colorado Desert region encompasses approximately , reaching from the Mexican border in the south to the higher-elevation Mojave Desert in the north and from the Colorado River in...
. The Little San Bernardino Mountains
Little San Bernardino Mountains
The Little San Bernardino Mountains are a short mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 40 mi southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains through San Bernardino and Riverside Counties to near the northeast...
run through the southwest edge of the park.
Geography and botany
Mojave Desert
The higher and slightly cooler Mojave DesertMojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
is the special habitat of Yucca brevifolia, the Joshua tree for which the park is named. It occurs in patterns from dense forests to distantly spaced specimens. In addition to Joshua tree forests, the western part of the park includes some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California's deserts. The dominant geologic features of this landscape are hills of bare rock, usually broken up into loose boulders. These hills are popular amongst rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
and scrambling
Scrambling
Scrambling is a method of ascending rocky faces and ridges. It is an ambiguous term that lies somewhere between hillwalking and rock climbing. It is often distinguished from hillwalking by defining a scramble as a route where hands must be used in the ascent...
enthusiasts. The flatland between these hills is sparsely forested with Joshua trees. Together with the boulder piles and Skull Rock, the trees make the landscape otherworldly.
Joshua trees dominate the open spaces of the park, but in among the rock outcroppings are piñon pine
Pinyon pine
The pinyon pine group grows in the southwestern United States and in Mexico. The trees yield edible pinyon nuts, which were a staple of the Native Americans, and are still widely eaten...
, California juniper (Juniperus californica
Juniperus californica
Juniperus californica is a species of juniper native to southwestern North America; as the name implies, it is mainly found in California, although its range also extends through most of Baja California, a short distance into the Great Basin in southern Nevada, and western Arizona...
) and scrub oak
Scrub Oak
Scrub Oak is a general name for several species of small, shrubby oaks, including the following species:*California Scrub Oak *Leather Oak *Coastal Scrub Oak...
. These communities are under some stress, however. The climate was wetter until the 1930s. The same hot and dry conditions that provoked the Dust Bowl
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl, or the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands from 1930 to 1936...
affected the local climate. These cycles were nothing new, but the original vegetation did not prosper when wetter cycles returned, however. The difference may have been human development. Cattle grazing took out some of the natural cover and made it less resistant to the changes. But the bigger problem seems to be invasive species, such as cheatgrass. These things deliver a double punch. During wetter periods, they fill in below and among the pines and oak. In drier times, they die back, but do not quickly decompose. This makes wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
s hotter and more destructive, which kills some of the trees that would have otherwise survived. When the area regenerates, these non-native grasses form a thick layer of turf that makes it harder for the pine and oak seedlings to get a roothold.
Colorado Desert
Below 3000 feet (914.4 m), the Colorado DesertColorado Desert
California's Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert, which extends across southwest North America. The Colorado Desert region encompasses approximately , reaching from the Mexican border in the south to the higher-elevation Mojave Desert in the north and from the Colorado River in...
encompasses the eastern part of the park and features habitats of Creosote bush
Creosote bush
Larrea tridentata is known as Creosote bush as a plant, chaparral as a medicinal herb, and as "gobernadora" in Mexico, Spanish for "governess," due to its ability for inhibiting the growth of nearby plants to have more water. In Sonora, it is more commonly called "hediondilla." It is a flowering...
scrub; Ocotillo
Ocotillo
Fouquieria splendens Engelm. is a desert plant of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Common names include ocotillo, desert coral, coachwhip, Jacob's staff, and vine cactus, although it is not a true cactus...
, desert Saltbush and mixed scrub including Yucca
Yucca
Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40-50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North...
and Cholla cactus (Cylindropuntia bigelovii). There are areas of such cactus density they appear as natural gardens. The lower Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
is on the southeastern side of the Park with sandy soil grasslands and desert dunes.
The only palm native to California, the California Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera
Washingtonia filifera
Washingtonia filifera , with the common names California Fan Palm , Desert Fan Palm, Cotton palm, and Arizona Fan Palm. It is a palm native to southwestern North America between an elevation range of , at seeps, desert bajadas, and springs where underground water is continuously available...
), occurs naturally in five oases
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
in the park, rare areas where water occurs naturally year round and all forms of wildlife abound.
Geology
Magma
Magma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...
beneath the surface. Groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
is responsible for the erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
that created the spheres from rectangular blocks. These prominent outcroppings are known as inselbergs or a monadnock
Monadnock
A monadnock or inselberg is an isolated rock hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain...
.
Camping
Nine established campgrounds exist in the park, three of which (Black Rock Campground, Indian Cove Campground, and Cottonwood Campground) provide water and flush toilets. A fee is charged per night for each camping spot. Reservations are accepted at Black Rock Campground, Indian Cove Campground, and Cottonwood Campground, while the six other campgrounds are first-come first-serve. BackcountryBackcountry
A backcountry area in general terms is a geographical region that is:* isolated* remote* undeveloped* difficult to accessThe term may apply to various regions that are reasonably close to urban areas but are:* not immediately accessible by car...
camping, for those who wish to backpack
Backpacking (wilderness)
Backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping for an overnight stay in backcountry wilderness...
