After spending some fourth dimension studying our hiking book, nosotros decided to caput for the Barker Dam Hike, which could survive accessed from the West entrance to the park, some fourteen miles from where nosotros are camping.
Once within the park, the Joshua Trees are alone one-half the story. There also are the most interesting stone formations alongside immense boulders. The expanse is also a pop rock-climbing location.
When nosotros reached the trailhead, nosotros establish this informational sign.
Here is a map of the trails inward the area. We were to cause got the one-mile loop inward the oculus of the map, marked inward red.
This was also a nature trail, as well as hence I'm providing images of some of the signs, along alongside the associated plants.
This showtime 1 was a fairly sizable tree.
We studied it inward search of the galls or the acorns. We establish none on the tree, but I establish this acorn a few yards upward the trail.
It was an slow hike alongside a well-marked trail. In some places, stone steps were provided.
We saw lots of squirrels as well as chipmunks, generally running lickety-split across the trail inward forepart of us. This guy was a ways off, sitting high on a rock, as well as he sat at that spot seemingly bored alongside the human foot traffic going by.
Also, nosotros saw quite a flake of prickly pear cactus.
Halfway or hence the loop, nosotros came to Barker Dam. Our hiking mass informs us this expanse was a favorite of cattle rustlers, since it was slow to proceed cattle contained within the boundaries of the rocks. However, at that spot were legal operations hither equally well. Bill Keys ran a legal ranch, as well as it is notwithstanding possible to tour his ranch on a guided tour alongside the commons service. (There are a lot of things inward the commons named for Bill Keys.)
These names were written into the cement used to construct the dam. The twelvemonth is 1949-50.
It was possible to stand upward on top. This epitome was taken or hence the forepart side of the dam. You tin reckon where the grade was raised later on on.
The H2O grade is theme on how much rainfall at that spot is at whatever detail fourth dimension of the year. On our hike, at that spot was quite a flake of H2O behind the dam.
Below the dam was this trough. Our hiking mass tells the inner circle held some sort of flotation device that kept it from overflowing.
Turning inward the other direction, as well as moving on, nosotros saw this stance of the expanse known equally the Piano Valley. It doesn't demo good inward this picture, but nosotros could reckon snow-capped mountains off inward the distance.
The large stone inward the oculus of the epitome below is called "Piano Rock." Our hiking mass tells us that y'all tin role your imagination to reckon a grand pianoforte inward the rock, but that is non how it got its name. According to our hiking book, locals organized musical camping ground trips to this expanse inward the 1930s. Willis Keys, hence a immature local resident, said a pianoforte was placed on overstep of this boulder, as well as campers could sit down as well as withdraw heed to music.
They sat on the Joshua tree logs y'all reckon inward the epitome below.
Hard to imagine how they would cause got gotten a pianoforte atop that boulder, but I don't attest to the veracity of this story...I'm simply the messenger.
Here again, nosotros could reckon snowfall on the mountains off inward the distance.
We didn't genuinely reckon the flora listed below, but it contained the discussion "cat," as well as hence I had to include it. We cause got our rules.
Until yesterday, nosotros didn't know that manzanita is the Castilian discussion for "little apples." It makes feel though since I rank to know the Castilian discussion for "apples" is manzana.
This was a salubrious specimen.
Looking to a greater extent than closely, y'all tin reckon the cerise wood, as well as this 1 appears to survive forming buds for a bloom.
It was lovely dorsum inward hither alongside Joshua trees growing thick, as well as piles of boulders all around. Here is a panorama of where nosotros stood.
H5N1 spur off the trail led to some petroglyphs. As for the vandalism, our hiking mass informed us this was done yesteryear a filming crew inward an drive to brand them to a greater extent than visible. You cause got to wonder the mindset of folks who would practise such a thing.
Standing to the side, nosotros could also reckon this arch inward the rock.
Signs told us at that spot were large horn sheep inward the area, although nosotros saw none, as well as hence it wasn't surprising to reckon the drawing to the right.
We saw these "water saver" guys when nosotros took our hike to Keane Springs inward Death Valley. They hold back a lot similar the kelp y'all powerfulness reckon along an body of body of water beach.
We establish these along the Joshua Tree trail, but they were lying on the ground, rather than standing straight-up...apparently, trampled yesteryear mortal or something.
We'd encountered some areas of wetness along the trail, as well as nosotros wondered almost the source of the wet until nosotros came to this expanse alongside snowfall on the solid set down where rocks shaded it from the sun.
H5N1 piddling to a greater extent than walking took us dorsum to the parking lot where we'd started, as well as that was our hike for the day.
We may become practise some other hike today, or nosotros powerfulness survive discouraged yesteryear crowds. There were quite a few people on the trail yesterday, as well as it took almost 10 minutes to piece of job inward the commons alongside simply 4 cars ahead of us. When nosotros left simply after noon, the trouble was amazingly long...perhaps fifty cars waiting to larn through the gate. They were going to hold back a really long fourth dimension simply to larn into the park. This existence Saturday, nosotros could come across a large line-up similar that...and that would discourage us. So, we'll see. We haven't genuinely talked almost what the solar daytime holds. If at that spot is hiking to survive done, we'll postulate an early on start. We come upward to this commons frequently, as well as hence there's e'er side yesteryear side year. We cause got 1 to a greater extent than solar daytime hither earlier moving on to Hemet.