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California Day 2: Joshua Tree North Loop

21 December 2024 • 149 km / 93 mi (map)

Added to Eric Scouten :: Travel on 27 December 2024
California 38

I woke up early this morning to go explore Joshua Tree National Park. What a treat it was!

But, first … sunrise!

A flat desert landscape at dawn northeast of Joshua Tree, California, with scattered scrubby brush and sandy ground in the foreground. Distant low mountains sit on the horizon beneath a warm orange-yellow glow of early light, with scattered clouds and power lines crossing the blue sky above; a few small buildings and trailers are visible in the distance.

northeast of Joshua Tree, California

A wide desert landscape east of Joshua Tree, California, with dry golden grasses and scattered scrubby bushes in the foreground and a low mountain range on the horizon. The dawn sky transitions from pale blue overhead to soft pink and peach tones near the mountains, with wispy clouds.

east of Joshua Tree, California

The park ranger who sold me my entrance ticket said it was good that I was here early in the morning. “Things could get busy later in the day.”

A backlit cholla cactus with dense, pale spines glowing in early morning light, set against a softly blurred desert floor of dry sandy ground and scattered dead branches in Joshua Tree National Park.

Joshua Tree National Park, California

A Joshua tree with gnarled, branching limbs topped by spiky clusters of green needles, silhouetted against a bright blue morning sky streaked with wispy clouds in Joshua Tree National Park, California.

Joshua Tree National Park, California

A large Joshua tree with multiple branching arms tipped by spiky green clusters stands against a clear blue sky in the desert, with a smaller Joshua tree, dry shrubs, and low rocky hills in the background.

Joshua Tree National Park, California

A two-lane desert road curves through the arid landscape of Joshua Tree National Park, flanked by dry scrub brush and golden vegetation, with clusters of large rounded boulders and a few Joshua trees in the distance beneath a vast blue sky streaked with wispy clouds.

Joshua Tree National Park, California

Now here was a fun road sign …

Joshua Tree National Park, California

… which told me two things:

Going up this road was going to be so very worth it.
It was, as the park ranger said, good that I was here early. (I passed this sign at 8am.)

Herewith, split rock. No idea how it got that name shrug 🤷🏻‍♂️:

A large rounded granite boulder split by a deep cleft sits on smooth bedrock in a desert landscape, lit warmly by morning sun under a vivid blue sky streaked with wispy cirrus clouds. Dry grass, scrubby brush, and clusters of smaller boulders surround the formation along the Split Rock Loop Trail in Joshua Tree National Park.

Split Rock Loop Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California

There was a good bit of hiking behind the namesake rock, though.

A desert landscape of large, smooth granite boulders bathed in early morning light under a deep blue sky streaked with wispy cirrus clouds. In the foreground, sandy ground and dry desert shrubs surround a leafless tree and a low rounded boulder, with a wooden trail rail visible in the distance.

Split Rock Loop Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Split Rock Loop Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California

A spiky yucca plant grows at the base of a large rounded granite boulder in a desert landscape, with smooth tan rock slabs in the foreground and clusters of weathered boulders and a barren hillside under a clear blue sky in the background.

Split Rock Loop Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Split Rock Loop Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Large rounded granite boulder formations rise against a bright blue sky streaked with thin wispy clouds and contrails in a desert landscape. Dry scrub brush, sandy ground, and scattered rocks fill the foreground, with smaller rocky hills visible in the distance to the left.

Split Rock Loop Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California

A large weathered granite boulder formation seen from below against a bright blue morning sky with wispy cirrus clouds, its rounded surfaces showing mottled gray and tan patches and protruding rock lobes.

Split Rock Loop Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California

A sandy desert trail with rough stone steps winds between massive granite boulders under a bright blue sky streaked with thin clouds and a crisscrossing contrail. Dry desert scrub and sparse vegetation grow at the base of the towering tan-colored rock formations.

Split Rock Loop Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California

A large slab of weathered tan granite rising toward a deep blue sky, crossed by light-colored quartz veins that run like raised seams up the rock face, with a clump of dry green vegetation growing from a crack in the lower left. A faint contrail streaks the sky in the upper right.