, is permitted with a few regulations.
Hiking
There are several hiking trails within the park, many of which can be accessed from a campground. Shorter trails, such as the one mile hike through Hidden Valley, offer a chance to view the beauty of the park without straying too far into the desert. A section of the California Riding and Hiking Trail meanders for 35 miles through the western side of the park. The lookout point at Keys View, towards the south of the park, offers views of the Coachella ValleyCoachella Valley
Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
and Salton Sea
Salton Sea
The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in California's Imperial Valley. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Like Death...
.
Nature walks inside the park include:
- Hidden Valley
- Indian Cove
- Cholla Cactus Garden
Longer trails include:
- Boy Scout Hiking and Equestrian Trail
- Contact Mine
- Fortynine Palms Oasis
- Lost Horse Mine
- Lost Palms Oasis
- Ryan Mountain
- Warren Peak
Climbing
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
and other parts of the Sierra Nevada were snowbound, but later became an area of interest in its own right. There are thousands of named climbing route
Climbing route
A climbing route is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, rock, or ice wall. Routes can vary dramatically in difficulty and, once committed to that ascent, can be difficult to stop or return. Choice of route can be critically important...
s, at all levels of difficulty. The routes are typically short, the rocks being rarely more than 230 ft (70.1 m) in height, but access is usually a short, easy walk through the desert, and it is possible to do a number of interesting climbs in a single day. The rocks are all composed of quartz monzonite
Quartz monzonite
Quartz monzonite is an intrusive igneous rock that has an approximately equal proportion of orthoclase and plagioclase feldspars. The plagioclase is typically intermediate to sodic in composition, andesine to oligoclase. Quartz is present in significant amounts. Biotite and/or hornblende...
, a very rough type of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
made even more so as there is no snow or ice to polish it as in places like Yosemite.
Driving
Most of the park's roads are unpavedDirt road
Dirt road is a common term for an unpaved road made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable for vehicles; a narrower path for pedestrians, animals, and possibly small vehicles would be called a...
and require a vehicle with high ground clearance
Ride height
Ride height is the amount of space between the base of an automobile tire and the underside of the chassis; or, more properly, to the shortest distance between a flat, level surface, and any part of a vehicle other than those parts designed to contact the ground...
, and preferably one with four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive
Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4×4 is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously...
. In August 2011, the director of Dutch club 013
013
013 is a music venue in Tilburg, the Netherlands. The venue opened in 1998 and replaced the Noorderligt, the Bat Cave and the MuziekKantenWinkel...
and his girlfriend died of heat stroke
Heat illness
Heat illness or heat-related illness is a spectrum of disorders due to environmental heat exposure. It includes minor conditions such as heat cramps, heat syncope, and heat exhaustion as well as the more severe condition known as heat stroke....
in a remote part of Joshua Tree National Park, allegedly searching for a Joshua tree that had been featured in the album artwork of The Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release The Unforgettable Fire, U2 aimed for a harder-hitting sound on The Joshua...
, a studio album released in 1987 by the Irish rock band U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
. Their vehicle, a Dodge Charger
Dodge Charger
The Dodge Charger is an American automobile manufactured by the Dodge division of Chrysler. There have been several different Dodge vehicles, built on three different platforms and sizes, all bearing the Charger nameplate...
rental car with rear-wheel drive and low ground clearance, was found stuck on Black Eagle Mine Road, an unpaved road in a remote part of the park. In reality, the site of that specific tree, which fell down in 2000, is located near Darwin, California
Darwin, California
Darwin is a census-designated place in Inyo County, California, United States. Darwin is located southeast of Keeler, at an elevation of 4790 feet . The population was 43 at the 2010 census, down from 54 at the 2000 census. It is named after Dr...
, more than 300 miles driving distance from Black Eagle Mine Road.
The Geology Tour Road is another unpaved road located in the center of the park. Visitors with a four-wheel drive vehicle can use this road to take a self-guided tour. There are sixteen stops on the tour showcasing the region's geology.
Birding
There are over 250 speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of bird in the park including resident desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
birds such as the Greater Roadrunner
Greater Roadrunner
The Greater Roadrunner, taxonomically classified as Geococcyx californianus, meaning "Californian Earth-cuckoo," is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. Along with the Lesser Roadrunner, it is one of two species in the roadrunner genus Geococcyx...
and Cactus Wren
Cactus Wren
The Cactus Wren is a species of wren that is native to the southwestern United States southwards to central Mexico.-Description:...
as well as Mockingbird
Mockingbird
Mockingbirds are a group of New World passerine birds from the Mimidae family. They are best known for the habit of some species mimicking the songs of other birds and the sounds of insects and amphibians, often loudly and in rapid succession. There are about 17 species in three genera...
s, Le Conte's Thrasher
Le Conte's Thrasher
The Le Conte's Thrasher is a pale bird found in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. It prefers to live in deserts with very little vegetation, where it blends in with the sandy soils...
