Daily Archives: January 10, 2014

January 10, 2014 Palm Desert, California

We are truly in awe of the mountains and canyons we are seeing in the desert of California.  We left Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and arrived in Palm Desert where we are staying at a Thousand Trails RV Resort.  Usually the Thousand Trails parks are located in fairly remote areas, however this one is located right in Palm Desert.  We prefer parks that are further away from traffic and road noise, however this park was not too noisy and sometimes it is convenient to be near stores and restaurants.

The highlight of our three nights in Palm Desert was our visit to Joshua Tree National Park on Saturday. 1-P1030629 Located over an hour from Palm Desert, the park is named for the trees that grow there called Joshua trees.  Legend has it that the trees were names in the mid 19th century by Mormon pioneers who named the tree after the prophet Joshua because of the trees outstretched limbs.

Roosevelt designated the park a National Monument in 1936 and it was re-designated a national park in 1994.  One interesting thing about the park is that two deserts come together to make Joshua Tree National Park.  The Colorado Desert with an abundance of creosote bush makes up the eastern half of the park.  06-P103064605-P1030644 04-P1030643 03-P1030636 02-P1030635

The higher, cooler and wetter Mojave Desert with Joshua trees, make up the western half of the park. 13-P1030671 15-P1030679 12-P1030669 14-P1030672 11-P1030668 We were able to drive through both sections of the park and enjoyed the different landscapes.

We hiked a short trail to Arch Rock where campers had hiked among the rock formations. 10-P1030665 09-P1030661 It was not unusual to see campers boondocking throughout the desert in Arizona and California. 07-P1030654 08-P1030659The rock formations in the park were amazing and we spent some time watching rock climbers scaling the sides of these mammoth rocks.  The park is known for being one of America’s best climbing sites. 20-P1030696 19-P1030695 18-P1030691 21-P1030699 22-P1030700

We drove to the top of Keys View with an altitude of 5,185 feet. 17-P1030683 On a clear day you can see to Mexico as well as the Salton Sea, the San Andreas Fault, the San Jacinto Peak behind Palm Springs, as well as the Santa Rosa and San Gorgonia Mountain.  16-P1030681The day we visited had some haze from Los Angeles smog, but we still had a breathtaking view.  Sadly one of the rangers told us, and we saw a sign at Keys View, that due to poor air quality, the park is one of the unhealthiest places to hike during certain times of the year.  We have noticed this smog for several weeks in our travels.

Palm Desert is a beautiful place with ideal winter weather.  Another place to add to the return someday list!