#2 Joshua Tree

joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia)

History
In the grand scheme of National Parks, Joshua Tree's official status is pretty new.  It was named an official National Park in 1994 (however, it has been a National Monument since 1936).  It's named for the unique looking joshua trees that are literally all over the park and surrounding towns.  The park is part Mojave Desert, part Colorado Desert (but all desert).  And it has a surprising number of ecosystems from really barren, dry desert, to highlands, to comparatively wetter basins all within about a 1.5 hour drive. 

Trails and Points of Interest

View from the top of Mt. Ryan

Mt. Ryan Trail: The trip up to the summit of Mt. Ryan is fairly easy, and really lovely.  It's only a 3 mile round trip trail with an elevation gain of 1000ft.  Most of it is made of stone stairs, but it isn't really that steep.  There are also 360 views of the desert and nearby mountains most of the way.  We completed the climb in about 45 minutes (we took copious picture breaks) and the trip back down took about 20.  It'll get your heart rate up, but not make you want to die. It's definitely the best way to get a good view of the park.

Skull Rock: Skull rock is a rock formation that is super bizarre and loosely resembles a skull.  It's in this group of other rocks that look fake.  Honestly, this whole park has that feeling, like it's a movie set and not real life.

panoramic of the formations around Skull Rock

The rocks are very rough, which makes them ideal for climbing.  I could have spent hours just in this part of the park bouldering.  There's so many big rocks to climb on and under and around. It's really fun.  One little tip though, things are a lot steeper going down than they were going up.

My travel buddy trying to get back down

Cactus Garden

Cactus Garden: In yet another trick of nature that seems unreal, there's a small part of the park called the cactus garden that has cactus packed together as far as you can see.  These are cacti you can find in other parts of the park, but there are few and far between.  In this maybe 5 acre square, they are literally everywhere.  You can't leave the path for fear of being pricked to death by cacti.  Overall, it's a pretty cool place to see, but there's no need to spend a ton of time there.  Marvel at the cacti, take some pictures, and then move on. 

Octotillo!

Octotillo Patch: In the interest of complete disclosure, I have to admit that ever since I went to Big Bend a few years ago, I've been kinda obsessed with Octotillos.  They are by far my favorite cactus because they are adorable and look like octopuses.  Needless to say, I was pretty into the next bizarre section of Joshua Tree: the Octotillo Patch.  Much like the Cactus Garden, the Octotillo Patch comes out of no where.  You just turn a corner and there are hundreds of Octotillos!  Again, the Octotillos in the rest of the park are pretty rare, but in this 1000ft square, they are everywhere.  I really can't emphasize enough how this park feels so fake and manufactured.  Nature is super weird.

sunset from Key's View

Key's View: At the end of the day, we drove up to Key's View.  I'm told you can hike up to it, but we had run out of daylight, so we cheated 😊.  It's a few miles off the main road and up into the mountains.  There is a nice lookout with plenty of room to find a spot without other people to view the sunset.  The view of the San Bernadino Mountains in the background is pretty incredible.  We lucked into a cloudy, but not too cloudy day, so the sunset was beautiful!  AND in a bonus turn of events, we saw several coyotes on the way back down the mountain!

Superbloom

cactus flowers

We got super lucky, like super lucky.
Due to the large amounts of rain in California this winter all the dormant wildflower seeds in the desert bloomed!  It's being called superbloom and I have to admit, it was pretty super.  The ground was literally covered in yellow flowers and every cactus (including the Joshua tree) was in bloom. 

Lessons Learned
1. Wear sunscreen, even if you go in early spring and have forgotten that sunburns are a thing.
2. Along a similar theme, bring lots of water.  It's a desert, so it's dry and hot.
3. Don't step on the cacti in the Cactus Garden, they will get stuck in your shoe and then you'll have to pull it out with your hand and it will not be fun (We saw at least four people doing exactly this).
4. Go during a superbloom.  Sure they only come around every handful of years, but man, it was gorgeous.

yellow flowers forever!

Why now?

I mostly promise that after this post, I'll talk only about the beauty of the National Parks system and adventures, but I would be remiss to not mention that one of the big reasons I'm taking on this self-imposed National Parks challenged is that under the current administration, the National Parks are in jeopardy.

In the last 8 weeks, there have been proposals to significantly cut funding to the EPA, a gag order placed on EPA and National Parks employees, the selling of a national monument, a proposal eliminating regulations restricting mining in National Parks, the elimination of regulations that protect endangered species, and a bill to allow drilling in National Parks.

One of the most visible examples of harm is the gag order on the National Parks.  National Parks employees are no longer allowed to publish any research addressing climate change.  The National Parks have traditionally led the pack regarding climate change awareness because they get to see the impact on a daily basis.  For most of us, climate changes means more frequent flooding and warmer winters, for the National Parks, it means eroding mountains, melting glaciers, and declining wildlife populations. As a result, many NPS employees have created an alternate National Parks social media account to keep the public informed of the changes happening in the parks and to the Parks system.  You can find them here.

Another big concern is the proposed border wall along the southern border of the US.  This wall would run right through Big Bend National Park causing irreparable damage to the wildlife living along that corridor by blocking migration patterns, separating mating populations, and reducing habitats.

Taken together, this is a pattern that points to a deemphasis of the National Park system in favor of business practices that threaten to harm the environment.

The National Parks are for everyone and their protection should be of the utmost importance to people from all walks of life.  They highlight the ecological diversity and beauty of America and personally, I want them protected for future generations. To me, this seems like a non-partisan no-brainer.

