JTNP Wall Street Door
JTNP Raven Call
JTNP Purple Skies
JTNP Morning Arch
JTNP Cholla Dude
February ended with a weekend getaway to hike Joshua Tree National Park with my wife. With summer temperatures in the Mojave Desert reaching inhospitable levels May though October, late winter is a great time to visit if you get up early and avoid the crowds coming in from Los Angeles. While most of the wildlife was hard to come by, the birds were abundant. The park boasts endless permutations of granite formations and bizarre silhouettes formed by the erratic growth of the Joshua Tree, which is actually a species of Yucca endemic to the Mojave. Expansive views can be found on Ryan Mountain, Warren Peak, and Mastodon Peak which are all obtainable for the casual hiker given the maximum altitude reaching around 5,400'. Many new images from the park have now been added to the Western Pacific Gallery.