What a Wonderful World (An #AtoZChallenge Post): J is for Joshua Tree National Park

A sign on a brick wall marks the entrance to Joshua Tree National Park

My husband recently re-retired, and we are front-loading travel. My #AtoZChallenge posts this year will explore our adventures—some pre-retirement, some post. Today’s location: Joshua Tree National Park.

Because we lived for years in a place where Joshua trees grew, literally in our backyard, I didn’t feel the need to explore Joshua Tree National Park. In the same way my reticence to Death Valley National Park gave way to interest, Joshua Tree National Park proved to exceed expectations.

Joshua trees dot the sandy landscape as the sun sets in the distance

If you aren’t familiar with Joshua trees, the best description I know is that they look like something out of a Dr. Suess book, as if little yucca plants were growing from the ends of thick contorted branches of a single-trunked tree. Of course, with Joshua trees being in the park’s name, they are a highlight of this national park, but a different plant there really fascinated me: the Munz oak.

The sun shines through the top of a Munz oak tree. The Munz oak is tall and globular in shape.

According to the National Park app, there are only two Munz oak trees alive in the world, and both of them are found in Joshua Tree National Park. Some believe the Munz oak to be a hybrid of the Muller oak and Valley oak, though there seems to be some mystery surrounding the origin. Whatever its family tree, this particular specimen is big, beautiful, and stands in contrast to the rocky formations behind it. I loved seeing such a rare tree.


Looking at rock formations is like looking at clouds; it’s easy to find shapes in them. Joshua Tree National Park is filled with rock formations that have earned names such as Skull Rock, Whale Rock, and Elephant Rock.

Skull Rock, as one might assume, is shaped like a human skull, with holes for the eyes and nose

Whale rock resembles the head of a whale breaching out of the water

This rock formation is shaped like an elephant, as viewed from the side and with his trunk on the left. 

We only had a short time available to spend in the park and while we felt like we had a good overview, with more time, we could have done more hiking and explored even more of this interesting place.

Come back tomorrow to see where in the world we'll visit next!