Joshua Tree National Park
See also: National Parks and Monuments (table)National Parks and Monuments
National Parks
Name Type1 Location Year authorized Size
acres (hectares)
Description
Acadia NP SE Maine 1919 48,419 (19,603) Mountain and coast scenery.
..... Click the link for more information.
Joshua Tree National Park,
1,022,703 acres (414,050 hectares), S California. Lying between the high Mojave Desert and the low Colorado Desert, this park has a unique ecosystem in which are preserved rare Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia; see yuccayucca, any plant of the genus Yucca, stiff-leaved stemless or treelike succulents of the family Liliaceae (lily family), native chiefly to the tablelands of Mexico and the American Southwest but found also in the E United States and the West Indies.
..... Click the link for more information. ) as well as ocotillos, chollas, and brittlebushes. It is home to a variety of wildlife including bighorn sheep, bobcats, roadrunners, and golden eagles. The area was designated a national monument in 1936 and a national park in 1994. See National Parks and MonumentsNational Parks and Monuments
National Parks
Name Type1 Location Year authorized Size
acres (hectares)
Description
Acadia NP SE Maine 1919 48,419 (19,603) Mountain and coast scenery.
..... Click the link for more information. (table).
Joshua Tree National Park
Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
Phone:760-367-5500
Fax:760-367-6392
Web: www.nps.gov/jotr/
Size: 789,866 acres.
Established: Proclaimed on August 10, 1936. Wilderness designated on October 20, 1976. Designated a Biosphere Reserve in 1984. Name changed from Joshua Tree National Monument on October 31, 1994.
Location:140 miles east of downtown Los Angeles via I-10. The west and north entrances to the park are off CA 62 (Twentynine Palms Hwy.), at the towns of Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms. The south entrance is at Cottonwood Spring, about 25 miles east of Indio off I-10.
Facilities:Campgrounds (é), picnic area, rest rooms (é), visitor centers (é), museum/exhibit, self-guided tour/trail. Entrance fee required.
Activities:Camping, hiking, rock climbing, horseback riding, bicyling, auto touring, ranger-led programs, wildflower viewing, stargazing.
Special Features:Two deserts, two large ecosystems whose characteristics are determined primarily by elevation, come together in the park. Below 3,000 feet, the Colorado Desert encompasses the eastern part of the park and features natural gardens of creosote bush, ocotillo, and cholla cactus. The higher, moister, and slightly cooler Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the Joshua tree and includes some of the most interesting geological displays found in California's deserts. Five fan palm oases also dot the park, indicating those few areas where water occurs naturally and wildlife abounds.
See other parks in California.