Joshua Tree National Park

Visited: Nov 2016

Nearby metro: Los Angeles, CA; nearby town: Twentynine Palms, CA (north entrance); Joshua Tree, CA (west entrance)

In the Mojave Desert just an hour outside of LA (but seemingly a world away) is the desert wilderness of Joshua Tree National Park. The desert has a reputation of being barren, featureless, boring, but that couldn't be further from the truth. It might be a harsh beauty, but a beauty nonetheless. The desert is an acquired taste, and Joshua Tree is a great way to acquire that taste. It will get you hooked on the desert. Just make sure to visit in the cooler months of winter, spring, or fall. So, enjoy your trip to a place where the streets have no name. (Get it? You see, it's funny because...I'm sorry, I'll stop).

Our first stop in the Park was the Cholla Cactus Garden. A little preview before we get to the eponymous more famous plant of the Park. Take the easy quarter-mile hike through this dense "forest" of Teddy Bear Cholla. Visit sometime between March-May to see the Cholla cacti bloom.

Don't touch!

Once you're done gazing on the Teddy Bear Cholla, you might realize that you still haven't found what you are looking for (I apologize, I wasn't going to do that anymore). Head to the Jumbo Rocks region. Here we got our first glimpse of the Joshua Tree. It isn't actually a tree (although very tree-like), it's a yucca. Scientific name is Yucca brevifolia. When Mormon pioneers first sighted the plant, they were reminded of the Biblical Joshua, raising his arms up to the sky in prayer. Therefore, they named it Joshua Tree, and the name stuck. The plant blooms between February and April.

The highlight of Jumbo Rocks is, of course, the Rocks. Joshua Tree is a mecca for climbers, there's all sorts of rocks to climb on, offering challenges from the novice to the most experienced. Jumbo Rocks is a giant natural playground. Take the short hike to Skull Rock (or you can park right alongside the road to see it).

Giant Marbles

Skull Rock is a popular spot.

As you continue to drive along the Park Boulevard, take a stop wherever you like and soak in the views of the Joshua Trees. They really are beautiful. Even if you don't like them, I'll enjoy them...with or without you. (That's the last one, I promise! Again, sorry).

Take the detour off the main road to go to Keys View for a great view of San Bernardino Mountains, Coachella Valley and Palm Springs.

Our last stop was Hidden Valley. This is a great mile hike in what is indeed a hidden valley, separate from the rest of the park. We spent a lot of time watching amateur rock climbers. A very pleasant hike.

Entrance fee is $25/vehicle. More info here: https://www.nps.gov/jotr/index.htm Joshua Tree is a great getaway from the sprawling metropolis that is LA. The desert is an unappreciated beauty. It is truly God's country (sorry, one last U2 reference) 😊

North Cascades National Park

Visited: Sept 2016

Nearby cities: Seattle, WA; Sedro-Woolley, WA (west entrance); Winthrop, WA (east entrance)

The Cascade Mountain Range (or simply "The Cascades") is a major north-south mountain chain that stretches from Lassen Peak in northern California and extends north across Oregon, Washington, and into southern British Columbia. This range is home to many famous and beautiful mountains such as Mt. Shasta, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier, the tallest of the Cascades. Most of these prominent peaks are also volcanoes. and form a part of the "Ring of Fire" around the Pacific Ocean. They are not dormant, Mt. St. Helens particularly violent eruption occurred in 1980, and before that Lassen Peak had minor eruptions in 1914 and 1921.

North Cascades National Park protects a remote and rugged section of mountains in north-central Washington up to the Canadian border. The North Cascades National Park Complex consists of the National Park (which is divided into a North and South Unit), plus two National Recreation Areas (Lake Chelan NRA and Ross Lake NRA). Ross Lake NRA (which is traversed by State Highway 20) bisects the National Park into the North and South Unit. 

North Cascades is a true wilderness park. Most visitors visit the Park by driving through on State Highway 20, known as the North Cascades Scenic Highway. However, the highway is technically not in the Park boundaries, it is wholly contained inside Ross Lake NRA. So, you'll need to get out of the car and do some hiking to truly enter the Park. The only road that accesses the park boundaries is the Valley Road, a gravel road that starts at Stehekin Landing (the north end of Lake Chelan, and the only way to get there is take a ferry from the south end of Lake Chelan) which goes a few miles into the South Unit of North Cascades. 

So, pretty much the entire Park is designated as backcountry wilderness. Even if you don't have a lot of time or stamina to explore the park, driving through on State Highway 20 and doing some short hikes is a great way to explore this Park. You'll see magnificent mountain vistas and incredible lakes. It truly is a wonder to behold. We approached the park from the western side.

First things first, what a rocking entrance sign! I love it.

Make sure to stop at the Visitors Center. Our next stop was Gorge Creek Falls. Get out of the car, stretch your legs, take a short hike for some great views of Gorge Lake.

The Falls far below the trail

Gorge Lake

Gorge Falls from the bridge

it was a very HIGH bridge. Kind of scary. Can you see our two small shadows?

Our next stop was Thunder Knob Trail. This trail is 3.6 miles (round trip) and offers view of Lake Diablo. Honestly, this hike can be skipped mainly because further down the road is an overlook just off the highway that offers arguably better views of Lake Diablo. It's a pretty good hike and you get some great views of far off peaks, but I would try a different one if you visit (like Thunder Creek, Fourth of July Trail, or Sourdough Mtn. Trail).

Pyramid Peak 7,182 ft.

Diablo Lake

when the sun shines on Diablo, the Lake is incredibly blue

Continuing on State Highway 20, make sure to stop at Diablo Lake Overlook for incredible views of the lake.

absolutely incredible, it hardly seems real

At the western edge of the park, make sure to stop at Washington Pass Overlook. It provides great views of the winding road and Liberty Bell Mt. It started to rain faintly, but not enough to dampen any spirits, in fact, it complimented the view.

Liberty Bell Mountain 7,808 ft

State Highway 20 at Washington Pass

a rainbow came out

If we had more time (and a little more experience in backpacking, etc.) it would be a lot of fun to really delve into the wilderness and experience everything that this park has to offer. It truly offers some of the last "untouched" wilderness in the lower 48. I'll provide the website, but bear in mind that it will not be updated during the present government shutdown. https://www.nps.gov/noca/index.htm There are no entrance fees for the Park. State Highway 20 is closed during winter, so check Washington Department of Transportation for road status.