Wilderness Trip of the Sierra Nevada and Surrounding
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JOSHUA TREE 1/2

Joshua Tree National Park
California Riding and Hiking Trail

If you are able to adjust to barren environment, you can enjoy the adventure trip to the horizon.
And, you will see hundreds of sorts of animals and plants that are useful in such a barren environment.












Joshua Tree National Park is in the southeastern California, about 140 miles east of Los Angeles.
The park is in the arid region about 800,000 acres which consists of Colorado and Mojave Desert.
Many animals and plants inhabit this extremely dry area. 813 sorts of plants, such as a cactus, 40 sorts of reptiles, 41 sorts of mammals, and 240 sorts of birds have adapted for this severe environment, and live here.
From thousands of years ago, this land was a place of native people's seasonal hunting or plant collection. Development started in the gold rush of the 1800s.　During the heat of summer, limited water resources, few trees, and the high transportation cost that carries a long distance were severe for the mining company.　Nevertheless, 300 locations were mined. Although most of those mines were small and did not succeed, the Lost Horse Mine which produced hundreds of pounds of gold and silver is also in them.

At the time that area was covered with more trees and high green grasses. Cowboys and herds of cows moved here and there in quest of grass and water.

Then the ranch was made. The building of the Key Ranch still remains and you can visit the Ranch by ranger guided tour.

After that random development began as the mining or grazing, land plants were illegally taken in the 1920s. Cactus poachers were overrun and many cactuses and plants of the precious desert were taken away for gardens of the Los Angeles suburbs.

Minerva Hoyt, a desert lover, and well-informed persons were not able to overlook that a desert was broadly destroyed. They enlisted the help of the President for the necessity for protection of the desert by the federal government. On 1936 August 10, Pres. Franklin Roosevelt signs the Proclamation to create Joshua Tree National Monument. Then, in 1994, The California Desert Protection Act created the Joshua Tree National Park.

● Joshua Tree National Park

California Riding and Hiking Trail
California Riding and Hiking Trail

The longest trail in Joshua Tree is the length of 37.3 miles from the North Entrance Station to Black Rock Canyon Campground.

Backpacking season is from autumn to spring as the summer is very hot. Even in winter, you can enjoy a backpacking trip with just summer equipment.



Water

There is no water on the trail. You need at least one gallon of water a day per person. If you do not like to carry a lot of water, you can leave it near the crossing road in advance.

Registration Board


The registration boards provide you with important information. Maps are on the NPS website.


Permit

Just write your plan and your address on the yellow tag, and then put it in the box. You don’t have to go to the ranger station and there is no reservation system or quota.
　　　 　　　　　　　 ↓North Entrance Trail

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