TRAVEL
Joshua Tree
National Park
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TRAVEL
Where Two Deserts Meet
Two desert ecosystems merge within Joshua Tree National Park, creating unique associations of plants and animals. The Colorado Desert occupies the eastern half of the park where creosote bush, ocotillo, and palo verde dominate. The Mojave Desert spans the higher, western half of the park where it is slightly cooler and wetter. The Joshua tree is a critical component of the Mojave Desert ecosystem and provides habitat for birds, mammals, insects, and lizards. Five fan palm oases support vegetation and wildlife distinct from the species found in the rest of the park.
Despite the seeming vastness of the desert landscape, the park’s ecosystems are fragile and marked by climatic extremes. Natural water sources in the park are scarce, and the land appears parched. Rainfall is infrequent, but sudden downpours occasionally inundate the land.
While the Joshua Tree area has been inhabited by humans for at least 5,000 years, by the late 1920s the development of new roads into the desert had brought an influx of land developers and cactus poachers. Minerva Hoyt, a Pasadena resident who was extremely fond of desert plants, became concerned about the removal of cacti and other plants to the gardens of Los Angeles. Her tireless efforts to protect this area culminated in 825,000 acres being set aside as Joshua Tree National Monument in 1936.
The monument was administered by the superintendent of Yosemite National Park until James Cole was appointed as the first superintendent in 1940. The eastern portion of the historic Oasis of Mara was deeded to the National Park Service by the Twentynine Palms Corporation in 1950. That same year the monument’s size was reduced by 265,000 acres to exclude some mining property.
A National Park
As part of the Desert Protection Bill, Joshua Tree National Monument was elevated to park status on October 31, 1994. The bill also added 234,000 acres. The new park boundary follows natural features and includes complete ecological units such as entire mountain ranges. Previous boundaries divided these ranges along survey lines. The additions provide better resource protection with easier boundary identification and monitoring and important habitat for desert bighorn sheep. Elevations in the park range from a low of 536 feet to a high of 5,814 feet at Quail Mountain.
In 1976 Congress designated 420,000 acres within the monument as wilderness. Of the park’s current 792,623 acres, 591,624 is designated wilderness.
What Exactly Is a Joshua Tree?
The Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia), also called izote de desierto (Spanish, “desert dagger”), is a member of the Agave family. The Joshua tree is a monocot in the subgroup of flowering plants that also includes grasses and orchids. The Joshua tree indicates that you are in the Mojave Desert. However, you may also find it growing next to a saguaro cactus in the Sonoran Desert in western Arizona or mixed with pines in the San Bernardino Mountains.
IRIE invites you to come explore for yourself.