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Stretching across the ast deserts of southern California is Joshua Tree National Park, a 774,000-acre (313,470-hectare) presere that is larger than the state of Rhode Island.
The western portion of the park is a part of the great Mojae 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 istas of colorful boulders, rock spires, and mountains. Its western half is high aboe sea leel, so that blistering daytime heat is often relieed 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 leel, so it is driver and hotter, and gnarled creosote bushes, among the oldest plants in the world, thrie 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 shever 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, isitors sometimes spot a golden eagle or a group of bighorn sheep.
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