Best trails for desert fauna at Joshua Tree

A forest of teddybear cholla await on the Cholla Cactus Garden Trail at
Joshua Tree National Park.

With several thousand feet of elevation change and the Mojave and Colorado deserts meeting in Joshua Tree National Park, an incredible variety of plants grow there. They range from the unique Joshua tree to the cholla cactus – each found in one desert rather than the other – to the ubiquitous scrub brush native to both desert floors while juniper and pinyon pine grow on mountainsides.

Among the best trails to see unique desert fauna at the park are:
• Cholla Cactus Garden Nature Trail – The 0.25-mile trail loops through an otherworldly forest of thousands of cholla cactus in the Colorado Desert. An excellent time to visit the garden is about an hour before sunset when the cacti seem to glow in the changing light. March through April also is a great time during the day, as the teddybear cholla are in bloom with their showy yellow to white-colored flowers.
• Indian Cove Trail – Day hikers can learn how Native Americans used various desert plants on this 0.6-mile loop at Indian Cove Campground’s west end. The trail is a gently rolling path with a few built-in steps.
• Panorama Loop – Hikers can explore both a pinyon-juniper woodland and a dense Joshua tree forest as climbing 1100 feet over 6.6 miles from a sandy wash to a ridgeline on the Little San Bernardino Mountains. The trail leaves from the Black Rock Campground.
• Willow Hole Trail – The flat 7.2-miles out and back trail heads to an oasis of willow trees. Along the way, you’ll travel through a Joshua tree forest, the Wonderland of Rocks boulders, and sandy washes. Start at the south terminal of the Boy Scout Trailhead off of Park Boulevard.
• Pine City Trail – A seasonal wash enclosed by large boulders crafted a cooler, moister microclimate than the surrounding desert, and it’s perfect for pinyon pine. The trailhead of the 4.4-miles round trip hike is at the end of Desert Queen Mine Road.