Joshua Tree National Park in the Mojave desert of Southern California preserves and protects almost 800,000 acres of desert lowlands, mountains, and oases near Palm Springs.
The Joshua Tree itself is one of the indicator plants of the Mojave Desert, which is higher in elevation than the Colorado Desert. You can see Joshua trees along the road, although many of them have burned in recent years.
The Keys ranch is a preserved homestead in the middle of the park - fantastic historical artifacts litter the desert, just as they were left by the Keys family. You can visit the ranch on a guided ranger led tour. This is definitely worth the time if you are at the park on the weekends from October to May.
Joshua Tree is also one of the world's top rock climbing destinations, as the granite rock formations are extremely conducive to climbing. The park has marked climbing routes, and local climbing stores should assist you with planning and equipment.
The park also offers many hiking trails, through the desert and mountains. Some of the most interesting pass by abandoned mining equipment, such as the Lost Horse Mine trail. The trail goes to ten-stamp mill, and is extremely photogenic.
