How well do you know Joshua Tree National Park?
Joshua Tree is a land of strange trees, giant boulders and star-filled skies. Six questions, from easy to hard, with explanations.
Did you know?
- The Joshua tree's name is often said to come from 19th-century settlers who thought its raised branches looked like a figure reaching toward the sky. Its scientific name is Yucca brevifolia.
- Joshua Tree National Park contains five fan palm oases, where underground water reaches the surface. The California fan palm is the only palm native to the western United States.
- Joshua trees don't have annual growth rings like most trees, which makes estimating their age difficult. Scientists use their height and growth rates to make estimates.
Where two deserts meet
Joshua Tree National Park protects nearly 800,000 acres of desert in southern California. Its landscapes range from forests of spiky Joshua trees to jumbled piles of giant granite boulders and palm oases. The meeting of two deserts creates remarkable diversity, and the park's dark skies and unusual scenery attract hikers, climbers, artists and stargazers.
Giant boulders
The park's famous rock formations formed underground from cooling magma. Over millions of years, erosion exposed the granite and rounded it into towering piles of boulders. Formations such as Skull Rock and Arch Rock are favorite stops along park roads.
A climbing destination
Joshua Tree is one of the world's best-known rock climbing areas, with thousands of routes on its rough granite. Climbers visit mostly in cooler months, and the park's bouldering areas attract people from around the globe.
Life in the desert
Despite its dry climate, the park supports bighorn sheep, desert tortoises, jackrabbits, coyotes and many reptiles. Most animals are active at dawn, dusk or night to avoid the heat. Spring rains can bring colorful wildflower displays.
Dark skies
Joshua Tree is an International Dark Sky Park. On clear nights, the Milky Way stretches across the sky above the boulders, and the park hosts night sky programs to help visitors identify stars and planets.
Challenges for Joshua trees
Scientists are concerned that hotter, drier conditions may make it harder for young Joshua trees to survive in parts of the park. Wildfires, once rare in this desert, also pose a growing threat. Researchers are studying where the trees might thrive in the future.
Visiting the desert safely
The best time to visit Joshua Tree is from October to April, when daytime temperatures are milder. Summer temperatures often exceed 100°F (38°C), and there is little shade or water in the park. Visitors should carry plenty of water, tell someone their plans and avoid hiking in the heat of the day.