Desert flowers and cacti bloom with intense color in spring, and dormant plants and Joshua trees are dusted with snow in winter.
Taking time to travel through Joshua Tree National Park provides the adventurer with a view of desert wildlife (coyotes, lizards, jackrabbits, burrowing owls, bobcats, golden eagles, sidewinders) and desert plants (Mojave Yucca, California Juniper, Joshua Tree, Fan Palm, Ocotillo).
There are nine campgrounds (550 campsites), several picnic areas, and ranger-conducted walks, hikes, and campfire talks. The park’s 800,000 acres abound with clean air, peace and tranquility, and the beauty that only the desert offers.
There are also rocks to climb. Throughout the year both novice and seasoned climbers from all over the world challenge the naturally sculpted granite monoliths that offer “vertical adventuring.”
On the world-class Mural Tour of Twentynine Palms, huge, colorful murals tell the diverse history of Twentynine Palms. The Park Museum in Twentynine Palms exhibits Native American pottery shards and basket fragments and the artifacts of homesteaders, prospectors, ranchers, and rustlers who later came to the region.
Frequently held Star Parties show off vast, clear skies with incredible night views for stargazers. The city’s annual Pioneer Days Festival is held in October, and features the unique “outhouse races,” a rodeo, carnival, parade and children’s day.
Just four miles north of Yucca Valley you’ll find Pioneertown. Built as the backdrop for filming cowboy movies and TV shows, including The OK Corral’s famous shootout scene, it retains its old-time western atmosphere. Dressed in old-time garb, from hats to spurs, complete with six-shooters, the Pioneertown Posse takes you back to a time when life was simple and the west was wild. Gunfight reenactments and other western shows are just a part of this charming Old West town.
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