Wonderland of the Rocks in Joshua Tree National Park

Sweat hike to Fortynine Palms Oasis
Marvel at the Cholla Cactus Garden
Photographing the silhouettes of the Joshua Trees in the last sunlight of the day
Make a campfire in the beautiful Hidden Valley Campground

At 8.30 a.m. we get up and have breakfast on the rear bumper of our car. After we bought a sack of ice cream and visited the park's visitors center, we drive into Joshua Tree National Park. The park is a little less visited by foreign tourists than many other national parks in the southwest. This is primarily because it is not on the main route. The park has its own charm. This is where the vegetation zone of California's Mojave Desert meets its counterpart, the Colorado Plateau. This results in an above-average biodiversity despite the drought. There are also a large number of spectacular rock formations, especially in the north of the park.

We secure a place for us on the wonderful Hidden Valley Campground. Probably the most beautiful campground of my trip so far! We have our own private space in a niche between rocks. The whole thing reminds me a lot of my trip to Namibia with my parents. At that time we had a very similar place at Spitzkopje. The area around the campground is rightly called the “Wonderland of the Rocks”. Rounded boulders pile up everywhere and the unique Joshua Trees grow in between.

We continue to the northeast corner of the park, where we do the 5km hike to Fortynine Palms Oasis. At well above 30 degrees it becomes a real challenge. But the effort is definitely worth it for the goal. In the middle of this dust-dry valley grows a group of shady palm trees. Before we make our way back, we use it to eat an apple. At night, the idyllic place is an important point of contact for the shy desert dwellers.

We continue to the Cholla Cactus Garden. Here the visitor is presented with a completely different picture. Joshua trees and rocks do not dominate the landscape here, but the Cholla cacti form a real forest in the wide valley.