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Stretching across the vast deserts of southern California is Joshua Tree National Park, a 774,000-acre (313,470-hectare) preserve that is larger than the state of Rhode Island.
The western portion of the park is a part of the great Mojave Desert. There, clusters of spectacular Joshua trees huge cactus like yuccas grow up to 40 feet (12 meters) high.
The tree was named by early Mormon settlers, who thought it resembled the biblical hero Joshua, pointing the way to the Promised Land.
The park also offers vistas of colorful boulders, rock spires, and mountains. Its western half is high above sea level, so that blistering daytime heat is often relieved by cool nights. In isolated oases, water comes
close to the surface and stately desert palms grow.
The eastern part of the park is nearer sea level, so it is drier and hotter, and gnarled creosote bushes, among the oldest plants in the world, thrive there. In the winter and spring, temperatures in the park are more moderate, and after a rainstorm the desert plants bloom for a few short days.
Hiking trails crisscross the park, and sheer rock cliffs challenge even skilled rock climbers. Wildlife is plentiful but hard to spot, since most animals including the kangaroo rat, the burrowing owl, and the coyote prowl only at night. By day, visitors sometimes spot a golden eagle or a group of bighorn sheep.
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