Joshua Tree Road Trip

6-7 May 2024

My dad has never been to Joshua Tree National Park. So when he expressed interest in going, I immediately suggested a road trip.

Woo hoo!

We set out from San Diego across Anza Borrego, stopping in at the Visitor Center to do a short nature walk. Then on to the weird and fun Salton Sea.

From there we headed north to the park.

Our first stop was the Bajada Nature Trail.

pxl_20240506_1757368202 — Inflated Beetle

pxl_20240506_1802370072 — Arizona lupine

pxl_20240506_180439035.mp2_ — Purple mat

pxl_20240506_181058080.mp2_ — Narrow-leaved cryptantha

pxl_20240506_1816197282 — Desert dandelion

pxl_20240506_1817553952 — Branched pencil cholla

pxl_20240506_1822307842 — Sand blazingstar with a Swift crab spider

From there we stopped at a roadside wash to snap some more photos.

pxl_20240506_183711951_exported_208_17151388887022 — Browneyes

We took a break for lunch in a lovely pavilion at the day use area in Cottonwood Campground.

And on the way out we found some gorgeous Desert bluebells

pxl_20240506_2007160662 — Phacelia campanularia vasiformis

Up the road we passed some desert milkweed with a tarantula hawk on it. This bug is not aggressive towards humans, but it is known to have one of the most painful stings in the insect world.

pxl_20240506_2037162272 — Thisbe’s Tarantula-hawk wasp

And then we did the nature trail at Cholla Cactus Garden. This was dad’s favorite!

pxl_20240506_2134313452 — Desert five spot

After that we drove out the north side of the park to an Airbnb, but there was plenty of nature there, too!

pxl_20240506_2158485462 — Desert horned lizard

pxl_20240507_0031124672 — Desert pincushion

pxl_20240507_002811654.mp2_ — It’s cold! (It’s 75 degrees…..)

pxl_20240507_0203224702 — That’s better!

The next morning we headed back into the park to the Arch Rock nature trail. For a short trail, this one was definitely tougher, with lots of rocks, sand, and elevation changes.