Day 1
California had experienced a higher than usual amount of rainfall over the winter, causing the desert to explode with color. I have never seen anything like it - it was like a rainbow in the wilderness.
On our first night in the park we stopped at the Cholla Garden for sunset. This area has a 1/2 mile trail through ten acres of prickly cholla cacti.
The late sun lit up the cholla and gave them amazing color!
I think I told him to "embrace his inner Cholla"
Day 2
The next morning we started our day at sunrise to photograph the blooming trees in the golden hour. There was no other people out, just colorful flowers, blooming trees, and perfect sunlight.
I think one of the most magical parts of being at the park at this time was that even the Joshua trees were in bloom!
A close-up of the Joshua Tree blooms.
This is Key's View in the park, looking out towards the Little San Bernardino Mountains.
Our next hike was the Wall Street Mine Trail, which takes you out to an old stamp mill. The area has old rusted cars scattered around because they would drive the cars out, then use the engines for the mill!
We watched the sunset at Indian Cove, which is a picnic area & campground. The wildflower color was incredible here and we loved climbing up on the rocks to watch the sunset together!
Day 3
On our last morning we had a few hours to kill before we needed to head to the airport, so we opted for the Barker Dam Trail. The dam was made by cattlemen in the early 1900's and still stands today as a little water oasis in the desert.
We really enjoyed our few quick days in Joshua Tree! I'd love to come back and do more exploring in this park. It was our last stop of the trip, so we kept our hikes pretty short and easy. This park was very accessible, family-friendly, and not too crowded (we were there in late March). If you're in Los Angeles, make sure you swing out to JT!
