"Joshua Tree National Park " a Joshua Tree National Park Travel Page by dln6874

Joshua Tree National Park is not one of the more well known ones, but it's worth a visit if you are in the southern California area. Although you can see quite a bit in a day, you would need at least 2 days there to see it all. More if you plan to do lots of hiking or rock climbing.

There are several things you can see in the park. Joshua trees (see above picture) are ofcourse everywhere. There are many boulders and rock formations in the park too. We saw many people rock climbing. There are also several trails you can hike. I only did one hike, but recommend it to others. It's the 49 Palm Oasis Trail. You are hiking along the desert for the most part, but at the end, you come to an oasis so you see these palm trees in the middle of nowhere. I thought it was neat.

The park is about 30 min. off of I-10. There are no hostels in the area but lodging was not too expensive when I went. You can probably negotiate a room to about $40 for 2 people. There is no public transportation within the park, so you will need your own car. No gas stations or shops either, except at the visitor's center. The entrance fee is $10 per vehicle.

http://nationalparks.com/joshua_tree_national_park.htm