约书亚树

巨石和扶壁, 崎岖的山脉, 金矿遗址, desert plains dotted with oddball trees—约书亚树国家公园 是一个奇妙的地方吗. 当地人戏称它为“j树”, the park lies at an ecological crossroads, where the high Mojave Desert meets the low Colorado Desert. That marriage results in amazing desert flora, including those wacky namesake trees (actually a type of yucca), and leafy groves of palm trees. 约书亚树’s beauty shines around the clock, with vibrant sunsets melting into nights filled with uncountable stars perfect for 耽于幻想 冒险.

从开车到 键视图, where you can get a panoramic vista of Mount San Jacinto and Mount Gorgonio—often snow-capped in winter—with the Salton Sea shimmering in the distance. Take a hike to survey the vista from the summit of 瑞安山, the park’s tallest peak at 5,461 feet. Go explore the remarkable monzogranite boulders at 头骨的岩石 Nature Trail or the Wonderland of Rocks. 如果你想做一些 攀岩, 约书亚树有超过8个,000 established climbing routes, from easy beginner scrambles to extreme vertical cracks.

Learn about the park’s fascinating gold 最小值ing history at the 失落的马矿, an easy four-mile round-trip hike. 寻找 阴凉的棕榈树林 和涓涓溪流 49棕榈绿洲, a three-mile roundtrip hike which follows sections of an old Native American pathway, 和失落的棕榈绿洲. Take a ranger-led walking tour of 键的牧场, the home of 最小值er and pioneer William F. 键. 在20世纪初, 凯斯盖了一座牧场房子, 校舍, 车间, and gardens amid the yuccas and boulders and lived for a remarkable 60 years in this desert enclave. For a different kind of stimulation, sign up for a class at the 沙漠研究所, a weekend field program for adults and families with courses in such fields as natural science, 文化历史, 创造性的艺术, 沙漠自然学家研究, 沙漠生存.

Big, climbable rocks are like catnip to active kids, and 约书亚树 offers a natural playground full of them, with 更多的 than 400 climbing formations and 8,000 established climbing routes. To get started, join a group class—like those from 约书亚树 Rock Climbing School—to learn fundamentals such as handling ropes, 用绳索下降, and “belaying” (getting back down) on beginner slabs and boulders. You can rent pads, helmets, and camp gear at shops like 游牧民族企业.

A good place to get the lay of the land and try some easy boulders: the 1.5英里, fairly flat loop trail by Barker Dam, which is also a good place to see the park’s unique, namesake trees and even some Native American 岩画. 

约书亚树’s nine campgrounds offer plenty of 野营 选项, but they fill up fast from September to May (in the heat of summer, 网站更容易找到. You’ll find desert-themed lodgings and quirky motels in towns just outside the park—约书亚树 Village, 进行, 和尤卡谷. 不要错过附近的参观 Pioneertown, an 1880s-style false-front Old West town where 更多的 than 50 films and television shows were shot in the 1940s and 1950s. Today, you can still see mock gunfights on the town’s “Mane Street” and top-notch live music at 糊 and 哈丽特的先锋镇宫殿.