Travel With Me: Joshua Tree

There's something about the desert. I grew up going to Eastern Washington every summer where my affinity for the desert started. The warmth of the sun hitting you, the beautiful desert foliage that looks like you're on Mars, and the peacefulness of being able to see far into the distance. This is why I love traveling to the Southwest, so when I found out we'd be visiting  Joshua Tree National Park during a weekend trip to Palm Springs (read all about the trip here!), I couldn't wait!

We started at the Southern entrance to the park and got our pass at the Cottonwood Spring Visitor Center. We then headed toward Lost Palm Oasis for casual hike. Hiking here in Washington typically means large elevation gains, so this one was nice and flat, so more approachable. 

The views were amazing, and we passed by so many young Joshua Trees, like the image above, that haven't sprouted arms. After hiking for about two hours, we headed back to the car to explore more of the park.

We drove North through the park, passing the Cholla Cactus Garden which felt like you were on a different planet! The landscape is just so gorgeous, it's worth stopping every chance you get.

Our car was on it's last leg of gas, so unfortunately we had to hop out of the park to fill up, but them were able to visit Indian Cove that had the most incredible rock landscapes! We were only in the park for the day, but it inspired me to come back as it deserves it's own trip! If you can, try to come camp for a weekend as there were so many areas of the park left to explore! 

Have you been to Joshua Tree before? Let me know your favorite spots in the comments below so I can stop there next time!