Pictures: Lyle Such

Camera: Canon 5d Mkiii

Joshua Tree has become one of our favorite weekend destinations. It's close enough to Los Angeles for a quick trip, but far enough that the crowds don't generally get too out of control. This time our plan was to finally hike the Lost Palms Oasis trail, located in the far southwest corner of the park.

We arrived Saturday evening in time to catch the sunset on a short hike up Ryan Mountain.

The drive through Joshua Tree at night offers a different sort of view. The stars come out in full force, and the silhouettes of the trees form grotesque and alien shapes against the dimly lit sky.

We missed out on getting a campsite, they were all booked. So after a night at a very "interesting" local hotel, we headed out before sunrise for the trailhead. Our hotel was located outside the northwest entrance, so to get to the Lost Palms trailhead, we had to drive the entire length of the park. Sunrise is easily the most beautiful time to experience Joshua Tree. Every turn we took opened up a new landscape full of color and unique shapes. After all the stops to admire the sunrise, it took us nearly twice the time to get to the beginning of our hike.

Near the Lost Palms trailhead is a turnoff which leads to the Chollo Cactus Garden, a short trail through a dense garden of the spiky plant.

Warnings are everywhere not to touch. Up close you can understand why.

One of the reasons to visit Joshua Tree in the springtime is to see all of the plants in bloom. It didn't disappoint, and as we travelled further southwest, there was more and more color. Never overwhelming, you have to do a little searching to find the colors, but when you do, it's definitely worth the effort.

We finally made it to the Lost Palms trailhead. A little late, but the day was relatively cool, so our worries about the desert heat weren't as much of a concern. The parking lot was beginning to fill, but we beat the majority of late starters, hoping to have the trail mostly to ourselves.

Trail Details:

Distance: 7.2 Miles

Difficulty: Moderate, depends on weather

Elevation Gain: About 500 feet

Just a short hill down from the parking lot is the first oasis. The funny part about this hike is that the destination is the Lost Palms Oasis, but this small one at the beginning was actually a little more impressive. Either way, it was a good start and a nice welcome to the trail.

Looking west across the landscape. What I always find interesting is that taken in as a whole, desert landscapes are very monotonous and drab, but the closer you get, the more unique it becomes, and you get to see all the intricate detail that you miss out on if you're just driving through.

After several corners of anticipation, we finally reached the sign that signaled we had found the oasis. After that it was just a short hike down into the canyon to reach the final destination, and the little shade it had to offer.

This was the only bit of water to be found. Not quite the iconic pool surrounded by palm trees.

After a short break and small meal, we headed back up and out of the canyon.

We decided to head a little further south down the spine of the rocks separating the canyons for a better view, and were rewarded with a sprawling view of the entire oasis, which winds its way down the canyon off into the horizon.