The infamous album Joshua Tree created by U2 has bolstered the popularity of Joshua Tree National Park in Southeastern California. On my adventure to Southern Cali, this was one of the events I would experience during my visit. Not knowing the slightest thing about the park, except the fact that U2 had an album named after the place, I was in for quite the treat.

We boarded the Mercedes and sped off into the desert in search of Joshua Tree. Due to the location of my Gramma’s house, we would have to drive across the whole park to get to the “main” museum portion of the park. At Joshua Tree, two deserts (Mojave and Colorado) meet and differ in appearance and wildlife; The Mojave is the only place that grows the Joshua Tree. Coming from the south we entered the Colorado Desert first which hosts a much drier climate with fewer plant life. Every so often on the side of the road were places you could pull over to view the landscape around and the various wildlife that live here. I saw some of the most unique looking plants growing here. What is interesting about this area is that the plants populated in clumps or packs that you may see only in one location and nowhere else in the park.

After a half hour or so, we were starting to climb in elevation and began transferring into the Mojave Desert which is much higher in elevation and vastly different in the rock formations and plant life. The way you can tell the Mojave Desert begins is by the growth of the Joshua Tree. As you get deeper and deeper into the Mojave, the Joshua begin to get much larger and increase in numbers. The Joshua Tree is very intriguing but what struck my attention were the random boulders that were scattered around as though they were rocks that fell off the back of a truck. These rocks were suitable for avid rock climbers as well as home to many camp grounds and hiking trails.

After reaching the official museum and walking around learning about this park, I was intrigued with how the two deserts differ from one another. If you are in the Southern Cal area, I recommend taking a day trip or even a weekend camp trip to Joshua Tree. The plant life, beautiful scenery and many hiking trails offer a weekend of fun.