Split Rock Loop Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California

A sweeping expanse of weathered granite slabs and large rounded boulders under a deep blue sky streaked with wispy cirrus clouds in the desert of Joshua Tree National Park, with a few small green plants growing in cracks between the rocks.

Split Rock Loop Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Weathered gray granite boulders with deep cracks and patches of lichen, where small white loose rocks are wedged into a fissure. In a crevice at the bottom grows a cluster of dry, reddish wildflower stems and pale green low shrubs amid scattered gravel and twigs.

Split Rock Loop Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California

A large weathered granite rock formation with rounded boulders piled at its crest under a blue sky with thin wispy clouds, photographed in warm morning light. A deep crack splits the slab in the foreground, with dry grasses and small shrubs growing out of it.

Split Rock Loop Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California

A massive overhanging granite boulder forms a shaded recess in the desert, with smaller rounded boulders and sandy ground beneath it. A scrubby green bush and dry brittlebush grow among the rocks in the morning light along the Split Rock Loop Trail in Joshua Tree National Park.

Split Rock Loop Trail, Joshua Tree National Park, California

A large cluster of smooth, rounded golden-brown granite boulders rises from the sandy desert floor of Joshua Tree National Park under a deep blue sky streaked with wispy cirrus clouds and faint contrails. Spiky yucca plants and dry desert shrubs dot the foreground, with green vegetation to the right in the morning light.

Joshua Tree National Park, California

A massive formation of smooth, weathered granite boulders rising into a deep blue sky streaked with wispy clouds, lit by warm morning light in the desert of Joshua Tree National Park. Sparse dry shrubs cling to the base of the rocks in the foreground.

Joshua Tree National Park, California

A few miles farther up the road I found Skull Rock …

A large weathered granite boulder eroded into the shape of a human skull, with deep hollow eye sockets, set among other rounded rock formations under a wide blue sky streaked with wispy cirrus clouds. A green desert shrub grows beside the rock on the right.

Skull Rock, Joshua Tree National Park, California

… and then the oddly-named but picturesque Hall of Horrors Area.

A large cluster of rounded, weathered tan boulders rises from a desert plain under a blue sky streaked with wispy clouds, with scrubby brush, small yucca, and distant low mountains in the foreground and background.

Hall of Horrors Area, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Large rounded granite boulders rise from sandy desert ground beneath a vast blue sky streaked with wispy cirrus clouds, with Joshua trees and low scrub spreading toward distant hills.

Hall of Horrors Area, Joshua Tree National Park, California

A narrow sandy footpath winds between two large granite boulders, flanked by dry grasses and brush. A small tree and distant desert hills are visible against a deep blue sky with wispy clouds in the gap between the rocks.

Hall of Horrors Area, Joshua Tree National Park, California

Keys View offered the opportunity to look down into the Salton Valley towards Palm Springs.

A sweeping high desert vista from Keys View in Joshua Tree National Park, looking out over rugged, eroded brown ridges and canyons toward distant hazy mountain ranges, with a blue sky crisscrossed by white jet contrails and rocky terrain with low scrub in the foreground.

Keys View, Joshua Tree National Park, California

A two-lane paved road winds through a high desert landscape dotted with Joshua trees, scrub brush, and rocky outcrops, with low brown mountains on the horizon under a wide blue sky streaked with wispy clouds and contrails.

Keys View, Joshua Tree National Park, California

And, with that, the park did indeed start to get busier. I retreated back to where I’m staying for this weekend. The street signs are … a bit informal here:

A handmade wooden sign reading “MARS STREET” in hand-painted black letters stands among dry desert brush under a vast clear blue sky, with sandy ground, scrubby vegetation, power lines, and distant low mountains on the horizon.

northeast of Joshua Tree, California

Sunset comes early this time of year (4:40pm).

A wide panoramic view of a flat desert landscape with sandy dirt roads, scattered low shrubs, and a power pole, beneath a clear gradient sky transitioning from deep blue overhead to a warm yellow-orange glow near the horizon at sunset. Low mountains and a few small buildings sit along the distant horizon.

northeast of Joshua Tree, California

Looking forward to exploring more of the park tomorrow!

around Joshua Tree National Park, California · 149 km / 93 mi
(Mouse over or tap on the markers to see the photos there. Use the

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California Day 3: Joshua Tree and Points South →

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