#1 - Yosemite

I'm kicking off my National Parks marathon with Yosemite.  To be honest, this was a stop of convenience as I work out of Oakland and was heading up there for a visit anyway, but it's also a thematically appropriate first stop.

Because I was taking advantage of already being in the area, I made the mistake of underestimating the impact snow and ice would have on my trip.  It turns out, a lot of the roads and trails are closed in the winter and although I had cleats for hiking on the ice, I was often not allowed to.  Additionally, I lost an entire day to a snowstorm, which was a big bummer. Yosemite is beautiful any time of year, but if you want unfiltered access, go in the warmer months.

In front of the iconic Yosemite Falls

History

In 1868, President Lincoln signed a grant protecting 1500 acres of the Yosemite Valley.  While this isn't technically the first National Park (that's Yellowstone), this land grand did pave the way for the National Parks program.  Yosemite as we know it was made a National Park in 1906 through the tireless work of John Muir and President Theadore Roosevelt.  Since then, it's been one of the most popular national parks.

For a more detailed history see http://www.ohranger.com/yosemite/history-yosemite.

Trails
Yosemite Falls Trail: The Yosemite Falls trail is one of the more popular trails in the Yosemite Valley. for a reason.  It has amazing views of half dome, the falls, and really, the entire valley.

View on the way to Yosemite Falls

The trail starts near camp 4 and winds up the left side of the falls, ultimately leading all the way up to the top of the cliff above the upper falls (there are actually two Yosemite falls, upper and lower). The entire trail is 7.2 miles round trip and pretty strenuous.  It's all uphill and decently steep: lots of stairs and lots of switchbacks.  The good news is that the view is incredible, so it's easy to pretend you're just marveling at the beauty while you actually catch your breath 😉.

I wasn't able to make it all the way up to the upper falls due to snow and ice on the trail, but the view from the bottom of the falls was pretty amazing.  I stopped for lunch with this view:

View from the bottom of the Upper Yosemite Falls

Although it was super crowded and a decently tough climb, this was by far my favorite trail in the park.  The sweeping views are really just unparalleled, plus since there are a billion people on the trail, there is lots of opportunity to make new friends.

view of Vernal Falls from the footbridge

Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls Trail: The Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls Trail is another popular one in the valley.  It's fairly short at only 5.4 miles round trip.  Again, due the the weather (more on that below), I was only able to go a short way up the trail to the Vernal Falls footbridge, but the elevation gain wasn't very intense.  However, It looked steeper past the bridge on the closed part of the trail.

Overall, I thought this trail was lovely, but didn't even come close to the beauty of the the Yosemite Falls Trail.  There were a lot of trees blocking any sweeping views and although the trail followed the river, you could rarely actually see it.  I'm hoping that the rest of the trail up to Nevada falls is better, but I'll have to report back on that when I go back in warmer weather.

Mirror Lake Loop: The Mirror Lake Loop was recommended to me by a ranger who clearly underestimated my hiking abilities (I get it, I don't look like someone who is eager and able to climb mountains, but I am and I do!).  Honestly, I would not recommend this hike unless you are especially tired, injured, or a child.  It's not that it wasn't a nice nature walk, but often the view was hidden by trees and there was almost no elevation change.  It's a 2 mile loop that you can scurry through in about 30 minutes. It may be a good introduction to the park, or a place for a restful walk between more rigorous hikes, but if you are in a hurry, it's not worth the stop.  There are much better trails.

A view of the mountains from the Mirror Lake Loop

Lessons Learned

1. Even in an unusually warm winter, it's snowy in the mountains.  The snow really limits your options in Yosemite.  Lots of the roads are closed (basically all of them but highway 140 into the main entrance) and the trails are severely limited.  I brought snow boots with cleats, but a lot of the trails were closed by the park because they are narrow and cliffy, so even with equipment, it isn't safe.  That being said, Yosemite after a dusting of snow is incredible.

2. Check every day for road and trail closings.  They are posted on the NPS website.  After the snow storm on Sunday, there were lots of new alerts.  Downed trees, damaged roads, icy weather, etc. all change quickly and you just have to be aware and flexible.

3. I made the mistake of staying too far away from the park (in my defense, the most direct road was closed due to ice damage - yet another reason to check those alerts).  I think it's worth the additional cost to stay in the park or very near to its entrance.  Driving 2 hours there and back every day wasn't the best use of my time.

4. The shuttle system in Yosemite is pretty amazing.  I didn't realize how convenient it would be.  The shuttles go all over the park and run every 15 minutes or so, even in the winter.  Since the park is often very crowded, parking can be tough, so it's nice to know you can find a spot, stay in it and just use the shuttle to get around.

5. Even in the winter when the weather was iffy, the park was really crowded.  Much more crowded than other National Parks I've visited in the past.  I would strongly recommend you get to the park early and get on some of the more popular trails by no later than 9AM (earlier if you can handle it).

6. This is a lesson I have to learn over and over again, but be sure to pack enough water and food.  I always underestimate the amount of energy it's going to take me to get up a mountain and the amount of food I need to replenish those calories.  Trust me, when you run out of that easily accessible energy, things get terrible fast, so overpack on the food.


All-in all, Yosemite was a pretty perfect start to my adventures.  It's so iconic that you think you know what it's going to be like, but being there in person is pretty magical.  As with most of nature's glory, the pictures just don't do it justice.