, Verdin
Verdin
The Verdin is a species of penduline tit. It is the only species in the genus Auriparus, and the only species in the family to be found in the New World....
and Gambel's Quail
Gambel's Quail
The Gambel's Quail, Callipepla gambelii, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It inhabits the desert regions of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Texas, and Sonora; also New Mexico-border Chihuahua and the Colorado River region of Baja California...
. There are also many transient species that may spend only one or two seasons in the park. Noted birding spots in the park include: fan palm oases, Barker Dam and Smith Water Canyon. Queen Valley and Lost Horse Valley also provide good birding but with a different range of species because of the lack of water. These are often good places to see Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is a North American woodpecker.-Range and habitat:The Ladder-backed Woodpecker is fairly common in dry brushy areas and thickets and has a rather large range...
and Oak Titmouse
Oak Titmouse
The Oak Titmouse, Baeolophus inornatus, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. The American Ornithologists' Union split the Plain Titmouse into the Oak Titmouse and the Juniper Titmouse in 1996, due to distinct differences in song, preferred habitat, and genetic makeup.The Oak Titmouse is a...
. A USGS Bird Checklist of "what, when, and status" has 239 species listed for the park.
Astronomy
Joshua Tree is a popular southern California location for amateur astronomy and stargazing, along with nearby Anza-Borrego Desert State ParkAnza-Borrego Desert State Park
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is a state park located within the Colorado Desert of Southern California. The park takes its name from 18th century, Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and borrego, the Spanish word for bighorn sheep...
. Joshua Tree is well-known for its dark skies, which are largely free from southern California's extreme light pollution
Light pollution
Light pollution, also known as photopollution or luminous pollution, is excessive or obtrusive artificial light.The International Dark-Sky Association defines light pollution as:...
. The park's elevation and dry desert air, along with the relatively stable atmosphere in southern California, often make for excellent astronomical observing conditions. Joshua Tree's sky darkness ranges from a green to a blue rating on the Bortle Dark-Sky Scale
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale
The Bortle Dark-Sky Scale is a nine-level numeric scale that measures the night sky's and stars' brightness of a particular location. It quantifies the astronomical observability of celestial objects and the interference caused by light pollution and skyglow. John E...
.
Wildlife
A good place to view wildlife is at Barker Dam, a short hike from a parking area near Hidden Valley. Desert Bighorn SheepDesert Bighorn Sheep
The Desert Bighorn Sheep is a subspecies of Bighorn Sheep that occurs in the desert Southwest regions of the United States and in the northern regions of Mexico. The trinomial of this species commemorates the American naturalist Edward William Nelson...
and Mule Deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
sometimes stop by the dam for a drink. Tours of the Barker Dam area are available.
Wilderness
Of the park's total land area of 789745 acres (319,598.7 ha), 429690 acres (173,889.5 ha) are designated wilderness and managed by the National Park Service (NPS) in accordance with the Wilderness ActWilderness Act
The Wilderness Act of 1964 was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected some 9 million acres of federal land. The result of a long effort to protect federal wilderness, the Wilderness Act was signed...
. The NPS requires registration for overnight camping at specific locations called registration boards. Other requirements include the use of a camp stove as open campfire
Campfire
A campfire is a fire lit at a campsite, to serve the following functions: light, warmth, a beacon, a bug and/or apex predator deterrent, to cook, and for a psychological sense of security. In established campgrounds they are usually in a fire ring for safety. Campfires are a popular feature of...
s are prohibited and employing Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace is both a set of principles, and an organization that promotes those principles. The principles are designed to assist outdoor enthusiasts with their decisions about how to reduce their impacts when they hike, camp, picnic, snowshoe, run, bike, hunt, paddle, ride horses, fish, ski or...
camping techniques (also known as "pack it in, pack it out"). Although bicycles are not allowed in wilderness areas, horses are, but a permit must be obtained in advance for travel in the backcountry.
See also
- CahuillaCahuillaThe Cahuilla, Iviatim in their own language, are Indians with a common culture whose ancestors inhabited inland areas of southern California 2,000 years ago. Their original territory included an area of about . The traditional Cahuilla territory was near the geographic center of Southern California...
- Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere ReserveMojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere ReserveThe Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve is a biosphere reserve designated by UNESCO in 1984 to promote the ecological conservation of a cluster of areas in the Mojave and Colorado deserts of California. A principal feature is Death Valley...
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Joshua Tree National ParkNational Register of Historic Places listings in Joshua Tree National ParkThis is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Joshua Tree National Park.This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Joshua Tree National Park, California, United States...
External links
by the National Park ServiceNational Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
- Map of Joshua Tree National Park
- Geologic Travel Cuide: article by the American Geological InstituteAmerican Geological InstituteThe American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of 45 geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 100,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth scientists...
- "Keys Ranch: Where Time Stood Still", a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan
- Joshua Tree National Park Bird Checklist with seasonal info.
- List of hikes in Joshua Tree
- "Motorcycle Classics" Motorcycling through Joshua Tree National Park article